Improved simulation method for soil-geogrid interaction of reinforced earth structure in FEM

The interaction between geogrid and soil is crucial for the stability of geogrid-reinforced earth structure. In finite element (FE) analysis, geogrids are usually assumed as beam or truss elements, and the interaction between geogrid and soil is considered as Coulomb friction resistance, which cannot reflect the true stress and displacement developed in the reinforcement. And the traditional Lagrangian elements used to simulate soil always become highly distorted and lose accuracy in high-stress blocks. An improved geogrid model that can produce shear resistance and passive resistance and a soil model using the Eulerian technique, in combination with the coupled Eulerian-Lagrangian (CEL) method, are used to analyze the interaction between geogrid and soil of reinforced foundation test in ABAQUS. The stress in the backfill, resistance of geogrid, and settlement of foundation were computed and the results of analysis agree well with the experimental results. This simulation method is of referential value for FE analysis of reinforced earth structure. © Tianjin University and Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2011.