Numerical Simulation of Deformation and Failure Behavior of Geosynthetic Reinforced Soil Bridge Abutments

AbstractThis paper presents a numerical investigation of the deformation and failure behavior of geosynthetic reinforced soil (GRS) bridge abutments. The backfill soil was characterized using a nonlinear elastoplastic constitutive model that incorporates a hyperbolic stress–strain relationship with...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of geotechnical and geoenvironmental engineering 2018-07, Vol.144 (7)
Main Authors: Zheng, Yewei, Fox, Patrick J, McCartney, John S
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Abutments
Backfill
Bridge abutments
Bridge failure
Bridges
Computer simulation
Constitutive models
Deformation
Deformation effects
Elastoplasticity
Failure surface
Geosynthetics
Mathematical models
Reinforcement
Simulation
Soil
Soil compaction
Soil investigations
Stiffness
Strain
Stress-strain relationships
Technical Papers
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Summary:AbstractThis paper presents a numerical investigation of the deformation and failure behavior of geosynthetic reinforced soil (GRS) bridge abutments. The backfill soil was characterized using a nonlinear elastoplastic constitutive model that incorporates a hyperbolic stress–strain relationship with strain-softening behavior and the Mohr–Coulomb failure criterion. The geogrid reinforcement was characterized using a hyperbolic load–strain–time model. The abutments were numerically constructed in stages, including soil compaction effects, and then monotonically loaded in stages to failure. Simulation results indicate that a nonlinear reinforcement model is needed to characterize deformation behavior for high applied stress conditions. A parametric study was conducted to investigate the effects of reinforcement, backfill soil, and abutment geometry on abutment deformation and failure behavior. Results indicate that reinforcement vertical spacing, reinforcement stiffness, backfill soil friction angle, and lower GRS wall height are the most significant parameters. The shape of the failure surface is controlled primarily by abutment geometry and can be approximated as bilinear.
ISSN:1090-0241
1943-5606
DOI:10.1061/(ASCE)GT.1943-5606.0001893