Assessment of long-term performances of polyester geogrids by accelerated creep test

Abstract

Geogrids are widely used as the reinforcement materials in geotechnical and civil engineering fields. In this study, accelerated-creep tests at elevated temperatures to predict longer-term creep behavior of polyester fabric geogrids were examined using the time–temperature superposition principle. Creep tests were generally performed to calculate the partial factor of safety during the service time of polyester geogrids and two types of geogrids, having different design strengths ranging from 8 to 15 t/m, were used in this study. The creep tests were carried out at various temperatures and loading levels of 40, 50, and 60% of short-term design strengths. Also, the creep tests were made at temperatures between 20 and 50°C to take into consideration the real environmental conditions of geogrids. The results indicated the applicability of the conventional procedures in prediction of longer time creep strain and material dependency of creep strains.