Seismic stability of MSE walls with stepped reinforcement arrangement subjected to vertical and horizontal accelerations

The stepped reinforcement arrangement in mechanically stabilized earth (MSE) walls is more complicated than the common uniform arrangement design.Afinite element limit analysis (FELA) method combining the advantages of finite element (FE) and limit analysis (LA) methods was used to investigate the influence of stepped reinforcement arrangements on the seismic stability of MSE subjected to vertical and horizontal earthquakes. The pseudo-static FELA method was validated against results from model tests and the limit equilibrium-based (LE) method. The validated numerical model was then used to investigate the seismic stability and failure mechanisms of MSE walls with stepped reinforcement arrangements. Results indicate that multiple slip planes form in reinforced zone and backfills. The stepped reinforcement arrangement can help improve seismic stability. However, excessive increases in reinforcement length toward the top of the wall could have a negative influence on seismic stability, especially in cases of walls with wide reinforcement spacing.