Probabilistic Stability Analysis of Helical Soil Nailed Wall Using the Monte-Carlo Simulation

Abstract

AbstractSoil nailing is a reformatory technique extensively used in the stabilization of natural slopes or walls. Several literature on soil nailing complement the above statement and report the effectiveness of soil nailing technique in stabilizing the slopes, vertical excavations, and walls under seismic conditions. The present study illustrates a simple probabilistic approach to analyze the internal stability of helical soil-nailed wall in a modified pseudo-dynamic framework. The pullout mode of failure of helical soil nail is considered for the analysis, it being the critical and controlling design parameter in the stability analysis of a soil nailed wall. The probability of failure (Pf) of helical soil nailed wall is estimated using the Monte-Carlo simulation (MCS). The random variables considered in the study include soil internal friction angle (ɸ), unit weight (γ), and shear wave velocity (Vs). The Pf of wall reinforced using the conventional soil nails is compared with the helical soil nailed wall. The results depict a decrease in Pf of wall when helical soil nails are used as reinforcement, leading to a reduction in the overall cost of construction. The effect of coefficient of variation of ɸ on the Pf of helical soil nailed wall is also illustrated in detail. The outcome of the present study manifests the adequacy of reliability based analysis in estimating the Pf of helical soil nailed walls.KeywordsHelical soil nailMCSModified pseudo-dynamic