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The problem of a reinforced fill over a void has been the subject of much research in the geosynthetics literature. Previous studies have mainly focused on finding closed-form solutions to predict the tensile loads and strains in the reinforcement layer once a void develops below the fill. In this paper, a 2D finite difference (FLAC) model that implements the hyperbolic isochronous load-strain model for the reinforcement by Bathurst and Naftchali (2021) is used to investigate the influence of the rate-dependent properties of polymeric geosynthetic reinforcement materials on reinforcement tensile strains and load, and overall system performance including vertical deformation at the reinforcement elevation and at the fill surface. The paper also investigates the influence of fill soil properties and constitutive model type, foundation condition, void geometry and fill height on system performance. The results of numerical modelling are compared to predictions made using the closed-form solution of Giroud et al. (1990) and in the BSI 8006-1 (2010) design code. The results of numerical modelling demonstrate that the choice of fill height to void width and the stiffness of the rate-dependent geosynthetic reinforcement layer are important to ensure that the maximum reinforcement strain, allowable strength and fill surface settlement criteria are not exceeded. • A numerical 2D FLAC model is used to perform a parametric analysis of the reinforced fill over a void problem. • The numerical approach is validated against a full-scale test reported in the literature. • A simple rate-dependent hyperbolic isochronous load-strain (creep) model is used for the geosynthetic reinforcement. • The ratio of fill height to void width and the reinforcement stiffness are shown to strongly influence numerical outcomes. • The results of numerical modelling are compared to predictions made using two well-known closed-form solutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper examines the quantitative influence of uncertainty in the estimate of geosynthetic reinforcement stiffness on numerical outcomes using analytical solutions for a) the maximum outward facing deformation in mechanically stabilized earth (MSE) walls, b) maximum reinforcement tensile loads and strain in MSE walls under operational conditions, and c) the mobilized reinforcement stiffness in a geosynthetic layer used to reinforce a fill over a void. The stiffness of the reinforcement is modelled using an isochronous two-parameter hyperbolic load-strain model. A linear relationship between isochronous stiffness and the ultimate tensile strength of the reinforcement is used to estimate reinforcement stiffness when product-specific creep data are not available at time of design. Solution outcomes are presented deterministically and probabilistically. The quantitative link between nominal factor of safety used in deterministic working stress design practice and reliability index is provided. The latter is preferred in modern performance-based design to quantify margins of safety within a probabilistic framework. Finally, the paper highlights the practical benefit of using product-specific isochronous secant stiffness data when available, rather than estimates of isochronous stiffness values based on reinforcement type or pooled data. • Uncertainty in the estimate of geosynthetic stiffness is investigated for three geosynthetic-reinforced soil applications. • The stiffness of the reinforcement is modelled using an isochronous two-parameter hyperbolic load-strain model. • Isochronous secant stiffness estimated using: a) product-specific creep data; b) type of reinforcement; and c) pooled data. • Closed-form solutions linking the nominal factor of safety to the reliability index for each application are provided. • Solution outcomes are presented deterministically and probabilistically. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

6.Databaseofloaddata Miyata and Bathurst (2019) developed a database of 113 measured steel grid loads (T max) from 11 instrumented steel grid walls constructed with cohesive-frictional soils and purely frictional soils. Reliability-based design and analysis for internal limit states of steel grid-reinforced mechanically stabilized earth walls. Thegeneralapproachdescribedin thispaperisanimportantcontributiontonext-generationanalysis and design using modern concepts of RBD for internal stability design of both steel and polymeric soil-reinforced MSE walls and is thus in alignment with the international movement towards RBD for geotechnical structures (e.g., Low and Phoon 2015;Phoon2017;PhoonandChing2015;ISSMGE2017). Allen et al. (2001, 2004) quantified the level of accuracy of the Simplified Method for steel MSE walls using bias statistics deduced from a large number of instrumented walls. 1.Introduction This paper is focused on reliability-based design (RBD) and analysis for tensile strength and pullout limit states of steel grid-reinforced mechanically stabilized earth (MSE) walls constructed with frictional soils and subjected to typical operational conditions. [Extracted from the article]

