Strain Behavior of Backfill Soil in Rigid Faced Reinforced Soil Walls Subjected to Seismic Excitation

Abstract

The reinforced soil walls offer an excellent solution to the problems related to the earth retaining structures, especially under seismic condition. This paper presents the strain behavior of backfill soil subjected to seismic excitation. Full height concrete faced reinforced soil retaining wall which is termed as rigid faced reinforced soil retaining wall is considered. Numerical models of shaking table tests on full height rigid faced walls are simulated using FLAC3D and validated with the laboratory test results. The octahedral strains developed on backfill soil during the dynamic excitations are determined from the numerical simulations and analyzed. Two types of strained zones are observed: high strain zone near the wall facing and low strained zone extending into the retained backfill indicating localized displacements near the facing. Parametric studies are also conducted to observe the behavior of soil strains for different reinforcement configurations and backfill soils. These parameters have marginal effect on strain behavior. The results indicate that the facing modulus affects the response of rigid faced walls.