LABORATORY SEISMIC TESTS ON GEOTEXTILE WRAP-FACED AND GEOTEXTILE-REINFORCED SEGMENTAL RETAINING WALLS

This paper presents shaking table test results of model geotextile wra p-faced and geotextile-reinforced segmental retaining walls that are 0 .95 m wide x 2.05 m long x 0.81 m high. The model walls were subjected to horizontal base accelerations and were monitored. The model walls sustained appreciable accelerations.before lateral movement occurred f irst at the top layer. The wrap-faced walls moved laterally after hori zontal accelerations of 0.25g, while the segmental walls moved lateral ly after an acceleration of 0.45g. Based on the observations made duri ng the current tests and those of other researchers, an analytical met hod is developed to compute the critical acceleration (i.e. the accele ration before lateral wall movement is initiated).