This paper demonstrates reliability-based design for tensile rupture and pullout limit states for mechanically stabilized earth (MSE) walls constructed with geosynthetic (geogrid) reinforcement. The general approach considers the accuracy of the load and resistance models that appear in each limit state equation plus uncertainty due to the confidence (level of understanding) of the designer at the time of design. The reliability index is computed using a closed-form solution that is easily implemented in a spreadsheet. The general approach provides a quantitative link between nominal factor of safety, which is familiar in allowable stress design practice, and reliability index used in modern civil engineering reliability-based design practice. A well-documented MSE wall case study is used to demonstrate the general approach and to compare margins of safety using different load and resistance model combinations. A practical outcome from the case study example is the observation that the pullout limit state is much less likely to control design than the ultimate tensile rupture state for walls with continuous reinforcement coverage. The more accurate "simplified stiffness method" that is used to compute tensile loads in the reinforcement under operational conditions is shown to generate a more cost-effective reinforcement option than the less accurate American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) simplified method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The focus of this paper is on quantitative evaluation of four different methods that use closed-form equations to calculate the nominal load in steel grid-reinforced soil walls under operational (end of construction) conditions. The four methods are the Coherent Gravity Method used in the UK, the AASHTO Simplified Method (USA), the PWRC Method used in Japan and the Simplified Stiffness Method. The accuracy of the methods is quantified based on analysis of bias statistics where bias is the ratio of measured to predicted (nominal) load. A large database of 113 measured reinforcement loads collected from 11 instrumented field walls is used in the study. For walls constructed with frictional soils, the Coherent Gravity Method and PWRC Method were the least accurate. The AASHTO Simplified Method demonstrated better accuracy and the Simplified Stiffness Method was the most accurate of all methods examined. The Coherent Gravity Method and the updated Simplified Stiffness Method for steel grid walls in the current study have the advantage that they can be used with soils that have a dependable soil cohesive strength component. However, the accuracy of the Simplified Stiffness Method was much better for all soil types based on bias analyses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper reports the details of numerical models used to predict the performance of two 3.6 m-high well-instrumented wrapped-face walls. The walls were nominally identical except that the reinforcement material in one wall was a steel welded wire mesh and in the other a biaxial polypropylene geogrid. The backfill soil was modelled using both linear and nonlinear elastic-plastic constitutive models. A general hyperbolic (nonlinear) axial load-strain-time model was used for the reinforcement. The numerical results show good agreement with measured performance features for the welded wire mesh wrapped-face wall. Agreement between numerical predictions of facing displacements and maximum reinforcement loads was less accurate for the very flexible geogrid wrapped-face wall. The discrepancies are believed to be related to the unusually flexible wrapped face used in the geogrid wall construction. Numerically predicted and measured maximum reinforcement loads are compared to loads using the AASHTO reinforcement strength-based design approach (Simplified Method) and the Simplified Stiffness Method which is an empirical reinforcement stiffness-based method. The paper provides physical test data that can be used to benchmark other numerical models, highlights lessons learned during the development of the models, and identifies reasonable expectations for numerical model accuracy for models of similar complexity used to simulate the performance of mechanically stabilized earth (MSE) wall structures under operational conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Numerical modelers are often faced with the challenge to numerically reproduce the physical behavior of soil-geosynthetic interaction problems using assumed values for missing soil and interface model parameters. This paper examines two such examples using the finite-difference method, (1) horizontal pullout of a geosynthetic (geogrid) reinforcement layer in a pullout box and (2) a geosynthetic (geotextile)-reinforced soil layer over a void. It also presents the results of parametric sensitivity analyses for the missing soil and interface model parameter values and identifies the values that give the best agreement with measured data. The paper further demonstrates that correct modeling of geometrical nonlinearity is key to accurately predicting the performance of geosynthetic-reinforced soil systems controlled by the tensioned membrane effect. The lessons learned in this study will be of interest to numerical modelers during numerical model design of geosynthetic-reinforced soil systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Soil-cement deep mixing (DM) columns combined with geosynthetic basal reinforcement are an accepted technique in geotechnical engineering to construct road and railway embankments over soft foundations. Both full-width and unit cell models have been used to numerically simulate the performance of geosynthetic-reinforced and column-supported (GRCS) embankments. However, the typical unit cell model with horizontally fixed side boundaries cannot simulate the lateral spreading of the