Numerical investigation of quay walls reinforced with geosynthetic

Abstract

Earth wall reinforced with geogrids (a type of Mechanically Stabilizes Earth wall) are used widely nowadays in varies geotechnical applications. However, applications of reinforced earth are still very limited in marine works such as harbor structure (quay walls) or coastal protection (sea walls). This paper presents numerical investigation to evaluate the behavior of reinforced earth retaining walls when utilized as a quay wall. The numerical investigation was carried out employing finite element software (ABAQUS). The numerical investigation was conducted in two steps: a validation step and a parametric study step. In the validation step, a numerical model was verified using a full-scale laboratory test conducted on reinforced earth wall. The verified model was extended in the parametric study step to series models with different parameters governing the performance of reinforced earth wall in marine environment. The results of the numerical investigations show that the geogrid stiffness is the most sounding parameter on the lateral performance of the reinforced earth when employed as quay wall. The investigation confirms that the common geogrid length for the quay wall purpose should be at least equal to the wall height to ensure the overall external stability of the wall. The results of the numerical analysis emphasize that smaller geogrid spacing should be used in the top layers to minimize the lateral and vertical deformation of the quay wall. Nevertheless, the subgrade soil and the retained soil has a little effect on the total deformation of the wall, it is highly recommended to use well compacted sand in the retained soil to minimize the deferential movement between the reinforced soil and face blocks.