Numerical study on the rate-dependent behavior of geogrid reinforced sand retaining walls

Abstract

Time effect on the deformation and strength characteristics of geogrid reinforced sand retaining wall has become an important issue in geotechnical and transportation engineering. Three physical model tests on geogrid reinforced sand retaining walls performed under various loading conditions were simulated to study their rate-dependent behaviors, using the presented nonlinear finite element method (FEM) analysis procedure. This FEM was based on the dynamic relaxation method and return mapping scheme, in which the combined effects of the rate-dependent behaviors of both the backfill soil and the geosynthetic reinforcement have been included. The rate-dependent behaviors of sands and geogrids should be attributed to the viscous property of materials, which can be described by the unified three-component elasto-viscoplastic constitutive model. By comparing the FEM simulations and the test results, it can be found that the present FEM was able to be successfully extended to the boundary value problems of geosynthetic reinforced soil retaining walls. The deformation and strength characteristics of the geogrid reinforced sand retaining walls can be well reproduced. Loading rate effect, the trends of jump in footing pressure upon the step-changes in the loading rate, occurred not only on sands and geogrids but also on geogrid reinforced sands retaining walls. The lateral earth pressure distributions against the back of retaining wall, the local tensile force in the geogrid arranged in the retaining wall and the local stresses beneath the footing under various loading conditions can also be predicted well in the FEM simulations.