embankment fill and foundation soil. As a result, the calculated reinforcement tensile loads using typical unit cell models are much less than those from matching full-width models. The paper first examines GRCS embankments using a full-width model with small- and large-strain modes in FLAC and then compares the calculated results from the full-width model with those using a typical unit cell model, a recently proposed modified unit cell model, and a closed-form solution. The paper also examines the influence of the soft foundation soil modulus, reinforcement tensile stiffness, and DM column modulus on the reinforcement tensile loads. Numerical analyses show that the reinforcement tensile loads from the modified unit cell model are in good agreement with those from the full-width model for zones under the embankment crest for all cases and conditions examined in the paper. Both the full-width model and modified unit cell model perform better than the typical unit cell model for the prediction of the reinforcement tensile load when compared to the closed-form solution. However, while the modified unit cell developed by the writers is shown to be more accurate than the typical unit cell when predictions are compared to results using full-width numerical simulations, the benefit of using this approach to reduce computation times may be limited in practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper presents the numerical modelling details using the finite difference method (FDM) to simulate the performance of a well-instrumented geogrid-reinforced incremental concrete panel soil retaining wall. Two different constitutive models were investigated for the backfill soil (linear elastic-plastic model and nonlinear elastic-plastic model). Both constant stiffness and strain-dependent secant stiffness models were used for the reinforcement elements. The paper provides valuable lessons to modellers to simulate the performance of this type of earth retaining structure. For example, parametric investigation of the effect of a constant Young's modulus ranging from 40 to 120 MPa for the linear-elastic Mohr-Coulomb model had only minor influence on the wall facing displacements and reinforcement loads. However, the choice of magnitude of transient compaction pressure near the facing can result in large differences in facing displacements. The paper also demonstrates that the method of construction including the location, sequence, and stiffness of the temporary supports used to construct the wall plays an important role on measured and predicted wall performance. The physical measurements reported in this paper provide a benchmark for numerical modellers to verify other numerical models for walls of the type investigated here. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Probabilistic slope stability analyses of simple geosynthetic reinforced soil slopes were carried out using the shear strength reduction method in combination with the finite element method (FEM). An existing open-source FEM code was modified to include bar elements to model horizontal layers of geosynthetic reinforcement. Analysis results using the modified code (mFEM) demonstrate that large reductions in probability of failure can be realized by adding geosynthetic reinforcement layers to constructed slopes. The modified code was also used to investigate the effect of variability of soil friction angle on probabilistic outcomes for constructed unreinforced and reinforced purely frictional soil slopes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Geosynthetic-reinforced and column-supported (GRCS) embankments have proven to be an effective construction technique for fills on soft foundations. The paper introduces a modified unit cell approach to model GRCS embankments supported by deep mixed column walls. The modified unit cells include linear elastic springs at one or both vertical boundaries to simulate lateral displacements of the embankment fill and foundation soil. The finite difference program FLAC is used to compare numerical outcomes using the modified unit cells with those using the typical unit cell arrangement with lateral rigid side boundaries. Numerical results demonstrate good agreement between simulations using small-strain and large-strain modes in some cases and large differences in other cases. Lateral displacements of the embankment fill and foundation soil using the modified unit cells are shown to have large influence on reinforcement loads. Finally the paper demonstrates that calculated reinforcement loads are sensitive to choice of small-strain or large-strain mode when using program FLAC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper reports numerical model details and predictions of the end-of-construction performance for two instrumented and well-documented mechanically stabilized earth (MSE) walls. The walls were constructed as part of the highway SR-18 approach fills for a bridge near Seattle, Washington. The geogrid reinforced block face walls were modeled using a commercially available two-dimensional (2D) finite-difference program. The paper provides details on how material properties were selected from laboratory testing of wall components and how the computer modeling was carried out. The paper shows that predicted wall deformations and reinforcement strains were in reasonable agreement with measured data using both linear elastic-plastic and nonlinear elastic-plastic constitutive models for the soil. The geogrid reinforcement was simulated using a nonlinear load-strain-time secant stiffness model and cable elements. The paper compares numerical predictions of reinforcement loads at end of construction with measured values and predictions using a AASHTO Simplified Method, K-stiffness Method, and Simplified Stiffness Method. The paper is a useful benchmark for modelers because it demonstrates what the authors believe are reasonable expectations of model accuracy for Class C predictions of deformations and reinforcement strains for these types of walls when high-quality project information is available. