Effect of Mechanical Properties of Backfill on the Reinforcement Quantity of an MSE Wall

Shahriar Mirmirani, Tatiana Rrokaj

In the proceedings of: GeoRegina 2014: 67th Canadian Geotechnical Conference

Session: Soil Mechanics

ABSTRACT: A Mechanically Stabilized Earth (MSE) wall is relatively inexpensive and is easy to construct, which renders it as an advantageous alternative amongst contractors. An MSE wall comprises of 3 major structural components: backfill, facing and soil reinforcement. Choosing a proper structural component can effectively reduce the cost and increase the design life of the structure. Physical, mechanical and electrochemical properties of the backfill play different roles in the design, performance as well as cost of the wall. In this paper we discuss how the internal friction angle and bulk unit weight of the backfill can affect the quantity of required soil reinforcement for a Reinforced Earth wall. The study shows that the quantity of the reinforcement is reduced by selecting a backfill material with a higher friction angle regardless of the wall height. The bulk unit weight inversely relates to the required reinforcement in short walls, as an increase in the unit weight reduces the amount of the reinforcement. However in high walls an increase in unit weight increases the required reinforcement. RÉSUMÉ Les murs en remblai renforcé sont relativement économiques et plutôt faciles à construire, ce qui en fait un système avantageux pour le entrepreneurs et les donneurs d'ouvrage. Le mur en remblai renforcé comprend principalement 3 composantes : Le remblai, les éléments de façade et le renforcement de sol. L'utilisation de matériaux structuraux appropriés permet de réduire significativement les coûts en plus d'augmenter la vie utile de l'ouvrage. Les propriétés physiques, mécaniques et électrochimiques du matériau de remblai granulaire jouent un rôle important dans la conception, la performance et le coût final du mur. Dans cet exposé, nous vous expliquons de quelle façon l'angle de friction interne et la masse volumique du matériau granulaire peuvent affecter la quantité requise du renforcement dans le remblai. Cette étude montre que la quantité du renforcement est réduite en sélectionnant du matériau de remblai granulaire avec l'angle de friction plus élevé, indépendamment de la taille du mur. La masse volumique a une relation inverse au renforcement des remblais courtes, car l'augmentation du poids spécifique réduit la quantité du renforcement. Cependant, aux hauts murs une augmentation du poids spécifique augmente le renforcement requis. 1 INTRODUCTION Mechanically Stabilized Earth (MSE) walls are popular amongst owners and contractors for several reasons including their simplicity and speed in construction. The performance of this type of structure has been demonstrated in different applications over nearly half a century. MSE walls usually offer inexpensive solutions as a retaining system, in comparison to many other types of wall e.g. concrete cantilever walls and deep foundation particularly where the section is in 'fill'. An MSE wall is a gravity wall that comprises of 3 major components. These components are backfill, reinforcements, and facing (Figure 1-1). There are different types of material for each component that need to be selected according to the environmental and design conditions. Figure 1-1 Œ Mechanically Stabilized Earth (MSE) Wall The facing is usually selected as pre-cast concrete panels; however, wire-mesh facing is also common in temporary applications. The soil reinforcement is selected based on the shape and material. Two different categories are recognized as soil reinforcement: extensible and inextensible. The extensible soil reinforcements are

RÉSUMÉ: fect of Mechanical Properties of Backfill on the

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Cite this article:
Shahriar Mirmirani; Tatiana Rrokaj (2014) Effect of Mechanical Properties of Backfill on the Reinforcement Quantity of an MSE Wall in GEO2014. Ottawa, Ontario: Canadian Geotechnical Society.

@article{GeoRegina14Paper281,author = Shahriar Mirmirani; Tatiana Rrokaj,title = Effect of Mechanical Properties of Backfill on the Reinforcement Quantity of an MSE Wall,year = 2014}