Performance of Geosynthetic Reinforced Segmental Retaining Walls

Abstract

Soil reinforcement using Geogrid in the retaining wall is used to strengthen the overall structure to improve the stability of the retaining wall system as well as the behavior of the structure under the seismic loading. With reference to the construction of a conventional rigid retaining wall, the provision of geogrid reinforcement is much appreciated in terms of the performance of the overall structure. Modular (segmental) blocks are used for the construction of such geosynthetic-reinforced soil retaining walls. Such structures offer a wide range of aesthetic finishes, while resulting in more economical structures compared to conventional rigid retaining walls. The present study discusses the effect of the provision of geogrid length in multiple layers on the stability of reinforced retaining wall using numerical modeling under the gravity and seismic loading conditions. This study further investigates the development of a number of failure modes of reinforced soil wall with varying geogrid length configuration. It is established that variation in the length of geogrid not only increases the factor of safety of the wall system but also modifies the failure mode of the reinforced soil retaining wall.