Evaluating the effects of the magnitude and amplification of pseudo-static acceleration on reinforced soil slopes and walls using the limit equilibrium Horizontal Slices Method

The effects of horizontal and vertical pseudo-static forces on reinforced soil structures are investigated in the paper. In particular, the effects of the magnitude and amplification of the ground acceleration on the seismic stability of reinforced soil slopes and walls have been investigated using the Horizontal Slices Method (HSM). The HSM is a limit equilibrium method for the analysis of reinforced soil structures, which offers a number of benefits over conventional vertical slice methods. First, a parametric study using acceptable geotechnical, geometrical and design parameters was undertaken. The results of the parametric analysis are presented in dimensionless form relating to the force required to maintain stability of the slope (K) and the required length of the reinforcements (L_c/H). Different rotational and planar slip surfaces are shown for various slopes and walls with different geotechnical strength parameters. Second, the capability of the HSM to consider the effect of earthquake amplification on the stability analysis of reinforced soil structures was considered. It has been shown that the effect of horizontal seismic acceleration on the response of reinforced slopes and walls depends mainly on the geotechnical strength parameters. The effect of vertical seismic acceleration on the performance of reinforced slopes is not significant for low values of horizontal seismic acceleration. It has been concluded that ignoring the effect of the amplification phenomenon could result in an underestimated design.