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Simplified Method as reported in AASHTO and Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) manuals has been demonstrated to give poor predictions of unfactored reinforcement loads and strains, especially for geosynthetic reinforced soil walls. The writers have proposed the K-stiffness Method to improve the load prediction accuracy for walls under working stress (operational) conditions. However, it has also been recognized in recent publications by the writers and others that further improvements to the K-stiffness Method are needed. Furthermore, acceptance of the K-stiffness Method has been hindered due to its perceived complexity and the use of the plane strain friction angle to quantify the strength of the reinforced soil. This paper takes a fresh look at both methods and uses lessons learned from the K-stiffness Method development to improve the accuracy of the AASHTO/FHWA Simplified Method. Key parameters introduced during the development of the K-stiffness Method are applied to the Simplified Method and updated to further improve load prediction accuracy. Additional wall case histories have been added to the database used for the original K-stiffness Method to calibrate the new model and to broaden its utility. An important improvement is a single model that allows for seamless load prediction across a range of walls constructed with relatively extensible geosynthetic reinforcement and inextensible steel reinforcement materials. The quantitative improvement of the new model (Simplified Stiffness Method) compared to the current AASHTO/FHWA Simplified Method is demonstrated through statistical analysis of load bias values (i.e., the ratio of measured to predicted reinforcement load). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Geosynthetic reinforced soil walls and slopes are now a mature technology in geotechnical engineering. Nevertheless, the mechanisms of soil-geosynthetic interaction are not fully understood for pullout of a geogrid material in the anchorage zone of a reinforced structure. It is also difficult to quantify the interactions between the geogrid and the soil. A new strategy to overcome these difficulties is to use a pullout box with a transparent glass bottom, a transparent soil, and non-contact measurement technology. This paper describes such a pullout box apparatus which is used in combination with a recently developed transparent granular soil. Embedded geogrid specimens are visible through the transparent bottom of the box and the surrounding soil. The displacements of the geogrid and seed (target) particles placed in the transparent soil are tracked using digital images captured by a row of synchronized cameras located below the apparatus. Digital processing is carried out using the Digital Image Correlation (DIC) technique to quantify the in-situ displacement of the geogrid specimen and surrounding soil. The displacements are used to compute continuous longitudinal strain profiles in the geogrid specimen over the duration of each pullout test and relative shear displacements between the geogrid and the soil. Also reported are lessons learned to improve the method of clamping geogrid specimens at the front of the pullout box which are also applicable to conventional pullout box equipment. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

An 11 m high dry-stacked masonry concrete block wall reinforced with a high-density polyethylene (HDPE) geogrid was designed, instrumented, and monitored for a period of 2 years as part of a highway-widening project southeast of Seattle, Washington, in the USA. An extensive materials-testing program was conducted to characterize the geogrid and backfill soil properties. The empirical-based K-stiffness method was used to design the wall, and this approach resulted in a 35% reduction in total required reinforcement strength compared with the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials / Federal Highway Administration (AASHTO/FHWA) simplified method. The cost savings more than compensated for the cost of the instrumentation program. Geogrid strains were measured using strain gauges and extensometers, and the walls were surveyed to monitor facing deformations. The stiffness of the geogrid materials was computed from the results of laboratory in-isolation constant-load (creep) tests. The time- and strain-dependent stiffness values, in combination with measured strains, were used to compute measured reinforcement loads at the reinforcement connections and at locations within the reinforced soil backfill. The measured loads were compared with class A, B, and C1 predictions using the AASHTO/FHWA simplified and K-stiffness methods. These comparisons demonstrate that the simplified method significantly overestimated reinforcement loads, whereas the K-stiffness method provided estimates that were judged to be in better agreement with the measured results. The paper also quantifies the influence of construction procedures on reinforcement strains and load, shows that long-term creep of the reinforcement after 2 years after construction is negligible, and identifies lessons learned. