Abstract
One of the mechanical properties of such lightweight geo-materials in geosynthetics is that Poisson's ratio is very small, compared with natural geo-materials. In this study, the effect of the Poisson's ratio on earth pressure reduction are investigated, particularly in the case that the lightweight geo-material is applied as the back fill material of a retaining wall structure by using the elastic finite element analysis. The results from FE analysis indicate:
(1) Earth pressures against the retaining walls are reduced with decreasing the Poisson's ratio of the lightweight geo-material.
(2) The larger earth pressure is developed at the region of the higher position of the retaining wall.
(3) The earth pressure is strongly influenced by the boundary condition adjacent around the back fill. Therefore, the boundary condition needs to be taken into consideration in the design of wall structures.
