A MODEL STUDY ON METALLIC STRIP-REINFORCED EARTH WALL

A model reinforced earth wall with sand backfill of height 1.0 m has been tested in laboratory. Wooden panels were used as skin elements. Aluminium reinforcing strips of length 0.8 m were fixed to the wooden panels and instrumented with strain gauges to measure the stress distribution when the wall was subjected to surcharge free loadings and surcharge loading conditions on the backfill. The maximum tensions induced in the strips were used to determine pressure along the height of model reinforced earth wall. The test results indicated that Rankine’s theory of earth pressure was close to the observed values and therefore they may be adopted in design.