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: North American design codes are now committed to the development of load and resistance factor design (LRFD) for reinforced soil structures including internal stability limit states. Reliability-based analysis is required to carry out these calibrations. A framework for LRFD calibration has been proposed by the writers that requires bias statistics for load and resistance terms for each limit state function. In this paper the formulation of the limit state for reinforcement tensile rupture is developed and the component strength-reduction bias statistics identified. The paper describes how to compute bias statistics from project-specific installation damage trials for use in reliability-based design for the reinforcement rupture limit state or using data from multiple sources for LRFD calibration. A database of results from field installation damage trials on 103 different geosynthetic products was collected from 20 different sources. A total of 799 and 2248 in-air tensile test results were reviewed for undamaged and damaged geosynthetic specimens, respectively. This database is used to compute installation damage bias statistics for six different categories of geosynthetic and four categories of backfill soils classified according to the D 50 particle size. A practical outcome is that for analysis purposes, bias statistics can be grouped into two ranges for each geosynthetic type based on D 50 of the soil greater than or less than 19 mm. The paper shows how bias statistics together with load and resistance factors for the geosynthetic rupture limit state function recommended by can be used to calculate probability of failure using Monte Carlo simulation and demonstrates the sensitivity of probability of failure to magnitude of installation damage bias statistics. The installation damage data is valuable for future LRFD calibration to select resistance factors for use in design codes for the geosynthetic rupture limit state in reinforced soil structures. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The paper describes the details and verification of a FLAC numerical code that was used to simulate the results of an experimental program of reduced-scale wall models constructed with a seismic geofoam buffer inclusion and loaded using a large shaking table. Five physical tests constructed with expanded polystyrene (EPS) geofoam materials having different modulus values and a control case with no geofoam inclusion were carried out. The paper shows that the numerical model was able to capture the trend in earth forces with increasing base acceleration for all six models and in most cases quantitative dynamic load–time response of the numerical simulations was in good agreement with measured values. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

In this paper the K-stiffness method is extended to the case of c-φ soils using data obtained from a total of nine new case studies – six from Japan and three from the USA. A common feature in this new data set is that the walls were all constructed with a vertical face using backfill soils with a range of fines content. The walls varied widely with respect to facing type. This new data set together with previously published data for vertical walls is now used to isolate the effect of soil cohesion on reinforcement loads within the framework of the original K-stiffness method. The new data set is used to calibrate a modified K-stiffness method equation that includes a cohesion influence factor. The modified K-stiffness method is demonstrated to quantitatively improve the estimate of the magnitude and distribution of reinforcement loads for internal stability design of vertical-faced geosynthetic reinforced soil walls with c-φ soil backfills when compared to the current American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials simplified method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The focus of the paper is on the influence of reinforcement design parameters (i.e. stiffness, length and vertical spacing) on the simulated earthquake response of reinforced soil retaining walls using reduced-scale model shaking table tests. A series of instrumented 1/6-scale model walls was constructed and dynamically loaded using a stepped-amplitude harmonic base acceleration record. The reinforcement design parameters investigated were found to have a significant effect on model response. Experimental results showed that the magnitude of accumulated facing lateral displacement under base excitation decreased with increasing reinforcement length, greater number of reinforcement layers and larger reinforcement stiffness. Significant down-drag forces at the back of the rigid facing were measured for all model configurations. However, the measured vertical load at the footing was not significantly influenced by changes in reinforcement parameters. The horizontal restrained (hinged) toe at the bottom of the rigid facing was shown to attract 30–60% of the total horizontal earth force depending on the reinforcement configuration. The magnitude and distribution of reinforcement connection loads was significantly affected by the reinforcement length, vertical spacing and stiffness. Measured footing loads, reinforcement connection loads and amplification factors are compared to values calculated using current practice in North America for geosynthetic reinforced soil walls and discrepancies between experimental results and design methods are identified. Implications of the physical test results to level of conservatism in current design practice are noted. