Challenges and Recent Progress in the Analysis, Design and Modeling of Geosynthetic Reinforced Soil Walls

　　土工合成材料加筋挡墙的分析、设计与模拟的挑战与进展

Professor Richard J. Bathurst, P.Eng., Ph.D.

　　加拿大工程院院士

　　前国际土工合成材料学会（IGS）主席、北美土工合成材料学会（NAGS）主席、加拿大岩土工程学会主席、现PEIC主席、Geosynthetics International主编

　　时间：2016年3月24日 10:00-11:30

　　地点：土木建筑工程建院力学楼四楼会议室

　　联系人：邹维列

　　电话：13627232863； E-mail:zwilliam@126.com

　　ABSTRACT: Geosynthetic reinforced soil retaining walls are a mature technology with proven success extending back more than three decades. Nevertheless, new approaches for design and analysis of these systems are required to improve performance predictions for operational conditions, to extend their utility to harsher environments including earthquake areas, and to allow the use of alternative backfill materials. This lecture reviews a body of work by the writer and co-workers that addresses some of practical issues related to the new approaches. Included in the lecture are examples of data from instrumented field walls and laboratory tests that have been used to guide understanding of the performance of reinforced soil wall systems including those constructed with both geosynthetic and relatively inextensible steel reinforcement. These databases have been important for the development of empirically-calibrated stiffness-based working stress methods for both geosynthetic and steel reinforced soil wall systems. A comparison of design outcomes for a production wall using conventional and stiffness method approaches is presented. An example of the use of synthetic data to fill in the gaps in the knowledge base of physical test results is mentioned. Examples of the influence of details of numerical modeling on predicted behaviour are given. A novel experimental technique using a pullout box in combination with a transparent granular soil and a typical geogrid is described. The results are used to provide quantitative insight into soil-geogrid interaction mechanisms and to develop interface shear models for numerical simulation. New strategies to mitigate dynamic loads against rigid walls and geosynthetic reinforced soil walls due to earthquake using seismic geofoam buffers are described and the quantitative benefits demonstrated using results from models mounted on a large shaking table.