Abstract: To investigate the feasibility of bamboo geogrid in reinforcing the filling embankment of Bazhong-Nanchong expressway in Sichuan Province of China, the mechanical behaviours of fresh bamboo geogrid are analyzed based on the laboratory tensile and bending test results. The results show that bamboo geogrid can match the traditional geogrid in mechanical performance, and meet specification requirements. Based on above test results, the bamboo with 2-year-old or older is selected as auxiliary reinforcement material. Laboratory direct shear test is conducted to exame the interface properties of bamboo-reinforced soil. It is that the arrangement of bamboo strips in geogrid is relatively optimal when orientations of bamboo’s green and yellow surfaces alternate one by one, and the corresponding interface friction coefficient reaches 0.32. The friction coefficient of interface between soil and bamboo pieces reaches 0.35 in the laboratory pull-out tests. The knitting process of bamboo geogrid and the construction technology for the reinforced filling embankment in this study are beneficial to practical engineering.

Key words: bamboo, geogrid, mechanical behavior, embankment reinforcement