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Current limit equilibrium-based design methods for the internal stability design of geosynthetic reinforced soil walls in North America are based on the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) Simplified Method. A deficiency of this approach is that the influence of the facing type on reinforcement loads is not considered. This paper reports the results of two instrumented full-scale walls constructed in a large test facility at the Royal Military College of Canada. The walls were nominally identical except one wall was constructed with a stiff face and the other with a flexible wrapped face. The peak reinforcement loads in the flexible wall were about three and a half times greater than the stiff-face wall at the end of construction and about two times greater at the end of surcharging. The stiff-face wall analysis using the Simplified Method gave a maximum reinforcement load value that was one and a half times greater than the measured value at the end of construction. Furthermore, the surcharge pressure required to reach the creep-limited strength of the reinforcement was about two times greater than the predicted value. The results demonstrate quantitatively that a stiff facing in a reinforced soil wall is a structural component that can lead to significant reductions in reinforcement loads compared to flexible facing systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper describes a numerical model that was developed to simulate the response of three instrumented, full-scale, geosynthetic-reinforced soil walls under working stress conditions. The walls were constructed with a fascia column of solid modular concrete units and clean, uniform sand backfill on a rigid foundation. The soil reinforcement comprised different arrangements of a weak biaxial polypropylene geogrid reinforcement material. The properties of backfill material, the method of construction, the wall geometry, and the boundary conditions were otherwise nominally the same for each structure. The performance of the test walls up to the end of construction was simulated with the finite-difference-based Fast Lagrangian Analysis of Continua (FLAC) program. The paper describes FLAC program implementation, material properties, constitutive models for component materials, and predicted results for the model walls. The results predicted with the use of nonlinear elastic-plastic models for the backfill soil and reinforcement layers are shown to be in good agreement with measured toe boundary forces, vertical foundation pressures, facing displacements, connection loads, and reinforcement strains. Numerical results using a linear elastic-plastic model for the soil also gave good agreement with measured wall displacements and boundary toe forces but gave a poorer prediction of the distribution of strain in the reinforcement layers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The paper provides a synthesis of work by the writers that has the objective of developing a new working stress method for the calculation of reinforcement loads in geosynthetic reinforced soil walls. As a precursor to this objective, careful back-analyses of a database of instrumented and monitored full-scale field and laboratory walls are used to demonstrate that the current American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) Simplified Method used in North America results in excessively conservative estimates of the volume of reinforcement required to generate satisfactory long-term wall performance. The new design method captures the essential contributions of the different wall components and properties to reinforcement loads. The method is calibrated against measured in situ wall reinforcement loads using a careful interpretation of reinforcement strains and the conversion of strain to load using a suitably selected reinforcement stiffness value. A novel feature of the method is to design the wall reinforcement so that the soil within the wall backfill is prevented from reaching a failure limit state, consistent with the notion of working stress conditions. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The paper describes a new working stress design methodology introduced by the writers for geosynthetic reinforced soil walls (K-Stiffness Method) that is now extended to steel reinforced soil walls. A large database of full-scale steel reinforced soil walls (a total of 20 fully instrumented wall sections) was used to develop the new design methodology. The effects of global wall stiffness, soil strength, reinforcement layer spacing, and wall height were investigated. Results of simple statistical analyses using the ratio of measured to predicted peak reinforcement loads (i.e., method bias) demonstrate the improved prediction accuracy. The AASHTO Simplified Method results in an average method bias of 1.1 with a coefficient of variation (COV) of 45%, whereas the proposed K-Stiffness Method results in an average bias of 0.95 and a COV of 32%. Soil strength was found to have limited influence on reinforcement loads for steel reinforced soil walls, especially for high shear strength soils, while global wall stiffness and wall height had a major influence on reinforcement loads. