Biaxial Tensile Mechanical Properties of HDPE Geocells and Their Optimization Analysis Through the RSM

Abstract Addressing the lack of clarity regarding the correlation mechanism between the overall mechanical response of geocells and the performance of their constituent components (strips and junctions), this paper investigates the strength and deformation characteristics of high-density polyethylene (HDPE) geocells under biaxial tension through systematic experimental research. First, a series of tests were conducted, including geocell strip tensile tests, junction (X-type) tensile tests, and overall biaxial tensile tests on HDPE geocells with varying heights and welding distance, with the influence of loading velocity also taken into consideration. Based on these experiments, an in-depth analysis was performed on the coupling mechanism between the mechanical properties of the strips, the constraint characteristics of the junctions, and the overall biaxial tensile behavior of the geocell. The study focused on elucidating the variation pattern of biaxial tensile strength with the number of junctions per meter. Finally, a multifactor analysis model was constructed using the response surface methodology (RSM) to systematically investigate the interactive effects and response patterns of various factors on biaxial tensile strength. The research results demonstrate that the overall mechanical indices of HDPE geocells can be effectively predicted and optimized based on the performance of their constituent components. These findings provide an important theoretical basis for the selection and design of HDPE geocells in geotechnical engineering applications.