Performance of Soil Nailing for Slope Stabilization-A Review

Abstract A landslide is a geological event involving a wide range of ground motions that leads to the collapse of soil slope. The stabilization of these soil slopes is done by constructing retaining walls to withstand lateral soil pressure. These retaining walls are costly as well as it is difficult to construct as they require wide excavation for the base or bottom slab. One of the many new solutions to slope stabilization is the soil nailing built by strengthening the steep slope by driving reinforcement into the soil. In this study, a review of the origin and mechanism of soil nailing, the construction process of soil nailed retaining walls were discussed. The failure pattern of soil nails is an important factor to be noticed which influence the stability of soil slope was discussed. Numerical studies were given, which are used to determine the adverse effect of orientation and inclination of nails on the stability of soil nailed walls. A couple of case studies were discussed to evaluate the significance of soil nailing on the stability of the slope and to retain the vertical cut. A Laboratory study was considered to estimate the effect of nail inclination and different nail arrangements on settlement of soil slope. A sequential literature review investigates the application, advantages and disadvantages of soil nailing. This study shall help in understanding the various applications of soil nailing in the civil engineering sector.