Stress Dilatancy and Reinforcement Load of Vertical-Reinforced Soil Composite: Analytical Method

A straightforward analytical method is proposed to calculate the reinforcement loads of vertical-reinforced soil composites before the strength of soil is fully mobilized. The method assumes compatibility of soil and reinforcement deformations along the potential failure surface. It makes use of the nonlinear stress-strain relationship of soil in a plane-strain condition and Rowe's stress-dilatancy relationship. It has the advantage of taking into account the soil dilatancy before failure and can properly estimate the reinforcement load with small or medium soil deformation. The effect of soil compaction on the reinforcement load is taken into account through an elastic unloading/reloading approach. The method was first validated against the results of a calibrated numerical analysis. It was then used to predict the reinforcement loads of two large-scale tests. The proposed method has the potential to fully develop into an analytical method for reinforced soil retaining walls, provided that effects of facing restriction and compaction can be quantified.