{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,23]],"date-time":"2026-10-23T17:40:56Z","timestamp":1792777256519,"version":"4.5.0"},"reference-count":27,"publisher":"Public Library of Science (PLoS)","issue":"10","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,23]],"date-time":"2026-10-23T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1792713600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["www.plosone.org"],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["PLoS One"],"abstract":"<jats:p>The tensile performance of geocells depends on the mechanical responses of both cell walls and junctions. Three commercial geocells, liquation-welded polypropylene (LW), injection-molded polyester (IM), and ultrasonic-welded high-density polyethylene (UW), were examined through tensile testing, macroscopic observation, and scanning electron microscopy of cell-wall fracture surfaces. Five configurations were used: cell-wall tension, junction-inclusive tension, and junction seam, shear, and split tests. The cell-wall peak strengths of LW, IM, and UW were 143.03\u2009\u00b1\u20094.43, 185.61\u2009\u00b1\u20097.96, and 39.42\u2009\u00b1\u20092.41 kN\/m, respectively. Including a junction changed the strengths by +28.99%, \u221259.79%, and \u221223.76%. The LW and IM cell walls lost load rapidly after the peak. UW exhibited necking and extended post-yield deformation. SEM revealed microfibrillar bundles in LW, a smooth layered surface in IM, and dense drawn microfibrils in UW. Under junction-inclusive tension, LW tore near the raised-tab edge, IM cracked through the ligaments between the holes, and UW fractured at a weld-wall boundary. LW provided the highest seam and shear strengths of 66.16\u2009\u00b1\u20094.20 and 146.02\u2009\u00b1\u20098.46 kN\/m. IM provided the highest split strength of 158.55\u2009\u00b1\u200910.34 kN\/m. UW showed lower junction strengths but reached 343.09\u2009\u00b1\u200913.72% rupture strain under shear. Under seam and shear loading, LW failed near the tab-wall transition, while IM fractured from hole edges. UW failed within the weld region under seam loading and at a weld-wall boundary under shear loading. Under split loading, failure occurred at the heat-fused interface in LW, the molded body in IM, and the central weld in UW.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pone.0351237","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,23]],"date-time":"2026-10-23T17:25:14Z","timestamp":1792776314000},"page":"e0351237","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1371\/journal.pone.corrections_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Mechanical properties and failure characteristics of geocells: A comparative experimental study"],"prefix":"10.1371","volume":"21","author":[{"given":"Yuefeng","family":"Zhang","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Jinshan Branch, Cangzhou Transportation Development (Group) Co., Ltd","place":["Cangzhou, Hebei, China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0006-2926-1409","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Da","family":"Zhang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of 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