Numerical Study on Effects of the Number of Reinforcement Layers for Reinforced-sand Retaining Wall

摘要

In order to investigate effects of the number of reinforcement layers on thedeformation and failure of reinforced-sand retaining walls, results from plane strainlaboratory model tests are simulated by a nonlinear FEM analyses incorporating anelasto-plastic constitutive for sand. The constitutive model takes into account theeffects of the following factors for sand: (a) pre-peak work-hardening and post-peakwork-softening; (b) effects of stress history and stress path; (c) the confining pressuredependency and strength anisotropy; (d) the stress-dilatancy characteristics; and (e)strain localization into a shear band(s). The results indicate that load-settlementrelationships obtained by the FEM analyses generally agree well with those from thephysical experiments. It is found that the peak footing load increases significantlywith the increase of the number of reinforcement layers, despite the total tensilestiffness of all the reinforcements in each model remains the same. In addition, theresults also indicate that the progressive failure of reinforced-sand retaining wallswith a development of shear bands is reasonably simulated by the proposed FEManalyses, and the effects of the reinforcement layers can be well understood.