Prediction of field behavior of reinforced soil wall using advanced constitutive model

A geosynthetic-reinforced soil retaining wall using full-height concrete wall facing panel was constructed at Tanque Verde Road site for grade-separated interchanges in Tucson, Ariz. Numerical simulation of this wall was performed using a finite element code called DSC-SST-2D. The program allows for plane strain, plane stress, and axisymmetric idealizations including simulation of construction sequences. The wall was modeled as a plane strain, two-dimensional problem. Material parameters used in the analysis were obtained from experimental results from conventional triaxial compression tests for backfill soils and cyclic multidegree-of-freedom shear tests for interfaces. The soils and interfaces were modeled using the disturbed state concept and hierarchical single surface plasticity models, and the geogrid reinforcement was simulated by a linear elastic model. The interfaces between the reinforcement layers and soil were modeled using the thin layer element. The results of the finite element analysis were in good agreement with the measured field behavior of the wall. Comparison involved vertical and lateral stress transferred to reinforcements and wall face movements. It was found that the use of the unified constitutive model in a nonlinear finite element method provided satisfactory predictions for the field performance of the Tensar geogrid reinforced soil wall.