Numerical modelling of surface strip footings resting on double-faced wrap-around vertical reinforced soil walls

ABSTRACT: The paper pertains to a study regarding the response of strip footings resting centrally on the surface of model double-faced wrap-around vertical soil walls. Experiments were performed in the laboratory on small-scale model geosynthetic-reinforced, double-faced, vertical soil walls constructed with sand backfill and wrapped facing using varying spacing, overlap length of reinforcement layers and footing widths to study their effects on its load–deformation behaviour. Then a plane-strain finite element simulation of the model walls was performed, using commercially available Plaxis software, to predict their behaviour under strip loading. Backfill sand and reinforcements were modelled as elastic-perfectly plastic and linearly elastic material, respectively. Comparison of the predicted bearing capacity of the footing resting on these walls and the horizontal displacement of the wall face showed reasonable agreement with the experimental data.