Earthquake Response of Reinforced Segmental Retaining Walls Backfilled with Substantial Percentage of Fines
Publication: Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering
Volume 138, Issue 8
Abstract
This paper reports on the seismic performance of three geosynthetic-reinforced segmental retaining wall systems backfilled with a silty sand mixture, using a shaking table excited by 1995 Kobe earthquake loadings. The preparation of the backfill mixture and its properties, the tested wall configurations, the reinforcement layouts and instrumentations, and the observed wall performance are described. Visual observations and test results indicate that walls having 0.4-m vertical reinforcement spacing, backfilled with soil containing a large percentage of fines, performed better than those having good-quality sandy soil under otherwise identical conditions. Vertical spacing of 0.8 m with removal of interlocking facing blocks in one of the walls did not lead to global collapse under repeated applications of the Kobe earthquake loadings. Only localized shear failure behind the top block layer was observed as the top facing blocks tended to topple. The good performance was attributable to apparent cohesion in the soil mixture stemming from soil matrix suction and true cohesion. Because this apparent cohesion is affected by the moisture content, its existence must be ensured by providing proper drainage to prevent seepage into the backfill. Considering the risk associated with the use of apparent cohesion, its exclusion from design is recommended.
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Acknowledgments
This study was sponsored in part by Allan Block and Huesker Synthetic GmbH. The writers express deep appreciation to Bob Gravier and Tim Bott of Allan Block and Steve Lothspeich and Tom Collins of Huesker for support. Kenichi Matsushima and Mitsuru Ariyoshi at the Research Institute of Rural Engineering (Japan) and Yoshikazu Okabe of Tokyo Soil Research assisted in implementing the testing plan.
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Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering
Volume 138 • Issue 8 • August 2012
Pages: 934 - 944
Copyright
© 2012. American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Dec 22, 2010
Accepted: Nov 20, 2011
Published online: Jul 16, 2012
Published in print: Aug 1, 2012
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