LRFD Calibration of Internal Limit States for MSE Walls Using Steel Strip Reinforcement
Publication: Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering
Volume 147, Issue 12
Abstract
The paper demonstrates load and resistance factor design (LRFD) calibration for tensile strength and pullout strength limit states for steel strip mechanically stabilized earth (MSE) walls using a reliability theory-based approach. The analyses adopt load models found in current North American LRFD specifications in combination with a coupled mechanical-corrosion model for the reinforcement tensile strength and pullout models found in design guidelines and in the research literature. Resistance factors for prescribed load factors and different load and resistance model combinations are compiled in tables. The limitations of the LRFD approach to generate resistance factors that are judged to be acceptable based on current practice are demonstrated. The challenges to generate consistent design outcomes with the same margin of safety expressed probabilistically are identified, and the link to reliability-based design is described. Example designs are provided to show the impact on steel reinforcement quantities and length when using different models in combination with proposed and current specified load and resistance factors. The calibration outcomes will be of value to code writers in Canada and the US for MSE wall design sections in the next editions of national geotechnical foundation LRFD codes.
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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 authors are grateful for financial support from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) (Grant No. RGPIN-2018-04076) and the Ministry of Transportation of Ontario (MTO) Highway Infrastructure Innovations Funding Program (Grant No. 9017-R-0030).
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Published In
Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering
Volume 147 • Issue 12 • December 2021
Copyright
© 2021 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Jan 4, 2021
Accepted: Jul 20, 2021
Published online: Sep 29, 2021
Published in print: Dec 1, 2021
Discussion open until: Feb 28, 2022
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