Abstract
This paper presents experimental results from shaking table tests on two reduced-scale geogrid reinforced soil-retaining walls (RSRWs) constructed using standard soil, modular facing blocks, and uniaxial geogrid reinforcement to investigate the distribution of the geogrid strain and the mode of potential failure surface for dynamic loading conditions. Similitude relationships for shaking table tests in a 1 g gravitational field were used to scale the specimen geometry, applied characteristics of the earthquake motions. The lateral displacement of the top model is sufficiently large for the top-model block to fall down, and the RSRW is thus destroyed. The tensile strain at the lower part is greater than that at the upper part of the RSRW. The tensile strain in different layers for two-tiered RSRW is consistent with single-step RSRW. On comparing the measured maximum tensile strain lines of the geogrid with the result of the existing calculation method of the potential failure surface, it can be observed that the existing partial calculation method is conservative. Based on the calculation methods of various potential failure surfaces and the measured data, the use of a two-tiered fold-line failure surface is proposed for the two-tiered RSRW while taking into consideration the width of the platform. And it is advised that the failure surface calculation method of BS8006 be used as the calculation method for the potential failure surface of the single-step RSRW under dynamic motion.
Highlights
Reinforcement is an important part of a reinforced soilretaining wall (RSRW)
To ensure safety and stability and reduce engineering costs, line 5 (BS8006 surface) is more suitable for obtaining the failure surface formed by the measured maximum strain point of each layer. erefore, it is suggested that the potential failure surface of the specimen 2 under dynamic motion be selected by BS8006 [11]
(2) e strain value of specimen 1 tends to increase with the acceleration increase, and the maximum point of the strain value extends into the interior of the soil. e strain values of different layers at the same position are different. e strain value of the lower retaining wall is greater than that strain of the upper retaining wall
Summary
Reinforcement is an important part of a reinforced soilretaining wall (RSRW). To ensure the overall stability of the RSRW, the reinforcement is required to have sufficient strength and sufficient friction with the backfill. e reinforcement stress condition is the key to the internal stability analysis of the RSRW. e damage to the RSRW is caused by the destruction of the reinforcement; for instance, a RSRW collapsed owing to reinforcement corrosion in the Chile 8.2 earthquake in April of 2014 [1]. Technical Code for Application of Geosynthetics (Geosynthetics) [4] and US Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) [5] use the Rankine failure surface to calculate the flexible reinforcement of RSRWs. Wang and Xu [6] believe that the failure surface of a two-tiered RSRW can be approximated as a straight line (H −2.1452L + 14.766, Wang fitting curve) with an angle of (45° + φ/2) to the horizontal plane at the wall foot. Based on the comparison of the experimental data with the results of the existing method of potential failure surface calculation, the forms of the potential failure surface suitable for the single-step RSRW and two-tiered RSRW under dynamic action are proposed. E result provides reference for the design and calculation of the geogrid RSRW
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