Predicting strength of soilbags under cyclic compression

Abstract

Soilbags have a wide range of applications in geotechnical engineering. To explore the compressive strength and deformation behaviour of soilbags, a formula for predicting the strength of soilbags is derived considering the relationship between the tensile force of the bag and the vertical strain. A soilbag under cyclic compression is numerically simulated using the discrete element method to verify the basic stress formula and the derived formula for the tensile force. The results indicate that the increase and distribution of the tensile force in the bag material have an important effect on the compressive strength of soilbags. The derived formula can predict the compressive strength of soilbags under vertical loading, providing a theoretical basis and design methods for structures built with soilbags.