Abstract: A series of cyclic shear tests was performed to study the cyclic behavior as well as mechanism of interface between coarse-grained soil and structure with a new multifunction apparatus through both macro-and micro-approaches. It was shown that the normal displacement of the interface cumulated with the increase of shear cycles and varied periodically in a single cycle. Furthermore, aeolotropy of interface was discovered experimentally and theoretically. When the interface was cyclically sheared, two physical states, including crushing and compression of soil near the structure surface, governed the mechanical response of the interface.