Pullout response of strengthened geosynthetic interacting with fine sand

This research describes results of pullout tests performed on two new systems to reinforce the fine-grained silica sand classified as SP in the Unified Soil Classification System. The first system is composed of geogrid on which transverse steel bars are tied to make a 3-D strengthened geogrid, here called Geogrid-Bar (GGB). In the second system, plastic push pins are attached to geocomposite and a strengthened geocomposite is made, here called Geocomposite-Pin (GCP). Eighteen pullout tests were conducted with the soil relative density of 80% revealed that the use of GGB and GCP systems causes the reinforcement pullout resistance to increase by about 37% and 46%, compared with normal planar geogrid and geocomposite, respectively.