The pullout resistance has a significant importance in the secure design of mechanically stabilized earth (MSE) walls. One of the most relevant reinforcements used in such structures is the grogrid. In this reinforcement, the main factor affecting on the pullout resistance is the bearing resistance which is mobilized against geogrid transversal bars. However, due to the limited thickness of these members in the geogrid; the pullout resistance of the reinforcement in some circumstances; cannot satisfy the internal stability of MSE walls. Thus, in this research, a new reinforcement system which is able to increase the passive resistance and therefore pullout resistance – which is fabricated by adding transverse members (a set of steel equal angles) to the traditional geogrid, by means of bolts and nuts- is introduced and called “anchored geogridˮ (AG). The pullout behavior of the AG system is experimentally evaluated. The results of the large-scale pullout tests show that the aforementioned system can increase the pullout resistance around three times compared with the traditional geogrid systems. In addition, the bearing failure mechanism of the AG system with a single transversal member in sandy soil with small particles- based on the relations suggested by various scholars regarding pullout failure mechanisms is the general shear failure.
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