STUDY OF LONG-TERM PERFORMANCE OF REINFORCED EARTH RETAINING WALLS BY FIELD TEST

In order to discuss the long-term performance of reinforced earth retaining walls in high grade highway of mountainous area,the field test is conducted on the stepped geogrid reinforced soil retaining wall. It is found that the foundation vertical pressure of reinforced earth retaining wall is nonlinear along the reinforcement length at early stage;but as time progresses,the pressure eventually becomes a straight line stress distribution and the value gradually reduces. The testing lateral pressure of the panel is nonlinear along the height,and the value is less than the active lateral earth pressure,which is associated with the lateral displacement of the wall and reduces with the change in time. The tensile strain is similar to Assmann energy method in the middle of the wall,but it is far from the Assmann energy method at the top and bottom. The distribution of tensile strain along reinforcement is trapezoidal type with small value at both ends and large value at the middle,and the value of the tensile strain gradually reduces. The potential fracture plane is similar to 0.3H method in the upper;but at the lower wall,the potential fracture face moves to the reinforced retaining body and the change in displacement with time is little. The position of the maximum lateral displacement of each step is at the middle,and the maximum lateral displacement of the wall is at the lower wall.