Model geogrids and 3D printing

This paper summarizes the technical aspects of using 3D printing to fabricate small model geogrids for geotechnical experiments, with the aim of scaling their geometry and tensile behavior under operational conditions, say up to 5% strain. Specifically, we successfully fabricated model geogrids with one-hundredth of the tensile strength of prototypes, which is desirable for 1:10 model tests under 1-g condition. We also successfully fabricated another one with tensile strength close to one-tenth of prototypes, which is desirable for 1:10 model tests under 10-g condition in centrifuges. Therefore, by using 3D-printed model geogrids with properly scaled dimensions and tensile behavior, it is possible to achieve the two scaling laws simultaneously in reinforced-soil model tests, making the small-scale model tests more representative of field conditions.