Expandable mechanical plate anchors resist tensile and uplift loads through rapid installation and immediate activation. However, their pull-out performance depends on plate deployment and anchor–soil interaction. This study experimentally investigates the use of post-deployment cement grout injection to improve the pull-out capacity of these anchors in sand. The experimental program comprised 45 unique test configurations, supplemented by repeated ungrouted baseline tests and selected repeated grouted tests to assess repeatability. The investigated variables included injection pressures of 5–7 bar, soil relative densities of 30
Accurate determination of lateral earth pressure acting on retaining structures is an essential prerequisite for optimizing both their structural safety and overall cost-effectiveness. The pioneering theoretical approaches for evaluating earth pressure on rigid retaining walls were introduced by Coulomb (1776) and Rankine (1857). These theories assume that the active earth pressure is distributed linearly along the wall height, resulting in a triangular pressure profile with its maximum intensity at the base of the wall. Bashir et al. (2026) conducted a series of numerical simulations to investigate the active pressure regime and corresponding failure mechanisms in retaining walls supporting narrow backfills subjected to translational displacement. Their study evaluated the influence of backfill aspect ratio (b/H = 0.2, 0.3, 0.4, 0.5, 0.6, and 0.7), relative density (Dr = 70, 75, and 80
This study investigates the dynamic mechanical behavior and fragmentation characteristics of phyllite subjected to high-strain-rate loading. Split Hopkinson pressure bar (SHPB) tests were conducted on cylindrical phyllite specimens over a strain-rate range of 30–107 s−1. Post-impact fragment geometries were quantified by high-resolution three-dimensional laser scanning. The tests were then simulated in LS-DYNA using calibrated parameters for the Holmquist-Johnson–Cook (HJC) constitutive model. The results show a clear strain-rate strengthening effect: over this range, the dynamic compressive strength increased from 28.37 to 45.02 MPa, corresponding to an increase of approximately 58.7
Shakedown analysis is a direct technique for evaluating the stability and design of structures under repeated loading. It is based on two fundamental upper and lower-bound theorems, each of which has static and dynamic formulations. In this paper, based on the lower-bound shakedown theorem, the shakedown limit for foundations under repeated loading is evaluated, and the application of the superposition assumtion in this context is discussed. The results show that, unlike monotonic loading, the bearing capacity factors associated with soil weight and surcharge are independent of the soil friction angle and remain constant at zero. However, when cohesion, soil weight, and/or surcharge are taken into account simultaneously, the analyses show that soil weight and surcharge do, in fact, affect the shakedown limit, which contradicts the results of the superposition principle. Consequently, applying the superposition assumption to evaluate the foundation limit load under repeated loading may lead to overly conservative predictions.
Soil stabilization is considered a feasible approach to controlling water erosion; however, limited research has been conducted on this topic in the context of tropical soils and reservoir shorelines. This study aimed to evaluate the influence of curing time and initial suction on the mass loss of lateritic soils treated with a lime solution and subjected to surface runoff under variable initial hydraulic conditions. Inderbitzen tests were carried out on remolded specimens of treated and untreated lateritic clay. Lime solutions were used at concentrations of 1
