Reinforced soil structures

For the geotextile to provide an effective reinforcement function, it should have not only a high tensile strength, but also a high tensile modulus so that its resistance to tensile loads generated within the soil occurs at sufficiently small strains to prevent excessive movement of the reinforced soil structure. It is self-evident that decreases in these properties with time (i.e. creep behaviour) must be low, and that the polymers used should have resistance to degradation by the soil. An estimate of the anticipated reduction in strength can be determined from an analysis of creep strain versus time plots for various stress levels and a suitable reduction factor applied. 

Clearly the ability of the geosynthetic to interface with the soil and be anchored by it is a key element in the transfer of the tensile force and hence performance of the reinforced soil structure. Thus soil-geosynthetic interaction, or interface friction, becomes critical as it governs the soil-fabric bonding strength. The required embedded length or bond length is determined by this parameter. 

The seismic behaviour of reinforced soil structures has been studied by shaking table tests , where a near full-size geotextile reinforced wall is fitted... 

Design methods for soil reinforcement Design methods for reinforced soil structures are available and universally accepted and validated by thousands of projects built around the world. The design of a reinforced soil stmcture with geotextUes deals... 

Design criteria that should be met for a reinforced soil structure with geotextiles can be summarized as follows ... 

In the case of a reinforced soil structure consisting of soil with both friction and cohesion, and with distributed surcharge q, the expression of the global force T becomes (Eq. [15.26]) ... 

The calculation of the bearing capacity should be carried out considering a rectangular foundation with equivalent width B = length of geotextiles at the base length L = breadth of footprint of the reinforced soil structure thickness h = 0 and depth of the foundation D = 0. 

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