Modelling of the mechanical interaction between anchored wire meshes and granular soils

In this paper a theoretical and numerical analysis of the mechanical interaction between an anchored deformable facing structure and the underlying granular soil is presented. The reinforcement system is mainly composed of wire meshes, geosynthetics, bars/ties, and spike steel plates. This is usually employed for stabilising potentially unstable slopes. The punching process that can occur locally is described by considering the complex interaction mechanisms arising among the different system elements and the soil. For the sake of simplicity, the soil stratum and the anchor are assumed to be horizontal and vertical, respectively. A simplified displacement-based approach is introduced with the main goal of evaluating both the maximum force that can be applied on the anchor and the correlated penetration of the spike plate within the soil. The approach is validated by means of experimental laboratory test results already available in the literature. Finally, in order to stress the role of the spike plates' spacing and the soil stiffness in influencing the mechanical response of the system, the numerical results of parametric analyses are discussed. © 2010 Taylor & Francis.