Analytical model of interaction between hexagonal wire mesh and silty sand backfill

Abstract

The interaction behavior between hexagonal wire mesh and silty sand backfill can be evaluated from pullout tests. The pullout resistance of the hexagonal wire mesh reinforcement consists of two components, namely friction resistance and passive bearing resistance. The friction resistance – relative displacement relationship of a hexagonal wire mesh can be simulated by a linear elastic – perfectly plastic model. The passive bearing resistance of an individual bearing member can be modelled by a hyperbolic function. The friction resistances for galvanized and PVC-coated hexagonal wire mesh were 25 and 21%, respectively, of the total pullout resistance. A new analytical model for predicting the pullout resistance of hexagonal wire mesh reinforcement has been proposed. The proposed solution can estimate the maximum pullout force at different reinforcement levels from observed horizontal movement of a hexagonal wire mesh reinforcement.Key words: hexagonal wire mesh, necking phenomena, bearing resistance, analytical model, pullout box, bearing resistance.