Design Procedures for Multi-Tiered Mechanically Stabilized Earth Walls

Mechanically stabilized earth walls have now experienced widespread and successful use for a number of years. This use has been accompanied by the development of well-established and widely used design procedures, including those by the Federal Highway Administration, American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials and the National Concrete Masonry Association. As the use and confidence in MSE walls has grown, multi-tiered walls are now being constructed which involve several levels of separate walls. However, the design procedures for such multi-tiered walls are not well established. An examination of designs for a number of multi-tiered walls was conducted, which reveals that widely differing design approaches have been used. In response, efforts have been underway for the past two years at The University of Texas at Austin to evaluate and develop design procedures for multi-tiered walls.