Assessing the two-dimensional behaviour of drystone retaining walls by full-scale experiments and yield design simulation

Abstract

International audienceDrystone walling is a widespread form of construction that utilises local materials. It has received growing interest over the past few years, owing to the recognition of its rich heritage in the framework of sustainable development. However, the growth of dry masonry has been slowed by the lack of scientific evidence proving its reliability. The authors have previously established a model based on yield design to assess drystone wall stability. This theoretical approach has been supplemented by field experiments on full-scale drystone retaining walls that were backfilled until failure with a cohesionless soil. These field experiments followed a first set of experiments in 2002-2003 in which the walls were loaded using hydrostatic pressure. The aim of these experimental programmes was to achieve better understanding of drystone masonry behaviour under loading, and of its failure mode. The present paper consists of a comparative analysis of these theoretical and experimental results, and provides a richer understanding of drystone retaining wall phenomenology. Further perspectives on this work are presented in the conclusion

Yield design modelling of dry joint retaining structures

“…The wall geometry was designed using the model presented above. The experiments have been achieved [11]; comparisons with theoretical predictions are in process [22].…”

Modeling the 2D behavior of dry‐stone retaining walls by a fully discrete element method

“…Then, the error inherent to this kind of experiment is not accurately known which could help us to state about the validity of the fully DEM approach to model the behavior of a slope DSRW. Nevertheless, the range of error found through these six simulations can be compared to the one obtained by the yield design modeling which was already validated by the comparison of the results provided by this latter method and those obtained with twelve full‐scale experiments (and scale‐down tests ). The range of error found with the DEM approach is approximately the same as or smaller than the one obtained by the yield design modeling.…”

“…Recently, the results from experimental campaigns for case A and B structures have been compared with an analytical approach called ‘yield design’ (an upper‐bound approach), yielding a good agreement. However this method can only predict the ultimate strength of DSRWs and does not give access to the strain field which can be critical: for example when very large strains can alter the roadway integrity in the case of road retaining walls.…”

Archaeoseismological Analysis of a Late Bronze Age Site on the Alhama de Murcia Fault, SE Spain

“…Wall folding above the trace of the NE‐SW fracture system was probably facilitated by the relatively interblock free sliding favored by the dry stone masonry style and the absence of wall foundations (Senthivel, Lourenco, & Vasconcelos, ). All cases of wall folding are linked to the occurrence of broken wall‐boulders (Figure ) that is interpreted as occasional intrablock cracking in the lower portions of the wall due to ground failure, as described in laboratory analogs (Colas, Morel, & Garnier, ; see Broken wall‐boulders section). In this case, inter‐ and intrablock sliding linked to the process of wall bending will be the result of the upward propagation into the buildings of the centimetric left‐lateral displacement along the NE‐SW ground fracture system.…”