MSE Wall Research Articles

Development of A New Model on PC Segmental Retaining Wall Using Solid Bar Anchors and Fin Fish

The development of transportation infrastructure is very important for economic growth. In the context of the construction of precast concrete (PC) segmental retaining walls, the use of innovative technologies such as solid bar anchors and fish fins is the main focus of improving the efficiency and reliability of the structure. This research aims to develop a new model that optimizes the use of solid bar anchors and fin fish in PC segmental retaining walls, with the hope of improving structural performance and extending the service life of the wall. The research methodology includes literature studies, development of mathematical models based on soil mechanics and finite element theory, and numerical simulations using PLAXIS software. The results show that the MSE Wall system with solid bar anchors and fin fish meets the SNI Geotechnical No. 8460 standard of 2017, with safety factors of high bolling, shear, and ground carrying stability. The use of a crossbar necklace configuration with a center to center (ctc) distance of 30 cm provides greater tensile strength than a ctc of 50 cm. This research is expected to make a significant contribution to the development of construction technology that is more efficient, economical, and sustainable.

Seismic Performance Assessment of Ash-Filled MSE Walls

Seismic Performance Assessment of Ash-Filled MSE Walls

Stability Analysis of MSE Walls with Stepped Reinforcement Design

Stability Analysis of MSE Walls with Stepped Reinforcement Design

Centrifuge model tests on performance of MSE walls with different facing types

The role of wall facing is crucial in the design of MSE walls. This study employed two centrifuge model tests specifically designed to analyze walls with two distinct facing types: full-height panel facing and modular block facing. Additionally, surcharge loads were applied to these MSE walls to simulate real-world conditions. The findings from these tests revealed that MSE walls with full-height panel facing exhibited superior performance under the combined effects of self-weight and surcharge loads. The measured maximum horizontal displacements in walls with full-height panel facing and modular block facing were about 55% and 85% of those predicted from current design guidelines at EOS3, respectively. The influence of the surcharge loads on the reinforcement loads was found to be substantial for both wall types, especially for the case of model wall with modular block facing, where the reinforcement loads in the upper half of the wall increased by about 30% from EOS2 to EOS3. The insights garnered from this study contribute to a deeper and more nuanced understanding of the impact of facing types on the practical construction and design of MSE walls, offering valuable guidance for future engineering applications.

Behavior of MSE wall under static load with different strips shapes

Behavior of MSE wall under static load with different strips shapes

Performance of a Full-Height Panel MSE Wall with Pond Ash Backfill: Sensitivity Analysis and Design Recommendations

Performance of a Full-Height Panel MSE Wall with Pond Ash Backfill: Sensitivity Analysis and Design Recommendations

Construction and Demolition Waste as a Sustainable Backfill for Geosynthetic-Reinforced MSE Walls

Construction and Demolition Waste as a Sustainable Backfill for Geosynthetic-Reinforced MSE Walls

Life cycle assessment (LCA) of MSE wall vis-à-vis conventional retaining wall: a comparative study

Life cycle assessment (LCA) of MSE wall vis-à-vis conventional retaining wall: a comparative study

Behavior of back-to-back mechanically stabilized earth walls as railway embankments

Twelve physical model tests were carried out to investigate the role of the type and arrangement of reinforcements on the behavior of back-to-back mechanically stabilized earth walls (BBMSEWs) supporting railway tracks. Six metal-strip reinforced BBMSEW models and six geogrid reinforced models were prepared with different reinforcement arrangements and then were vertically loaded to failure using wooden railway sleepers. The findings indicated that the reinforcement stiffness played a more prominent role in improving the bearing capacity than the pull-out capacity. The connection of two opposing walls with continuous reinforcements and the complete separation of them from each other were found to be the best and worst reinforcement arrangements, respectively, for improving the bearing capacity and reducing wall deformation in BBMSEWs. The respective use of these two arrangements mobilized the maximum and minimum forces in the reinforcements. Moreover, the creation of a proper connection between the opposing walls using continuous inextensible reinforcements or those with a sufficient overlap length were found to be efficient solutions to preventing the propagation of a failure plane across the back-to-back MSE walls.

