Influence of Soil Reinforcement on Horizontal Displacement of MSE Wall

Abstract

Mechanically stabilized earth (MSE) walls offer simple construction techniques, pleasing aesthetics, and cost-effective solutions as an alternative to conventional gravity walls. However, design and construction should be carefully evaluated to achieve satisfactory performance of the wall. A case study is presented on a MSE wall located on State Highway 342 in Lancaster, Texas. The horizontal movement of the MSE wall was between 300 and 450 mm within 5 years of construction. A forensic investigation was performed to determine the causes of the excessive movement. It was identified that inadequate reinforcement length was one of the contributing factors that caused horizontal displacement of the MSE wall. The objective of this study was to determine the effects of soil reinforcement on excessive movement of the MSE wall. As a part of the forensic investigation, two inclinometers were installed at the site to monitor any additional movement of the MSE wall. The inclinometer results suggested that the wall continued to move at an average rate of 4.5 mm/month during the investigation period. A finite-element (FE) program was used to simulate horizontal displacement and stability of the MSE wall. It was observed that the numerical modeling results were in good agreement with inclinometer results. A parametric study was conducted to identify the effects of soil reinforcement on horizontal movement at varied wall heights and backfill conditions. Numerical analyses results indicated that the effect of reinforcement stiffness was not significant at a wall height of 4 m compared with 8 and 12 m. The wall movement varied from 74 to 29 mm for an increase in reinforcement stiffness from 250 to 42,000 kN=m at 1:0H reinforcement length. The variations in displacement with reinforcement lengths suggested that substantial reduction in displacement occurred for an increase in length-height (L=H) ratio from 0.5 to 0.7. FE modeling results were used for sensitivity analysis employing a statistical analysis program. Based on the analyses, reinforcement length and stiffness were identified as influential factors for the horizontal displacement of MSE walls at a specific height.

Numerical Analysis of the Deformation Behavior of Geogrid-Reinforced MSE Wall Having FHR and SPT Wall Facing

“…It has been a handy tool used to predict the behavior of any MSE walls. Some similar studies conducted numerical analyses whose results are in good agreement with the actual or site investigation results, perhaps with few reasonable and tolerable differences [7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19].…”

Numerical Study of Recycled-Plastic-Pin- and Geosynthetic-Platform-Supported Embankment over Soft Soil

“…The analysis was conducted using a plane strain model. Standard fixities were used as boundary conditions at the base and the sides of the model ( 19 , 20 ). The standard fixities imply that the movement of the bottom of the model is restricted in all directions and the movement of the vertical sides is restricted in the horizontal directions.…”

“…The behavior of RPP-supported embankments must be fully understood by engineers to ensure the safe and economic design and construction. A limited number of studies have been conducted on the behavior of GRPS embankment (18,19). However, there is no extensive parametric study for investigating the influential parameters such as RPP size and spacing, geosynthetic stiffness, types of LTP, shear strength of embankment fill, and so forth.…”

Reinforced Soil Wall Analysis under Working Stress Conditions Using a Two Phase Model with the Introduction of a New Design Parameter

“…Ling and Liu [15] compared simplistic and sophisticated finite element methods for simulation of a full-scale GRS wall under static conditions. Kibria et al [16] presented a case study and simulated it numerically. The objective of the study was to evaluate the effects of reinforcements on excessive lateral displacements of a mechanically stabilized earth wall.…”