REDUCTION OF EARTH PRESSURE ON RETAINING WALL BY MEANS OF SHORT AND PLANAR REINFORCING MEMBERS UN-CONNECTED TO WALL BACK-FACE

Abstract

Whether the earth pressure working on the back face of retaining wall is reduced effectively by using short and planar tensile-reinforcing members, which are not connected to the back face of the wall. It is apparent that the reinforcing effects decrease by not connecting the reinforcing members to the wall back face. However, the connections may be damaged by possible relative settlement between the wall and the back fill.
It was found from the small model tests that the earth pressure on the wall is remarkedly reduced by reinforcing the back fill even if the reinforcing members are not connected to the wall back-face. The failure mode of the back fill when a load is applied to the crest was found to be the sliding along a shear plane created in the reinforced zone, as compared to the failure mode of overturning of the reinforced zone together with the wall when the reinforcing members are connected to the wall back-face.