Sensor-Enabled Geogrids for Stabilization and Performance Monitoring of Earth Structures: State of Development

Abstract

The sensor-enabled geogrid (SEGG) technology has been introduced and developed by the authors in the past few years as a new category of geogrid products that possess built-in strain-sensing capability in addition to their conventional reinforcement/stabilization function in geotechnical and transportation applications. The SEGG strain-sensing function arises from their tensoresistivity, which is the sensitivity of their electrical conductivity to tensile strain. This paper reports the state of development of the SEGG technology and reports latest findings on both the in-isolation and in-soil tensoresistivity performance of SEGG specimens. Results indicate that the technology holds promise to serve as an alternative to conventional instrumentation for the performance monitoring of geotechnical structures.