Experimental evaluation of the effect of compaction near facing on the behavior of GRS walls

Experimental studies have been carried out to evaluate the effect of the compaction condition at the back of block facing on the behavior of geosynthetic reinforced soil (GRS) walls. Three GRS walls with 1.2 m high were constructed at the COPPE/UFRJ Geotechnical Laboratory. The walls were well-instrumented in order to monitor the values of the reinforcement load, toe horizontal load, horizontal facing displacement, horizontal stress at the back of the block facing, and vertical displacement on the top of the walls. The behavior of the walls has been investigated at the end of construction and during the surcharge application (post-construction). At the end of the loading, the toes of the walls were gradually released to also verify the influence of the different toe restraints. The results clearly show the effect and call attention to the importance of the compaction conditions near the facing on the behavior of GRS walls.