Field Pullout Testing and Performance Evaluation of GFRP Soil Nails
Publication: Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering
Volume 137, Issue 7
Abstract
Glass fiber–reinforced polymer (GFRP) materials provide practical solutions to corrosion and site-maneuvering problems for civil infrastructures using conventional steel bars as reinforcements. In this study, the feasibility of using GFRP soil nails for slope stabilization is evaluated. The GFRP soil nail system consists of a GFRP pipe installed by the double-grouting technique. Two field-scale pullout tests were performed at a slope site. Fiber Bragg grating (FBG) sensors, strain gauges, linear variable displacement transformers (LVDTs), and a load cell were used to measure axial strain distributions and pullout force-displacement relationships during testing. The pullout test results of steel soil nails at another slope site are also presented for comparison. It is proven that the load transfer mechanisms of GFRP and steel soil nails have certain difference. Based on these test results, a simplified model using a hyperbolic shear stress-strain relationship was developed to describe the pullout performance of the GFRP soil nail. A parametric study was conducted using this model to study some factors affecting the pullout behavior of GFRP soil nails, including nail diameter, shear resistance of soil-grout interface, and ratio of interface shear coefficient to the Young’s modulus of the nail. The results indicate that the GFRP soil nail may exhibit excessive pullout displacement and thus a lower allowable pullout resistance than with the steel soil nail.
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Acknowledgments
The authors wish to thank Prof. L. G. Tham of the Department of Civil Engineering of The University of Hong Kong, Dr. A. S. K Au of Benaim Group, and the technical staff of Barbican Construction Co., Ltd., for their assistance in the field pullout tests. The constructive suggestions of Mr. Terence C. F. Chan of the Geotechnical Engineering Office of the Civil Engineering and Development Department of the Government of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and Mr. Ronald P. M. Li of Jacobs China, Limited, are acknowledged. Financial support of the Research Grants Committee (RGC) of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government under Grant No. UNSPECIFIEDPolyU 5320/07E and The Hong Kong Polytechnic University under Grant Nos. UNSPECIFIEDG-YE14, UNSPECIFIEDG-YE54, and UNSPECIFIED1-BB7U are gratefully acknowledged.
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Published In
Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering
Volume 137 • Issue 7 • July 2011
Pages: 633 - 642
Copyright
© 2011 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Jun 24, 2009
Accepted: Oct 6, 2010
Published online: Oct 8, 2010
Published in print: Jul 1, 2011
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