Analysis and design of retaining wall having reinforced cohesive frictional backfill

The case of a rigid wall with inclined back face retaining reinforced cohesive-frictional backfill subjected to uniformly distributed surcharge load has been analyzed using limit equilibrium approach. The analysis considers the stability of an element of the failure wedge, which is assumed to develop in the reinforced earth mass adjoining the back face of wall. The non-dimensional charts have been developed for computing the lateral earth pressure on wall and the height of its point of application above the base of wall. The theoretical findings have been verified by model tests on a rigid wall retaining a dry cohesive-frictional soil reinforced by geogrid strips. Experimental results are in good agreement with the theoretical predictions. A design example has been included to illustrate the design procedure.