Design and Performance of 6.3-m-High, Block-Faced Geogrid Wall Designed Using -Stiffness Method
Publication: Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering
Volume 140, Issue 2
Abstract
A high-density polyethylene (HDPE) geogrid soil-reinforced dry-cast concrete block retaining wall 6.3-m high was designed using the -stiffness method as part of a highway-widening project southeast of Seattle, Washington. The amount of reinforcement needed for the original wall design using the -stiffness method was approximately 50% of that required using the AASHTO simplified method. This paper describes the construction, instrumentation program, and interpretation of the measurements. Geogrid strains were measured using strain gauges and extensometers attached to reinforcement layers. An extensive materials testing program was conducted to characterize the backfill soil properties and geogrid stiffness properties and to calibrate strain gauge readings. The reinforcement loads deduced from the measured strains are compared with Class A, B, and C1 predictions using the AASHTO simplified and -stiffness methods. These comparisons demonstrate that the simplified method significantly overestimated reinforcement loads, whereas the -stiffness method provided estimates that were consistent with the measured results. This paper describes lessons learned, the influence of construction activities on wall performance, and the limitations of both methods in estimating connections loads.
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Acknowledgments
The authors are grateful to WSDOT for arranging for the instrumentation of the SR-18 walls to be part of the construction contract. The work reported in this paper was also part of a pooled fund research program supported by grants from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) of Canada, the Ministry of Transportation of Ontario, the Department of National Defence (Canada), and the following state departments of transportation in the United States: Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Minnesota, New York, North Dakota, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming. The authors also acknowledge Eric Mikklesen (Landslide Technology), who installed the instrumentation and conducted the detailed instrumentation planning, and Bob Grandorff (WSDOT), who setup the long-term monitoring and reduced the data. The writers also thank the technical staff at the Royal Military College (RMC) of Canada, who carried out the strain gauge calibration and the constant-load testing described in this paper.
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Published In
Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering
Volume 140 • Issue 2 • February 2014
Copyright
© 2013 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Sep 15, 2012
Accepted: Jul 24, 2013
Published online: Jul 26, 2013
Published in print: Feb 1, 2014
Discussion open until: Apr 21, 2014
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