Abstract: To better understand the effect of facing rigidity on the deformation and failure of reinforced-sand retaining wall, a series of results obtained from the laboratory model tests with different facing rigidities, are simulated by a nonlinear FEM incorporating an elastoplastic constitutive model for sand. The constitutive model has been developed based on the modified plastic strain energy concept, which can simulate the effect of stress path accurately. By the comparisons between the numerical and experimental results, it is found that the load-settlement relationships of the reinforced-sand walls and the effects of facing rigidity on the bearing capacity and deformation and failure of reinfroced-sand retaining walls obtained by the presented FEM agree well with those from the physical experiment. With the increase of facing rigidity, the inhibition of facing on the shear bands increases and the peak bearing capacity of reinforced-sand retaining walls are also improved due to the increase of the sand strength σ1 induced by the increase of the confining pressure σ3 of sand.

Key words: reinforced-sand retaining wall, finite element method, elastoplastic constitutive model, effect of facing rigidity, progressive deformation and failure