Experimental study of the effect of different backfilled soils on the stability of mechanically stabilized earth walls

Abstract

ABSTRACTIn recent years, a variety of geosynthetic reinforced structures have been designed to be durable, flexible, and deformable. The mechanically stabilized earth wall (MSEW) is one such kind of protective structure which has unique characteristics. The flexible walls of the MSEW have the ability to absorb deformation and have higher resistance to dynamics than reinforced concrete structures. As a consequence, the construction of reinforced soil structures has increased around the world. Although according to the guidelines, cohesionless soil is required as backfill for the construction of MSEW, in some circumstances, this type of soil is not available. To understand the behaviors of MSEW constructed using clayey soil, when high-quality backfill is unavailable, it is necessary to examine other scenarios. In this study, two arrays of geosynthetic reinforced earth walls were constructed using clayey and sandy backfills for geotechnical centrifugal testing with varying offset distances and reinforcement lengths. The behaviors of these superimposed geosynthetic reinforced earth walls (SGREW) were observed to determine the reasons for failure of the reinforced walls. A modified lateral earth pressure design method and reinforced earth structure stability assessment have been proposed to evaluate the internal stability of the SGREW.