Strength and deformation characteristics of red-sandstone granular soil reinforced with gabion mesh

Large-scale triaxial tests are carried out on gabion mesh reinforced red-sandstone granular soil with different reinforcement layers, compaction degrees and water contents. The effects of gabion mesh reinforcement layers, water content and compaction on the stress-strain relationship and strength properties of red-sandstone granular soil are analyzed. The reinforcing effects are evaluated by introducing the strength ratio parameter. A comparison between the geogrid and the gabion mesh reinforced red-sandstone granular soil is conducted. The experimental results show that the peak strength, cohesion and ductility of the red-sandstone granular soil are obviously improved by gabion mesh reinforcements, but its internal friction angle is not greatly improved. The cohesions of the reinforced soil and the plain soil exhibit non-linear relationships with their water content under the same compaction, moreover, there is a maximum value near the optimum water content. The cohesion and internal friction angle increase with the increase of compaction under the same water content. The reinforcing effect relates with the number of gabion mesh layers, water content and compaction of soil, and the effect of the gabion mesh reinforced soil decreases with the increase of the confine pressure.