Bio-Inspired 3D-Printed Honeycomb for Soil Reinforcement
Mohamed G. Arab, Maher Omar, Emran Alotaibi, Omar Mostafa, Marwan Naeem, Osama Badr
Abstract
Numerous engineering designs were inspired from nature. Recent researchers have used 3D printing technology to optimize soil reinforcement. In this research, a bio-inspired geogrid shape, from the concept of honeycomb structure was investigated and compared with conventional commercial geogrid. 3D printing technology was used to investigate the feasibility of the proposed geogrid shape and its ability to enhance the bearing capacity of the soil under foundations. Optimization was conducted to improve the performance of the proposed geogrid. This was conducted by studying the use of the proposed geogrid to improve bearing capacity. In this paper a parametric study was conducted by printing physical models of geogrid changing the geogrid depth, thickness, and cell aperture width while measuring the distribution of strains due to loading. Optimum design found for the honeycomb like geogrid was for thickness over cell aperture width of 2.66% and depth over cell width of 13%, have shown the highest improvement of bearing capacity compared to unreinforced case with bearing capacity ratio (BCR) of 1.59. In conclusion, the proposed honeycomb inspired geogrid demonstrated enhanced soil confinement behavior due to its unique shape. The 3D printing technique can be used to test new geogrid designs and geometries due to the flexibility this technique offers in terms of geometries and material stiffness and texture.