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper describes a series of short-term in-isolation tensile tests that were carried out to investigate the load–strain–time performance of typical knitted polyester (PET), biaxial polypropylene (PP) and uniaxial high-density polyethylene (HDPE) geogrid products. The specimens were subjected to constant rate of strain (CRS) loading and variable rate of strain (VRS) loading. Variables between test specimens included specimen length and specimen aspect ratio (e.g. number of ribs). A novel feature of these tests was that internal strains in the specimens were recorded using non-contact measurements taken with a video-extensometer apparatus. The data shows that at large strains the PP and HDPE geogrid specimens exhibited large lateral strains while lateral strains were negligible for the PET product. Results of CRS tests carried out with different specimen aspect ratios showed that there was no change in tensile strength, axial strain and lateral strain at rupture for HDPE and PET materials. The PP material in this investigation did show an increase in axial and lateral strain at rupture for a specimen tested at an aspect ratio approaching one. The polyolefin geogrids (PP and HDPE) were shown to exhibit tensile stiffness and ultimate tensile load capacities that increased with rate of strain. Implications of the contractive behaviour of the polyolefin geogrid products to the selection of in-soil reinforcement stiffness values and rheological modelling are identified. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The paper describes an experimental investigation in which two large-scale geosynthetic reinforced soil embankments and one unreinforced soil embankment were taken to collapse under a strip footing placed close to the crest. One reinforced embankment was constructed with a relatively extensible and weak polypropylene geogrid and the second with a relatively strong and stiff high-density polyethylene geogrid. The geometry of the unfaced embankments, sand soil, and loading arrangement were the same for all three structures. The focus of the paper is on the experimental design, construction, testing, and instrumentation techniques used in the investigation and selected test results. The results of the study show that the ultimate footing load capacity increased with an increase in reinforcement strength (and stiffness) and that the reinforced soil embankments had a load capacity up to 1.6–2.0 times that of the nominal identical control embankment without reinforcement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper describes limit equilibrium analyses of two large-scale geosynthetic reinforced soil embankments and one unreinforced soil embankment that were taken to collapse under a strip footing placed close to the crest. One reinforced embankment was constructed with a relatively extensible and weak polypropylene geogrid and the second with a relatively strong and stiff high-density polyethylene geogrid. The geometry of the embankments and the loading arrangement were the same for all three structures. The focus of the paper is on a comparison of the predicted collapse load for the three structures and the actual observed values. A three-dimensional analytical approach is used to account for possible side-wall friction effects due to the test facility in which the large-scale experimental models were built. The paper also reports details on the interpretation of in-isolation constant load tests and strain measurements used to infer tensile loads in the reinforcement at failure. An important conclusion is that a general two-part wedge analysis approach can be used to predict the collapse footing load for both unreinforced and reinforced sand embankments in this investigation provided careful attention is paid to the selection of soil shear strength and reinforcement tensile capacity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Proper estimation of soil reinforcement loads and strains is key to accurate internal stability design of reinforced soil structures. Current design methodologies use limit equilibrium concepts to estimate reinforcement loads for internal stability design of geosynthetic and steel reinforced soil walls. For geosynthetic walls, however, it appears that these methods are excessively conservative based on the performance of geosynthetic walls to date. This paper presents a new method, called the K-stiffness method, that is shown to give more accurate estimates of reinforcement loads, thereby reducing reinforcement quantities and improving the economy of geosynthetic walls. The paper is focused on the new method as it applies to geosynthetic walls constructed with granular (noncohesive, relatively low silt content) backfill soils. A database of 11 full-scale geosynthetic walls was used to develop the new design methodology based on working stress principles. The method considers the stiffness of the various wall components and their influence on reinforcement loads. Results of simple statistical analyses show that the current American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) Simplified Method results in an average ratio of measured to predicted loads (bias) of 0.45, with a coefficient of variation (COV) of 91%, whereas the proposed method results in an average bias of 0.99 and a COV of 36%. A principle objective of the method is to design the wall reinforcement so that the soil within the wall backfill is prevented from reaching a state of