Deformation Characteristics of Reinforced Sand in Direct Shear

A series of direct shear laboratory tests was performed in order to examine the mechanism of shear zone development in reinforced sands and to quantify their deformation characteristics. Six types of reinforcements were used to evaluate the effects of reinforcement concentration, stiffness, and reinforcement‐soil bond strength on the deformation and strength of reinforced sands. Tests results show that shear zones tend to be wider in reinforced soil composites than in soil alone. The width of the shear zones increases with increasing stiffness of the composite due to any combination of increased reinforcement concentration, stiffness, and reinforcement‐soil bond strength. A linear relationship between reinforcement concentration and increased strength is not observed.