Full scale modeling of geotextile reinforced lime stabilized cohesive soil retaining wall

In this research, a reinforced soil retaining structure, "Kilyos Wall" was studied. It was the first known geosynthetic reinforced wall to be instrumented and tested in Turkey. Lime stabilized cohesive clay was used as the backfill material rather than a pure frictional soil. The wall was designed with a factor of safety of less than one based on current design specifications. Measurements included determination of the horizontal and vertical movements of the backfill utilizing electronic coils developed specially for this project. Vertical and horizontal stresses were determined using Glotzl pressure cells. A comparison was made between observed behavior, design assumptions, and calculations. A Finite Element Analysis study was conducted using the CRISP '92 program in order to investigate the stresses and deformations.