3D numerical analysis of corner mechanically stabilized earth walls

MSEW (Mechanically Stabilized Earth walls) has become a widely adopted and economical earth-retaining system. However, the current design standards primarily rely on a two-dimensional plane-strain approach, overlooking the critical 3D behavior and mechanisms associated with wall curves and corners. To address this gap, this research aims to enhance our comprehension of MSEW corner performance for right-angle (Sharp turns) and curved (Round off) walls by using 3D finite element modeling. A comparative study was conducted for MSEW in case of sharp turns and round off walls, in addition to examining the influence of the curve angle in the different cases with angles (internal curve angle) of 50 to 120 degrees. Based on results of comparing the right-angle wall and the curved angle (90º) wall, it is evident that the horizontal displacement of the right-angle wall is greater. For curved wall, it was observed that the value of horizontal displacement is minimal at the beginning of the curved wall and gradually increases until it reaches the maximum displacement at the mid of the curve in plan view. The geogrid strain for the right-angle wall is approximately 1.70 times of the curved wall (internal curved angle = 90°). Based on the results of difference angle of curved wall, it was concluded that the horizontal displacement values of the wall between internal curved angles 90 and 120 are quite close, but they differ significantly from 50 to 90. It was noted that, the maximum displacements for angles from 60 and 110 was occurred at approximately 0.38 H of the wall’s height from the base but, it equal to 0.50 H for angle 110 and 120. Finally, an equation of second degree can be deduced to illustrate the relationship between the maximum facing wall displacement and the wall height with the curved wall angle. © 2024 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.