Application of an Semi-Analytical Methodology to Cohesive Reinforced Soil Walls with Geosynthetics

Abstract

Reinforced soil walls with geosynthetics are widely used for soil mass containment due to their efficiency and ease of construction. However, traditional design methods—largely developed in response to early concerns about geosynthetic performance—adopt conservative assumptions based on granular backfills and typically neglect both soil cohesion and the structural contribution of the wall facing. As a result, their application has often been considered limited to soils commonly found in temperate regions. In contrast, tropical regions are predominantly characterized by cohesive soils formed through intense chemical weathering, where suitable granular materials may be scarce or economically unviable. This study applies the semi-analytical methodology proposed by Franco et al. (2022) to a cohesive reinforced soil structure reported in the literature. The reinforcement loads obtained were compared with results from conventional analytical methods and numerical simulations. By explicitly accounting for soil cohesion and facing contribution, the proposed approach leads to lower predicted reinforcement stresses. These findings highlight the potential of improved design methodologies to produce more optimized and economical reinforced soil wall solutions, particularly in regions where cohesive soils prevail.