ABSTRACT
Authors recently proposed structural modification to the geocells in the form of a geocell anchor cage (GAC), which consists of a basal geogrid with anchor pins positioned at the center of each cell to form an integrated anchoring system. While the benefits of GACs in terms of improvement in load carrying capacity and settlement reduction are already established, their interaction mechanisms with the soil during shear are not yet explored. Large direct shear tests were conducted on sand-geocell, sand-geocell-grid and sand-geocell-GAC interfaces to quantify the effectiveness of geocells with GAC with that of geocells without GAC and geocells with just the basal geogrid. Results showed that all reinforced interfaces showed significant adhesion apart from interface friction, whereas sand alone showed zero adhesion. The interface adhesion of geocell-GAC interface is about 1.6 times and 1.2 times greater than the geocell-grid interface and geocell alone interface.
