CENTRIFUGE MODELING OF GEOTEXTILE-REINFORCED COHESIVE SOIL RETAINING WALLS

Reduced scale models of 24 vertical and steeply sloping reinforced soil walls were constructed using kaolin as backfill, reinforced with a nonwoven geotextile simulant, and loaded to failure under increasing self-weight in the geotechnical centrifuge. The models stood on firm or rigid foundations, and different lengths of reinforcement were tested. No pullout failures were observed in any models. For vertical walls, failure developed entirely within the reinforced zone when L/H was greater than or equal to 0.75; for steeply sloped walls, this value was 0.67. Models constructed on firm foundations performed better than identical ones constructed on rigid foundations. A stability analysis using the simplified, two-dimensional limit-equilibrium simplified Bishop method incorporating reinforcement was a good predictor of the behavior of the models based on computed factors of safety at failure. The development of tension cracks in the backfill as walls underwent prefailure deformations led to stress concentrations in the geosynthetics and should be avoided in practice.

Language

  • English

Media Info

  • Features: Appendices; Figures; References; Tables;
  • Pagination: p. 840-848
  • Serial:

Subject/Index Terms

Filing Info

  • Accession Number: 00730005
  • Record Type: Publication
  • Files: TRIS, ATRI
  • Created Date: Dec 29 1997 12:00AM