Analytical Solutions for Internal Stability of a Geosynthetic-Reinforced Soil Retaining Wall at the Limit State
Publication: Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering
Volume 148, Issue 10
Abstract
Closed-form analytical solutions are presented for the critical failure plane angle and maximum total reinforcement force in a geosynthetic-reinforced soil (GRS) retaining wall, as obtained from a general force equilibrium analysis of a triangular soil wedge at the active limit state. The solutions can accommodate variable wedge geometry, pore pressure, shear strength parameters, reinforcement force inclination, surcharge stress, applied loads, and pseudostatic seismic coefficients, and include explicit consideration of reaction forces at the toe of the wall. The soil wedge and facing column are treated as a combined block with a vertical load factor to account for soil downdrag on the back of the column. Verification checks show exact agreement with existing analytical solutions for simplified conditions, including Rankine, Coulomb, and Mononobe-Okabe, and good agreement with experimental data from a large-scale GRS retaining wall test. A numerical example is provided to demonstrate the solutions, compare the results with other methods, and highlight the effects of selected variables. Capabilities and limitations of the method are discussed, and a general design approach is outlined.
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Data Availability Statement
All data, models, and code generated or used during the study appear in the published article.
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Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering
Volume 148 • Issue 10 • October 2022
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© 2022 American Society of Civil Engineers.
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Received: Aug 21, 2021
Accepted: Apr 5, 2022
Published online: Jul 22, 2022
Published in print: Oct 1, 2022
Discussion open until: Dec 22, 2022
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