Centrifuge Modeling and Numerical Analysis of Reinforced Soil Retaining Walls with Concrete Block Facing

The centrifuge and finite element methods are used to study the behavior of geosynthetic-reinforced soil retaining walls having a concrete block facing. A well instrumented PWRI Wall was used for simulation, with a special interest on the construction sequences. The backfill soil, geogrid reinforcements, and facing blocks were simulated using Nevada sand, reinforcement produced using 3D printing technique, and aluminum blocks, respectively. The results of single-stage and multi-stage constructions were compared. It was found that the facing deformations and tensile strains in the reinforcement layers can be simulated more closely using staged constructions compared to single-stage construction. The results were further reinforced using a finite element procedure. The study also looked into the effects of having loose soil behind the vicinity of the facing blocks. Soils with reduced stiffness and strength would increase the lateral facing displacements and tensile strains in the reinforcement layers.