Centrifuge modelling tests of geocell gravity retaining structures

摘要

Centrifuge model tests have been performed on model geocell gravity retaining walls to investigate their structural capacity and failure mechanism under external critical loading, including incremental surcharge at the top backfill, water flow and unsaturated conditions. The walls were designed as a gravity wall and were scaled 1:20. Three different geometries of the model wall were tested, and the strength properties of the prototype geocell material and joints were properly assessed by several laboratory tests, and scaled using a new material and a joint bonder to produce 30 model geocells networks, employed in the retaining wall models. Results have shown an outstanding structural capacity of the geocell walls, showing their ability to withstand high surcharges before failure. Besides, a characteristic failure mechanism was identified in which a failure wedge at the backfill plastically deforms the geocell wall and creates an intern failure surface on it.