Deformation of the Geocell Flexible Reinforced Retaining Wall under Earthquake

Abstract

As a new type of reinforced material, geocells are widely used in flexible reinforced retaining wall projects, and a lot of practical experience shows that the geocell retaining wall has a great effect on earthquake resistance, but theoretical research lags behind engineering practice, and the deformation and failure mechanism under earthquake need to be further studied. In this paper, we use the FLAC3D nonlinear, finite-difference method to study the failure mechanism of geocell-reinforced retaining walls under earthquake, to analyze the advantages of the geocell retaining wall in controlling deformation compared with the unreinforced retaining wall and geogrid-reinforced retaining wall, and we try to study the deformation of the reinforced wall by changing the length of the geocell and reinforcement spacing of the geocell. Research indicates the horizontal displacement of the wall edge of the reinforced retaining wall under the earthquake is slightly smaller than that of the center of the wall and the back of the wall. The geocell can effectively reduce the horizontal displacement of the retaining wall, and the effect is better than the geogrid. Increasing the length of the geocell and reducing the spacing of the geocell can effectively reduce the horizontal displacement of the retaining wall, and the effect of displacement controlling at the top of the wall is better than in other positions.

Study on Dynamic Response Characteristics of Stepped Reinforced Retaining Wall

“…arranged on the upper layer of step 1, which is consistent with the relevant conclusions in literature [27]. The negative value of the displacement at the top of the slope is due to the creep effect of the soil, which causes the soil to slip towards the wall.…”

“…The final displacement is the largest in all working conditions, which is about 2.3 cm. When ∆H = 7, the amplitude and displacement of the displacement time-history curve are both the smallest, indicating that the safety of the slope top is the best when the reinforcement is arranged on the upper layer of step 1, which is consistent with the relevant conclusions in literature [27]. The negative value of the displacement at the top of the slope is due to the creep effect of the soil, which causes the soil to slip towards the wall.…”

“…The geometric dimensions and mesh division of the model are shown in Figure 3. The size of the built geometric model appears in Reference [27]. Considering the different types of retaining walls and in order to maximize the simulation of the actual situation of retaining walls, the final size of the model is determined as follows: the height of the retaining wall is 10 m, the height of the lower steps is 5 m, the height of the upper steps is 5 m, and the width is 4 m. The calculation depth of the foundation is 10 m, and the length is 30 m. The model is divided into three parts: foundation, wall and panel.…”

“…literature [27]. The negative value of the displacement at the top of the slope is due t creep effect of the soil, which causes the soil to slip towards the wall.…”

Experimental Investigation on Mechanical Properties of Geocell Strips at Low Temperature

“…The engineering application in cold regions shows that the geocell as a flexible reinforced structure [ 27 , 28 ] has strong advantages in inhibiting the thawing settlement and the frost heave of subgrade [ 29 , 30 , 31 , 32 ]. Due to the extreme cold in winter in the Xinjiang region of China, according to our monitoring data of a typical road surface in the Xinjiang region.…”