Title: Pullout Response of Ferrocement Members Embedded in Soil

Author(s): Md. Zakaria Hossain

Publication: Materials Journal

Volume: 105

Issue: 2

Appears on pages(s): 115-124

Keywords: failure modes; ferrocement; pullout response.

DOI: 10.14359/19751

Date: 3/1/2008

Abstract:
Ferrocement, a reinforced cementitious composite, may attain its optimal reinforcing capability for soil reinforcement applications owing to its synergetic action from two components of wire mesh and mortar. This paper presents some experimental results on the performance behavior and failure modes of ferrocement elements reinforced with woven square mesh and chicken mesh under pullout tests in two types of backfill materials. It is demonstrated that the failure modes of ferrocement depend on the surface properties of ferrocement, mortar composition, and type of mesh. Tests results reveal that square mesh-reinforced ferrocement with smooth surface shows frictional failure only under normal stresses, whereas with chicken mesh-reinforced ferrocement, there is mortar failure at higher normal stresses. It is also observed that the pullout resistance of ferrocement is improved significantly by using some small parallel channels on the surface of ferrocement elements transversely to the pullout direction. In the case of ferrocement containing two, four, and six channels, only the mortar failure is observed for square mesh-reinforced ferrocement, whereas the mesh failure is apparent for chicken mesh-reinforced ferrocement. A discussion regarding the corrosion of ferrocement elements as embedded in soil and a comparison between this technique and other soil reinforcement methods, such as geogrids or geosynthetics, in terms of cost, strength, and durability, are presented.