Skip to main content
Log in

Construction and post-construction behaviour of a geogrid-reinforced steep slope

Geotechnical & Geological Engineering Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

A geogrid reinforced steep slope was built and monitored during construction and during the first ten months of service. The slope is located between Régua and Reconcos in the new Portuguese main itinerary, IP3, and is a part of reestablishment 2. The reinforced slope has an extension of about 206.2 m, is in curve and the reinforced area reaches a maximum height of about 19.6 m in the outside curve slope at 150.0 m of extension (km 0+150). The monitored slope cross section is at km 0+150. The reinforcements are high density polyethylene geogrids;. materials with different tensile strength values were used. The reinforcement strains were measured at three reinforcement levels using linear extensometers. The soil vertical stresses were recorded using load cells. The internal horizontal displacements of the slope were recorded using two inclinometer tubes. The face displacements were recorded topographically in points spaced approximately 1.2 m vertically along the face of the slope on the km 0+150 cross section. The reinforced slope behaviour was observed during a period of about 13 months, which includes three months of construction period. This way it was possible to obtain information about the slope behaviour during and after construction (the first 10 months of service). The behaviour of the observed reinforced slope is characterized by: low values of face displacements, slope internal horizontal displacements and reinforcement strains; change of the face displacements configuration at the end of construction during service;tendency to stabilization of the horizontal displacements in a relatively short period of service; change, during service, of the position of the line passing through the points of the reinforcements where maximum strains were recorded. The reinforced slope behaviour express the conservative design of Equilibrium Limit methods and encourage the research on new design methods for geosynthetic reinforced soil systems.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Berg, R. R. and Chouery-Curtis, V. E. (1993). Geogrid reinforced walls for grade separation – Tanque Verde road, Tucson, USA. Geosynthetics Case Histories, Raymond & Giroud Eds, Chapter 11, pp. 262–263.

  • Fannin, R. J. (1988). Soil reinforcement for Norwegian conditions – an instrumented field study of the analysis and design of geogrid reinforced slope. Norwegian Geotechnical Institute, Report no. 52757–10, 114p.

  • Gourc, J. P., Gotteland, P. H., Haza, E., Perrier, H. and Baraize, E. (1995). Geotextile reinforced structures as bridge abutments: full-scale experimentation. Proceedings of Geosynthetics' 95, Vol. 1, pp. 79–92, Nashville, USA.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jewell, R. A. (1996). Soil Reinforcement with Geotextiles. Chapter 8. Ciria ISBN 0 86017 425 5, Thomas Telford ISBN 0 7277 2502 5, 332p.

  • Lopes, M. L. C. (1992). Walls Reinforced with Geosynthetics, Ph.D. Thesis, University of Porto, Porto, PT (in Portuguese).

    Google Scholar 

  • Lopes, M. L. and Cardoso, A. (1994). Time dependant behaviour of geosynthetic reinforced soil walls. Proceedings of the 13th International Conference on Soil Mechanics and Foundation Engineering, Vol. 3, pp. 1265–1268, New Delhi, India.

    Google Scholar 

  • Matichard, Y., Blivet, J. C., Perrier, H. and Delmas, Ph. (1993). Geotextile reinforced soil structure for landslide repairs – Trouville Sur Mer and Lixing, France. Geosynthetics Case Histories, Raymond & Giroud Eds, Chapter 10, pp. 244–245.

  • McGown, A. (2000). The behaviour of geosynthetic reinforced soil systems in various geotechnical applications. Mercier Lecture, Proceedings of the 2nd European Geosynthetics Conference, Vol.1, pp. 3–23, Bologna, Italy.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wetzel, R. A., Buttry, K. E., McCullough, E. S. (1995). Preliminary results from instrumented segmental retaining wall. Proceedings of Geosynthetics'95, Vol. 1, pp. 133–146, Nashville, USA.

    Google Scholar 

  • Yamanouchi, T., Fukuda, N. and Ikegami, M. (1993). Geogrid reinforcement for a steep road embankment slope – Kyushu Island, Japan. Geosynthetics Case Histories, Raymond & Giroud Eds., Chapter 10, pp. 242–243.

  • Zornberg, J. G. Barrows, R. J. Cristopher, B. R. and Wayne, M. H. (1995). Construction and instrumentation of a highway slope reinforced with high-strength geotextiles. Proceedings of Geosynthetics'95, Vol. 1, pp. 13–27, Nashville, USA.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Mendonça, A., Lopes, ML. & Pinho-Lopes, M. Construction and post-construction behaviour of a geogrid-reinforced steep slope. Geotechnical and Geological Engineering 21, 129–147 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1023504415859

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1023504415859

Navigation