Model Test on Geotextile Retaining Wall Using Construction Waste

As a new type of flexible retaining structures, the geotextile retaining wall built with construction waste uses construction waste and slag as the filler of geotextile bags, which is beneficial to construction recycling. In this work, indoor model tests for geotextile retaining wall was designed and conducted to investigate the settlement change law of slope top, soil pressure distribution behind walls, horizontal displacement distribution along the height of the walls under different conditions. It is found that compared with the slope without reinforcement, the ultimate loading of the slope top reinforced with geotextile retaining wall is improved by 87.5% -125%, demonstrating the effect of slope support is remarkable; when the slope ratio is increased from 1:0.75 to 1:0.25, the ultimate loading of the strengthened slope top is reduced by 11.8%-29.4%. The horizontal displacement appears a drum-shaped distribution along wall height, and the maximum value is found at approximately 1/3-1/2 of wall height. The soil pressure behind the wall shows nonlinear distribution, and the maximum value appears at 1/3 of wall height. The soil sliding surface behind the retaining wall changes from arc-shape to polygon-shape and the sliding surface height from the front edge of the slope to bottom almost locates at the 1/3-1/2 of wall height. The section of 1/3-1/2 wall height is the weak point of the retaining wall, which should be strengthened with certain measures.