Performance Properties of Geogrids - Reinforced Soil Engineering: Advances in Research and Practice - page 19

Performance Properties of Geogrids
W. Voskamp
Colbond Geosynthetics, Arnhem, The Netherlands
1 SYNOPSIS
With BS 8006, FHWA-SA-96-071, and independent certification of product
characteristics by the British Board of Agr´ment, a sound base for the use of
reinforcing products, whether flexible or stiff, is now available. A range of
geogrid products with varying strength and made in different ways is now
available from which users can select the product best suited to their purpose.
However, it should be emphasized that in the design specification for a project all
relevant design parameters must be listed. The required design strength should
clearly be specified for a design life, and the design conditions that influence the
various partial factors should also be listed. Alternatively, the factors used in the
design for the different polymers must be listed. This allows the contractor to
select between various products while the advantages in lower material factors,
which are listed in the BS 8006 for products that have a record of extensive tests,
are fully used as competitive edge and for the benefit of the user. In an earlier
publication, Voskamp (1995) makes a comparison between the partial material
factors and some other characteristics of stiff and flexible geogrids. This chapter
gives the latest results and comparisons with other standards.
2 INTRODUCTION
The first geogrids appeared on the market in the late 1970s. They were made of
HDPE and, after intensive research on product characteristics and design
methods, have since been increasingly adopted for civil engineering applications.