Experimental investigation of deformation behavior of geocell retaining walls

Construction of retaining walls with geocell has been gaining in popularity because of its easy and fast installation compared to conventional methods. In this study, model tests were conducted by constructing the geocell retaining wall (GRW) at a constant height (i.e., 90 cm) and using aggregate as an infill material at four different configurations and two different surface angles. In these tests, a circular footing was placed behind the walls at different lateral distances from the wall surface and loaded monotonically. Subsequent to this vertical loading being applied to the footing, horizontal displacements on the GRW surface were measured at three different points. The performance of Type 4 GRW exceeded the other three types of GRW, with the highest lateral displacement occurring in Type 4 GRW at approximately 0.67 % of wall height. In addition, the results of these tests were compared with theoretical approaches widely accepted in the literature. The stress levels reached beneath the footing were found to be compatible with theoretical results.