3D Numerical Study of Sidewall Friction Influence on Small Scale Reinforced Earth Wall Behavior

Identification of failure mechanisms and behavior of reduced scale reinforced earth walls under footing pressure have been increasingly investigated in recent period. Numerical and physical modeling is introduced in research to generate data related to interaction of the particular components of these walls. Certain assumptions must be made regarding the choice of parameters for numerical model while physical modeling on scaled walls often includes boundary conditions that can be different from full scale walls. One of the model wall boundary conditions that does not exist for full scale walls is sidewall friction. Its effect can be reduced by applying silicone grease before wall construction. Since model walls are often made with transparent glass sides, lubrication of inner surfaces of sidewalls reduces its transparency and disables observation by advanced monitoring techniques. Influence of sidewall friction was investigated by 3D numerical analysis in this study. Reduction of the sidewall friction influence with increasing model width was confirmed. Results indicate that sidewall friction is not a decisive factor that governs behavior and failure mechanism even for a relatively narrow model walls.