Geogrid installation damage caused by recycled construction and demolition waste

Using recycled construction and demolition waste (RCDW) in geosynthetic reinforced soil (GRS) structures presents attractive environmental and economic aspects. However, bearing in mind installation damage can be responsible for significant changes in geosynthetic tensile-strain behavior, the damage caused by the RCDW must be assessed and quantified. This study aims to investigate the occurrence of mechanical damage during the installation of geogrids with RCDW backfill material using an in-field test facility. In order to understand the mechanisms related to the damage, the influences of the dropping height and compaction method were investigated. Statistical analysis using the Student's t-distribution was carried out to validate the occurrence of damage and calculate reduction factors for geogrids’ tensile strengths. Results revealed that dropping processes reduced the geogrid ultimate tensile strengths, but the compaction methods caused the highest reductions. The reduction factor values encourage the design of GRS structures with RCDW, an interesting option to satisfy the technical and economic aspects required for these structures in agreement with the environmental concerns.