The influence of surface topography on the mechanical behavior of soil-structure interfaces over a range of particle sizes and shapes is systematically investigated in this research. 3D printed interfaces with different topographies and uniformly graded 3D printed soil particles and two types of natural sands (Ottawa sand 20/30 and Dolomite sand #1, #2 and #3) were employed and tested. Laboratory investigations showed that the shear strength and volume change responses of the 3D printed interfaces are positively influenced with the increase of the inclination of asperities. The proposed wedge friction model successfully explained the distinct mechanical behaviors of soil-structure interfaces under shearing. A “turning point” was found for the interface shear resistance with the increase of the inclination of asperities. When the surface topography produces passive resistance to the soil, the change of the surface topography has little effect on the interface mechanical behavior. The findings from this research will provide insights for soil-structure interface design and discrete element method (DEM) simulations in considering the mechanical behavior of soil-structure interfaces.

在这项研究中，系统地研究了表面形貌对一系列粒径和形状的土壤-结构界面的力学行为的影响。使用并测试了具有不同地形和均匀渐变3D打印的土壤颗粒以及两种类型的天然砂（渥太华砂20/30和白云石砂＃1，＃2和＃3）的3D打印界面。实验室研究表明3D打印界面的抗剪强度和体积变化响应会随着凹凸不平度的增加而受到积极影响。提出的楔形摩擦模型成功地解释了剪切作用下土-结构界面的独特力学行为。发现随着凹凸不平度的增加，界面抗剪强度成为“转折点”。当表面形貌对土壤产生被动阻力时，表面形貌的变化对界面力学行为影响很小。这项研究的发现将为考虑土-结构界面的力学行为的土-结构界面设计和离散元方法（DEM）模拟提供见解。