Prediction and validation of geogrid tensile force distribution in back-to-back MSE walls under rail axle load: finite-element and intelligent techniques

Prediction and validation of geogrid tensile force distribution in back-to-back MSE walls under rail axle load: finite-element and intelligent techniques

Seismic Response of MSE Walls with Various Reinforcement Configurations: Effect of Input Ground Motion Frequency

Mechanically stabilized earth (MSE) walls perform well under earthquake loads, and hence they are preferred in earthquake-prone regions. The multifaceted load transfer between the components of the MSE wall under seismic loads can be captured using numerical analysis. This study presents the results of a series of numerical analyses performed to investigate the effects of the frequency of the input ground motion on the seismic response of MSE walls. MSE wall design configurations were prepared using various reinforcement designs (length, vertical spacing, and stiffness). A frequent wall height of 8 m was selected for the analysis. Using two-dimensional finite element analysis, each MSE model was excited with seven (7) different input ground motion accelerograms with equal Arias Intensity, but with different frequencies ranging between 1 Hz and 8 Hz. The results of the numerical analyses indicated rotation at the top of the MSE wall in seismic conditions. The frequency versus acceleration plot for a point close to the top of the MSE wall indicated peaks for the excitations with frequencies f = 1.5 Hz and f = 4 Hz, which are close to the estimated natural frequency of the overall model (including the foundation soil) and the MSE wall, respectively. The highest normalized acceleration amplification factor solely within the MSE wall was recorded as 1.86 for the excitation with a frequency equivalent to its fundamental frequency (f ≅ 4 Hz). In this study, the 8 m high MSE wall models placed on a firm clayey foundation soil with the reinforcement parameters with length over height ratio in 0.5–1 range, axial stiffness in 600–1200 kPa range, and reinforcement vertical spacing in 0.4–0.6 m range performed satisfactorily under moderate seismic loads.

Expansion of Cross Necklace and Startail Fish Fins in Mechanically Stabilized Earth Walls On Red Soil Layer

Development in Indonesia is currently being actively carried out, especially development in the field of infrastructure, especially toll roads and bridges for opritnya, and due to development with limited Right Of Way (ROW) land, so that the oprit road body is not made slope with a certain slope, for that a construction that is not needed. For this reason, precast soil retaining walls are needed, generally precast soil retaining walls such as Mechanically Stabilized Earth Walls use geosynthetics that are not heat resistant and strip plates, where the interlocking strip plates between soils are less strong, in connection with this there are often failures of MSE Wall failures which are caused by these two factors and are influenced by hydrostatic water pressure and soil layers that are not suitable for construction take land left and right of the road. In connection with the above, it is necessary to have novelty Mechanically Stabilized Earth Walls with anchor strength where along the anchor there is a crossbar necklace and at the end there is a fish fin startail whose function is strong to resist shear and interlocking the ground is getting stronger.

Numerical investigation of the interaction of back-to-back MSE walls

The behaviour of back-to-back MSE walls is significantly influenced by the geometry, especially for the horizontal distance (D) between the back of the reinforced soil zone of the two MSE walls or the width-to-height ratio (RWH) of the system. In the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) design guidelines [1] (Berg et al. 2009), two cases are considered based on the horizontal distance of the two MSE walls. However, no justification is provided for this assumption. Therefore, research is needed to investigate the interaction of back-to-back MSE walls with different horizontal distances. In addition, previous studies generally indicate that ignoring the interaction effect between the back-to-back MSE walls would result in overestimation for the design; however, no quantitative evaluation is provided regarding the interaction of back-to-back MSE walls [2-4]. This paper presents a numerical study of the interaction analysis of the static behaviour of back-to-back MSE walls. A parametric study is conducted to investigate the effect of horizontal distance (width-to-height ratio) on lateral soil thrust and required tensile strength. Results from this investigation provide insights on the interaction of back-to-back MSE walls.

Influence of geometric configuration on the deformation behavior of back-to-back MSE walls under dynamic loading

Influence of geometric configuration on the deformation behavior of back-to-back MSE walls under dynamic loading

Force distribution on polymeric geostrip reinforcements in MSE walls under seismic excitation

