Semiempirical Method for Estimation of Pullout Capacity of Grouted Soil Nails in Saturated and Unsaturated Soil Environments
Publication: Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering
Volume 139, Issue 11
Abstract
The design of soil nail systems used in engineering practice is either based on conventional soil mechanics or empirical procedures, and generally ignores the influence of matric suction. An experimental program was conducted to investigate the influence of matric suction on the pullout capacity of soil nails installed in compacted sand under both saturated and unsaturated conditions. Pullout tests were performed on soil nails installed vertically, horizontally, and at an inclination of 15° to the vertical in a specially designed test box. A strong relationship was observed between the pullout capacity and matric suction. A semiempirical method is proposed for the estimation of the pullout capacity of soil nails by using the average matric suction value and the saturated soil strength parameters, and . There is a reasonably good agreement between the measured and estimated pullout capacity of soil nails using the results of the present research program as well as the data from the literature.
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Acknowledgments
The writers are extremely grateful for the significant support provided by Geo-Foundations Contractors Inc., Acton, Ontario, Canada for the execution of this research study. Additional support was provided by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) through its discovery grants program. The assistance provided by Stan Conley and other members of the Civil Engineering Laboratory at Carleton University, along with support from Jean Claude Celestin and Dr. Won Taek Oh from the University of Ottawa is greatly appreciated. The writers also thank the reviewers for their comments and suggestions.
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Published In
Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering
Volume 139 • Issue 11 • November 2013
Pages: 1934 - 1943
Copyright
© 2013 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Oct 26, 2011
Accepted: Jan 2, 2013
Published online: Jan 4, 2013
Published in print: Nov 1, 2013
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