Required Reinforcement Length for External Stability of MSE Walls Using Pseudo-Dynamic Method

Abstract

In the earthquake-prone zone, the pseudo-static limit equilibrium (LE) method is frequently applied to analyze the external stability of MSE walls. When using the pseudo-static LE method, the required reinforcement length in MSE walls may be overestimated resulting in redundancy. Thus, this paper firstly formulate the required minimum reinforcement length for the external stability of MSE walls using pseudo-dynamic LE method, considering sliding, eccentricity, and bearing capacity failure modes. And the formulation includes some parameters, such as seismic coefficient, soil amplification factor, wall height, and the properties of reinforced soil, backfill and foundation soil. Finally, the relationships between the pseudo-dynamic and the pseudo-static minimum reinforcement lengths under different failure modes are presented.