In this experimental study, the values and distributions of dynamic tensile force along the polymeric geostrip reinforcements were investigated under stepped increasing sinusoidal excitations with a series of shaking table tests on 1500 mm high or 1/3 scale physical mechanically stabilized earth wall (MSE) model. The effects of the peak ground acceleration ([Formula: see text]), slope angle of the cohesionless backfill material ([Formula: see text]), and stiffness of the polymeric geostrip reinforcement were assessed on both the potential failure surface geometry in the backfill soil and dynamic tensile forces along the lengths of polymeric geostrips. Three potential failure surfaces from the results of shaking table tests in the backfill cohesionless soil were detected as for states of quasi-elastic, plastic, and failure. However, neither the current design codes for MSE walls nor the theoretical recommendations truly reflect potential failure surface geometry in the backfill soil. Additionally, the values and distribution geometry of maximum incremental dynamic tensile forces ([Formula: see text]) on the reinforcements along the height of MSE wall recommended by design codes are not compatible with test results; however, the normalized location of total maximum incremental dynamic tensile force ([Formula: see text]) acclaimed by design codes is consistent with the test results. The traditional pseudo-static limit equilibrium methods result in over conservative horizontal dynamic earth pressure coefficient ([Formula: see text]) values generally as compared with the test results. The slope angle of the backfill material and stiffness of reinforcement have a negligible effect on the potential failure surface geometry; however, incremental dynamic tensile forces, total maximum incremental tensile forces, and horizontal dynamic earth pressure coefficient values increase with an increase in the stiffness of reinforcement and inclination angle of the backfill and peak ground acceleration value.

Seismic Evaluation of Metal-Strip Reinforced Soil Walls considering the Effect of Wall Configuration - A Shaking Table Study

ABSTRACT Shake table tests on two-tiered metal-strip MSE walls showed that the prevention of slip surface development in the lower half of the wall, improving seismic stability by increasing failure threshold acceleration, and mitigating acceleration amplification were the main advantages of using a two-tiered configuration in constructing MSE walls. This was also found that the use of an insufficient offset distance not only eliminated the advantage of the tiered configuration for reducing wall deformations, but also increased the wall crest displacement. Hence, 0.22 H was found to be as the minimum offset distance required when constructing MSE walls in a two-tiered configuration.

Assessment of pegged geogrid (PG) pullout performance in coarse-grained soils using PIV analysis

The paper examines the efficacy of using small, welded metal plates (pegs) in enhancing the pullout resistance of commercially available geogrids. Soil deformations and particle displacements at the soil-geogrid interface and in the vicinity of the pegs were investigated using the Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) technique. Effects of the soil particle size, overburden pressure, and the height and locational arrangement of the pegs were examined. Results indicate the effectiveness of pegs in enhancing geogrid pullout resistance, which increases significantly with peg height and the distance from the pullout load. Meanwhile, the PIV images showed larger soil strains and particle displacements in coarser soils and under greater overburden pressures. Results also indicate that taller pegs are more effective in engaging the soil adjacent to the reinforcement layer, resulting in reduced particle displacements and increased passive resistance of a larger volume of soil, leading to greater pullout resistance. Findings of the study can be beneficial in practice where pegged-geogrids of reduced length could be used to meet design requirements while addressing space limitations and/or excavation costs, and thereby, help with the feasibility and cost-effectiveness of MSE walls and reinforced slopes in related projects.

Coupled Flow-Deformation Analysis of MSE Wall Reinforced with Hybrid Geogrids

Coupled Flow-Deformation Analysis of MSE Wall Reinforced with Hybrid Geogrids

Characterization of MSW incineration bottom ash for use as structural fill in reinforced soil structures: Geoenvironmental, geotechnical and economical assessment

The study presents the geoenvironmental and geotechnical characterization of MSW incineration bottom ash (IBA) and examines its reuse as structural fill in reinforced soil structures (RSS).The suitability of reuse has been assessed with regard to international regulatory standards. The prime focus of the work remains on evaluating the pullout response of geosynthetic reinforcements through IBA fill to determine the interaction coefficient, which has never been addressed in the literature. The economic viability of using IBA instead of locally available river sand for a 12 m high MSE wall is also established.The column leaching test results confirm that IBA can be utilized in RSS with suitable design measures. The geotechnical investigation shows that IBA is a well-graded, non-plastic lightweight material with adequate drainage and high shear strength. The pullout test results demonstrate that the interaction coefficient of polymeric strips and geogrid in IBA (0.73–1.53 and 0.79–1.91, respectively) is comparable or higher to materials conventionally used as structural fill in RSS, indicating adequate bondage between IBA and geosynthetic reinforcement. Further, it is estimated that using IBA as a substitute for available river sand in the vicinity can potentially reduce the overall RSS project cost by 15–20%, even if IBA has to be transported 50 km away from the project site.

Behavior of Two-Tiered MSE Walls Under Static and Seismic Loading

Behavior of Two-Tiered MSE Walls Under Static and Seismic Loading