Novel strip-anchor for pull-out resistance in cohesionless soils

• A novel reinforcing element is introduced.
• The coefficient of interaction ratio directly affects the pull-out capacity – the number of anchors on the anchorage length.
• The results of the FEM were in good agreement with the laboratory test results.
• Adding anchors to the conventional strip increases the interaction between the soil and the reinforcement by about 340%.

In this research, a novel reinforcing element is introduced. It includes a series of extra elements (anchors) that are attached to conventional steel strips. The new elements increase the pull-out resistance of the reinforcements and reduce the anchorage length. A total of 55 pull-out tests were performed to evaluate the pull-out resistance and optimum geometry of the new system. The effect of the anchor’s angle, length and spacing, as well as the influence of the dimensions of the cubic anchors on the coefficient of interaction ratio (CIRp) were investigated. The coefficient of interaction ratio directly affects the pull-out capacity – the number of anchors on the anchorage length. As a result, the pull-out resistance increased significantly with the addition of new anchors to the conventional reinforced strip. Test results indicated that the use of strip anchors increased the ultimate pull-out resistance under surcharge pressures of 50, 100, 120 and 150 kPa by factors of 7.4, 4.95, 4.3 and 4.3, respectively, in comparison with conventional strips. The finite element method (FEM) was also used to compare and verify the results of the experimental pull-out. It was observed that the results of the FEM were in good agreement with the laboratory test results.