Effects of Surface Loading on the Behavior of Soil-Reinforced Segmental Retaining Walls

상재하중이 블록식 보강토 옹벽의 거동에 미치는 영향

This paper presents the results of investigation on the effects of surface loading on the performance of soil-reinforced segmental retaining walls using the finite element method of analysis. A parametric study was performed by varying location of surface loading. The results of the analyses indicate that the increment of the reinforcement tensile load due to the presence of surface load may be significantly over-estimated when using the conventional approach. Furthermore, the external stability should be carefully examined when a surface loading is present just outside the reinforced soil zone. The implications of the findings from this study to current design approaches are discussed in detail.