Research on Geogrid Strain of Reinforced Earth Retaining Wall by Numerical Simulation

Numerical simulation was used to study the relationship between reinforced earth retaining wall gradient and geogrid strain. Research results show that when the load on the wall top is small, the function of geogrids in the upper section of retaining wall is not brought to full play, the angle between potential rupture surface and horizontal plane is small and resembles Rankines active soil pressure rupture surface, and it is far from wall face. When the load on wall top increases, potential rupture surface becomes steep, the distance between the surface and wall face is about one third of wall height. Inclined wall face also displays this property. The gentler the reinforced earth retaining wall gradient is, the smaller the geogrid stress is, and the safer the wall is. However, when gradient drops below 1:0.4, safety increase becomes vague. When wall gradient is 1:0.3, geogrid stress is most uniformly distributed, and thus has the highest use efficiency and the wall is the most cost-effective.