failure, consistent with the notion of working stress conditions. This concept represents a new approach for internal stability design of geosynthetic-reinforced soil walls because prevention of soil failure as a limit state is considered in addition to the current practice of preventing reinforcement rupture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, upper bound limit analysis that includes a horizontal pseudostatic seismic force is used for the first time to obtain the limit load on strip footings seated on cohesive-frictional soils reinforced with a single geosynthetic layer. Reinforcement tensile rupture and sliding failure modes for the geosynthetic layer are included in the analyses. Results of analyses are presented as optimum reinforcement depths and a bearing capacity equation with a single term and different bearing capacity factors for tensile rupture and sliding failure modes. The bearing capacity factors are presented in tables and capture the combined influence of the reinforcement strength, soil frictional strength and cohesion, soil unit weight, footing geometry, uniform surcharge, and magnitude of horizontal ground acceleration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes a strategy to compute deterministic and probabilistic estimates of maximum outward deformation of mechanically stabilized earth (MSE) modular block wall structures of particular type, materials and boundary conditions. The reference walls in this study were a group of MSE modular block walls constructed under carefully controlled laboratory conditions. A numerical FLAC model was first demonstrated to give reasonable estimates of measured maximum wall deformations. The model was then used to carry out a sensitivity analysis using a modest number of simulations with different values of key input parameters. Six key control parameters were selected based on the results of the sensitivity analysis and a review of the literature on wall performance. A response surface of full quadratic form was used to predict maximum normalized wall deformations as a function of the six key parameters. The results of a second set of 729 numerical simulations corresponding to the maximum number of possible permutations of three different values for each of the six control parameters were used to find the coefficient terms for the response surface equation using a conventional least squares method. The response surface method (RSM) equation was then used to carry out a large number of Monte Carlo simulations using random sampling of distributions for soil friction angle, surcharge pressure, block–block interface shear stiffness and reinforcement stiffness input parameters. The resulting statistics were used to construct a cumulative distribution function (CDF) for maximum normalized wall deformations. The CDF is then used to link reliability performance-based design to a reasonable range of serviceability criteria for wall deformations generated under operational conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The paper describes the novel use of recycled construction and demolition waste (RCDW) material as the backfill material in an otherwise conventional 3.6-m high wrapped-face geosynthetic reinforced soil wall. The wall was constructed over a collapsible foundation soil which is common in the area around the capital city of Brasilia. The wall was instrumented and then monitored though dry and wet rainy seasons. The influence of cumulative rainfall on foundation compressibility was detectable and seasonal wetting and drying was shown to quantitatively influence wall deformations, settlement, horizontal earth pressures and reinforcement strains. Nevertheless, wall performance was judged to be satisfactory when compared to the performance of other walls of similar size constructed with traditional select granular soils over non-collapsible foundation soils. The results of this investigation demonstrate that significant project cost savings may be possible by avoiding more expensive traditional backfill materials and larger societal economic savings accrued by diverting RCDW waste streams from landfills. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Needle-punched geosynthetic clay liner (GCL) specimens subjected to 0, 5, and 12 freeze–thaw cycles in the laboratory, and GCL specimens recovered from a composite barrier wall in the Canadian Arctic after 1 and 3 years were examined to assess the hydraulic conductivity/permeability with respect to both deionized deaired water and Jet A-l. The GCL specimens recovered from the field after 3 years had a hydraulic conductivity with respect to water that was approximately 30% less than that of the GCL specimens subjected to 12 initial freeze–thaw cycles in the laboratory, suggesting that the laboratory conditions are more severe than field conditions. The combined effects of both the freeze–thaw cycles and Jet A-l permeation increased the permeability. This increase is attributed to the creation of macropores in the GCL due to freezing and to an expansion of free-pore space due to contraction of the double layer caused by permeation of Jet A-l. Although there was an increase in permeability due to the combined effect of freeze–thaw and permeation by Jet A-l, the effect was relatively small and the results suggest that the GCL continued to exhibit good performance as a hydraulic barrier when subject to extreme climatic conditions and hydrocarbons both in the laboratory and in the field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]