Predicting Displacement of Mechanically Stabilized Earth Retaining Wall Under Dynamic Loading Using a Simple Analytical Model

Failure of mechanically stabilized earth (MSE) retaining walls is attributed mainly to excessive displacement of the wall. The wall is permanently displaced when the earthquake motion exceeds its yield acceleration. Determining the permanent displacement of the MSE wall is complex, as the response of the wall is influenced by earthquake characteristics, as well as the wall and backfill properties, which themselves involve uncertainty in measurement. This paper reduces some of this uncertainty and establishes an analytical model for a rapid estimate of this permanent displacement using a two-degree-of-freedom dynamic system, estimating the displacement responses of the reinforced wall and associated retaining backfill. The model is subsequently verified by comparing it with experimental results from existing literature. A parametric study with varying backfill frictional angles, reinforcement stiffness and number of reinforcement layers is conducted using the proposed model to analyze the displacement response of the wall under various dynamic loading. The usefulness of the model is particularly relevant for far-field earthquake conditions where the peak ground acceleration is between 0.1 and 0.4 g.