Numerical evaluation of the performance of back-to-back MSE walls with hybrid select-marginal fill zones

Abstract

Back-to-Back Mechanically Stabilized Earth (MSE) walls have become an integral part of the transportation infrastructures, especially as ramps, bridge approaches, etc. The permeability, strength and constructability attributes of well-graded granular soils have rendered them as the most suitable fill material for MSE walls. However, the scarcity of such good materials compels the usage of locally available soil with high fine content (marginal fill) having low permeability and high plasticity characteristics, which can cause excessive wall deformation or even failure, if not adequately designed and constructed. This study focused on the assessment of overall performance of back-to-back MSE walls with a trapezoidal marginal fill zone surrounded by a near-optimal amount of select fill (i.e., hybrid-fill) as an alternative to the wall with select fill only. The behaviour of hybrid-fill wall at the end of construction and during heavy rainfall infiltration were investigated through finite element modelling and compared with fully select fill and fully marginal fill walls. The study revealed that the overall performance (i.e., horizontal and vertical deformations, reinforcement tension, and factor of safety) of the hybrid-fill wall with 31–47% select fill is much better than that of fully marginal fill wall, especially during the extreme rainfall infiltration scenario. The response of this hybrid configuration is even comparable with that of fully select fill wall, suggesting the proposed hybrid-fill wall as a stable as well as cost-efficient alternative system in locations where sufficient quantity of well-graded soil is not readily available.