Factors Influencing the Distribution of Peak Tension in Geosynthetic Reinforced Soil Slopes

Abstract

In the current article a numerical parametric study has been performed to investigate the distribution of tension in the geosynthetic layers and the distribution of shear strains in the slope backfill. Literature suggests varied opinions regarding the location of maximum tension along slope elevation. Few researchers have assumed that peak tension occurs at the toe whereas several others assumed it to occur at the mid-height of slope. To address this issue, numerical simulations of geosynthetic reinforced soil slopes are carried out using a finite element program. Slope inclination, properties of backfill soil, properties of geosynthetics and surcharge pressure on slope crest were varied in these simulations to understand the influence of these parameters on the location and magnitude of peak tension mobilized along the reinforcement layers. This study reveals that the location and magnitude of peak tension in reinforcement for slopes depends on several parameters, most importantly on the slope inclination, spacing of reinforcing layers and surcharge pressure on the slope. In all the cases, location of peak tension was found to be coinciding with the potential failure surface due to high shear strain concentration along failure surface.