An analytical model for calculating lateral movement of a geosynthetic-reinforced soil (GRS) wall with modular block facing

Abstract

Current design methods for Geosynthetic-Reinforced Soil (GRS) walls consider only the stresses and forces in the wall system. A GRS wall with modular block facing is inherently a fairly "flexible" wall system; hence it can be of critical importance to include the lateral movement of the wall in design. This paper presents an analytical model for estimating the lateral movement of a GRS wall with modular block facing. Derivation of the analytical model is given in this paper. In addition, an equation for determining the connection forces in the reinforcement immediately behind the facing is provided. The equation for the lateral movement can be readily used in design of a GRS wall, whereby the required reinforcement strength can be determined for a prescribed value of maximum allowable lateral movement. The analytical model was verified through comparisons with Jewell-Milligan method for GRS walls constructed with negligible facing rigidity. Comparisons were also made with a full-scale experiment of GRS wall with modular block facing. It is shown that the analytical model offers a simple and improved tool for estimating lateral movement of a GRS wall with modular block facing.