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Seismic design and performance of geosynthetic-reinforced soil structures
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1997
Year
EngineeringDirect SlidingSoil-structure InteractionStructural EngineeringGeotechnical EngineeringSlope StabilityGeotechnical ProblemSeismic AnalysisSeismic Design ProceduresGround MotionEarthquake EngineeringHorizontal AccelerationSeismic DesignStructural GeologySeismologyGeotechnical PropertyCivil EngineeringGeomechanicsGeosynthetics
The study proposes seismic design procedures for geosynthetic‑reinforced soil structures, including an alternative displacement‑based approach for cases where required geosynthetic length becomes impractical. The procedures employ a pseudo‑static limit‑equilibrium analysis that incorporates horizontal acceleration, permanent displacement limits, and internal/external stability checks, and are evaluated through parametric studies varying seismic acceleration, slope angle, and soil properties. The analyses show that for vertical slopes at low seismic acceleration tieback/compound failure governs geosynthetic length, which rises sharply with acceleration and can become impractical, prompting the displacement‑based alternative; the procedures were validated against recent major earthquakes and illustrated with a detailed design example.
Seismic design procedures are proposed for geosynthetic-reinforced soil structures. The procedures are based on a pseudo-static limit equilibrium analysis, which considers horizontal acceleration and incorporates a permanent displacement limit. Internal and external stability analyses are conducted to determine the required strength and length of geosynthetic, considering different modes of failure. Parametric studies illustrate the effects of seismic acceleration on the design of reinforced soil structures having different slope angles and soil properties. For vertical slopes at small seismic acceleration, tieback/compound failure dictates the required geosynthetic length. The length required to resist direct sliding increases rapidly as the seismic acceleration increases. This length may become impractical at moderate design accelerations. For such cases, an alternative approach based on a tolerable displacement against direct sliding is proposed for design. The proposed procedures are compared with the performance of several geosynthetic-reinforced soil structures during recent major earthquakes. A detailed design example is included to illustrate usage of proposed procedures.