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Predicted Loads in Steel Reinforced Soil Walls Using the AASHTO Simplified Method |
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| Authors: | Richard J Bathurst Axel Nernheim Tony M Allen |
| Affiliation: | 1Professor and Research Director, GeoEngineering Centre at Queen’s-RMC, Dept. of Civil Engineering, Royal Military College of Canada, 13 General Crerar, Sawyer Bldg., Rm. 2414, Kingston, ON, Canada K7K 7B4 (corresponding author). E-mail: bathurst-r@rmc.ca 2Institute for Geotechnical Engineering and Mine Surveying, Clausthal Univ. of Technology, Erzstrasse 18, D-38678 Clausthal-Zellerfeld, Germany; presently, Visiting Scholar, GeoEngineering Centre at Queen’s-RMC, Royal Military College of Canada, Kingston, ON, Canada K7K 7B4. 3State Geotechnical Engineer, State Materials Laboratory, Washington State Dept. of Transportation, Olympia, WA 98504-7365. |
| Abstract: | The paper investigates the accuracy of the AASHTO simplified method by using load measurements reported in a large database of full-scale instrumented walls for bar mat, welded wire, and steel strip soil reinforced walls. The accuracy of the AASHTO simplified method is quantified by computing the mean and coefficient of variation of the ratio (bias) of measured loads under operational conditions to predicted loads. The paper shows that for steel strip walls, the AASHTO simplified method is reasonably accurate for granular backfill soils with friction angles less than 45°. For bar mat walls, the method is demonstrated to be slightly conservative. The simplified method underpredicts reinforcement loads at shallow overburden depths for steel strip walls with backfill friction angles greater than 45° due to compaction-related effects. It is concluded that these compaction-induced loads near the wall top do not contribute to internal instability due to pullout. |
| Keywords: | Soil stabilization Walls Steel Static loads Statistics Data analysis |
