Seismic Response of Back-to-Back MSE Walls

Abstract

In the latest Federal Highways Administration guidelines, back-to-back mechanically stabilized earth walls (BBMSEW), considered with complex geometries or significant external loads, are practical and require consideration. From these guidelines, under static condition, the distance between two opposing walls, D, is a key parameter used for determining the analysis methods of BBMSEW. The existing design methodologies and numerical investigations do not provide a clear and justified answer to how the tensile strength of reinforcement and the external stability changes under seismic conditions. In this study, the height of the walls was chosen as 6 m in the two-dimensional plane, the strain finite element model was incorporated in the PLAXIS software code and the base acceleration was chosen to be a harmonic motion. This study focused on the effects of the distance between opposite walls, facing type and reinforcement stiffness.