Mechanically Stabilized Earth Pressures against Unyielding Surfaces Using Inextensible Reinforcement
Publication: Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering
Volume 150, Issue 4
Abstract
This article presents experimental data on the earth pressures that develop between mechanically stabilized earth (MSE) wall panels that are tied together in an unyielding condition. Prior to design and construction, an extensive literature review was conducted to ensure the MSE wall adhered to the local standard specifications for road and bridge construction, current design codes, and the construction sequencing specified by the wall panel manufacturer. The Strong Wall at the University of Florida’s Structures and Materials Laboratory was utilized to construct a model full-scale MSE wall using inextensible reinforcement, with 140 locations continuously monitored. The MSE wall was divided into two different relative compaction zones, 95% and 103% of the reinforced soil’s optimum dry density, to investigate a range of friction angles that can develop during conventional construction. To achieve the necessary aspect ratio of 0.3 specified by practitioners for use in real-world applications, a reaction frame was incrementally loaded on top of the reinforced backfill to simulate additional wall height and overburden stress. Earth pressure coefficients were found for each compacted soil lift and incremental load from the reaction frame for both states of soil density. A force equilibrium analysis was conducted to ensure all forces within the experimental setup were accounted for to validate the results. From the derived earth pressure coefficients, it was observed that earth pressures moved from a passive condition to an active or at-rest condition as the soil-height increased above each reinforcement level. It was concluded that increased lateral stress develops from the compaction effort in an unyielding condition, which is not accounted for using conventional MSE design methods. Consequently, an equation was developed that incorporates a variable friction angle () based on the compaction effort for an unyielding condition that closely followed the trends of the measured results.
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Data Availability Statement
Some or all data, models, or code that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.
Acknowledgments
The assistance of the FDOT’s State Materials Office as well as the district and central office Geotechnical Engineers is greatly appreciated. The authors thank the FDOT’s Geotechnical Field Specialists: Bruce Swidarski, Todd Britton, Kyle Sheppard, and Travis “Dalton” Stevens, Geotechnical Laboratory Manager Bill Greenwood, and Geotechnical Laboratory Specialists Mike Risher. The authors also thank Keith Brabant and the Reinforced Earth Company for their guidance on MSE wall construction, and Mark Wallace at Campbell Scientific for his programming expertise. Without their assistance, this research would not have been possible. This work was supported by the Florida Department of Transportation’s State Materials Office through research contract No. BDV31-977-89. The opinions, findings, and conclusions expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of the Florida Department of Transportation or the United States Department of Transportation.
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© 2024 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Mar 24, 2023
Accepted: Oct 17, 2023
Published online: Jan 25, 2024
Published in print: Apr 1, 2024
Discussion open until: Jun 25, 2024
ASCE Technical Topics:
- Building codes
- Compacted soils
- Construction engineering
- Construction industry
- Construction management
- Design (by type)
- Engineering fundamentals
- Geomechanics
- Geotechnical engineering
- Highway and road design
- Infrastructure construction
- Retaining structures
- Soil dynamics
- Soil mechanics
- Soil pressure
- Soil stabilization
- Soils (by type)
- Standards and codes
- Structural engineering
- Structural members
- Structural systems
- Walls
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