Experimental study on the behavior of MSE wall having full-height rigid facing and segmental panel-type wall facing

Abstract

Abstract The amount of the lateral displacements on the mechanically stabilized earth (MSE) wall depends on the reinforcement extensibility and length, reinforcement-to-facing connection, and the wall facing, among others. In this study, the deformation behavior of MSE wall models was focused considering two types of wall facing and three types of reinforcement. A series of small-scale model tests were undertaken on the MSE wall having a full-height rigid (FHR) facing and a segmental panel-type (SPT) wall facing. At the same time, the models were using discrete geogrids, geosynthetic strips, and steel rods as reinforcement. The results showed that the geogrids-reinforced MSE wall with FHR facing exhibited the highest load capacity with the least vertical displacements. The MSE wall models with steel reinforcements generally exhibited the least lateral displacements at wall facing than those with geosynthetics reinforcements. Finally, the results showed that MSE wall models with FHR facing have generally lesser lateral displacements at the wall facing compared to those with SPT wall facing.