Effectiveness of reinforcement length in improving the stability of Mechanically Stabilized Earth Wall at high water content

• Main Authors: Yuan-Chu Chen, 陳元吉
• Other Authors: Huei-Tsyr Chen
• Format: Others
• Language: zh-TW
• Published: 2004
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/22096271235358122270

碩士 === 國立中央大學 === 土木工程研究所 === 92 === Mechanically Stabilized Earth Wall (MSEW) is required to use the high quality granular soil as reinforced backfill materials. However, in many cases the low quality in-situ clayey soil is frequently used instead to cut down the cost, which obviously violates the design assumptions. In addition, the clayey soil backfill may increase in water content during heavy rainfall, and that will result in decreasing of undrained shear stress of clayey soil and increasing of lateral earth pressure, sometimes leading to collapse of wall. A series of centrifuge modeling tests have been performed to study the effectiveness of reinforcement length in improving the stability of MSEW with clayey soil backfill of high water content. From this study, the conclusions can be drawn as following: (1)There is no significant difference in mechanical properties between water-purged soil sample and non-water-purged soil sample; (2)Appropriately increasing reinforcement length can improve the stability of MSEW. The critical reinforcement length of MSEW with clayey soil backfill is 1.35H at 41% water content; (3)Settlement zone will occur at the end of the reinforcement on the top of the wall; (4)Increasing reinforcement length to the critical length can reduce 69% settlement and 64% horizontal displacement of crest of the wall; (5)The way with increasing reinforcement length under the critical length can save more quantities of material than the way with reducing reinforcement spacing to achieve the same stability.