Numerical stochastic analysis of geogrid reinforced retaining wall

With the increasing demands for appropriate infrastructures, the design of the reinforced retaining wall in urban areas is currently required more than ever. Among reinforced geotechnical structures, geogrid retaining walls are most applicable due to their efficiency. In this study, a geogrid reinforced wall consisting of reinforced infill soil retained backfill, and foundation soil is modeled by Finite Element Method (FEM). The model is discretized by ۱۵-node triangular elements with the Mohr-Coulomb failure criterion and a non-associated flow rule. To implement the soil parameter uncertainties, friction angle, elasticity modulus, and unit weight of reinforced fill are considered stochastic via Point Estimation Method (PEM). The Probability Density Function (PDF) of global and pullout safety factors are determined based on the obtained mean and standard deviation. Among the global and pullout safety reliability indices, the minimum one is attributed to the pullout resistance, which means that the uncertainty of the soil parameters has the most significant effect on the pullout resistance safety factor of the geogrid reinforced retaining wall. Additionally, the middle rows of the geogrid layers have the lowest safety factor of pullout resistance compared to the others.

Keywords:

Finite element method , Geogrid reinforced retaining wall , Numerical analysis , Point estimation method , Stochastic analysis