Large Scale Experiments on the Behavior of Embankment Reinforced with Polymer Grids (Part 1)

Large scale experiments on the behavior and the failure mechanism of embankment reinforced with polymer grids were carried out under heavy rain condition. The observations on the strains in the polymer grids show that the maximum tensile forces were greatly smaller than the assumed one in the limit analysis method. And the erosion gradually occurred in the surface soil between polymer grids. Therefore a rational design method which can consider the change of the stress-strain patterns and an appropriate slope protection method must be developed.