Reinforced Earth wall Construction

Definition - Composite structure which consists of alternating layers of soil and

soil reinforcement elements fixed to a wall facing.

 Stability of RE Wall is due to friction and tension between backfill and soil
reinforcement.
 Main function of wall is preventing erosion of structural backfilling.
 Initially PCC panels are provided as a bed for RE Wall. Bed panels of size
150mm*350mm are used. This PCC bed acts as a cushion.
 RE Panels are mostly precast and come with prefabricated grooves for
fixation. The raising and lowering operation is done with the help of Hydra.
 Cycle of Backfilling is repeated until the appropriate wall height has been
reached. Soil is compacted uniformly to a high density.
 The earth combines with the reinforcement to produce strong, durable
structure with the desired strength characteristics.
 Perforated pipes of 160mm dia. are used to drain out the excessive water
and moisture from soil.
** Instead of pipes, mostly 150 mm wide grit layer is used which serves the
purpose of acting a cushion between fill material and panels and also helps
in draining excessive water (if at all present).
** Mostly, there is no excessive water condition is present. This is because
Moorum is used as a fill material and it does not hold any moisture. Also
there is no possibility of water engrossment from top as two-three
impermeable layers are available. The only possibility of water in moorum
fill is the water used for compacting moorum. But that quantity of water is
not so significant.
 Geo-composite sheets are wrapped on the pipes throughout the length of
wall. This membrane absorbs excessive water from soil and prevents soil to
pass with water. These sheets have very fine pores that allows water to
pass and retains soil particles.
 ** No need to provide geo-composite sheets throughout the length of wall.
It can be only applied to joints between RE panels. Higher economy can be
achieved.
 Geo-composite membrane avoids clogging of drainage pipes and also
releases hydrostatic pressure.
 Precast panels are initially kept in place with the help of mini wooden bars
and iron tie rods. Triangular wooden bars are inserted to align the panel
members at the backside and in front to maintain the slope and alignment.
 “EPDM Pad” is a synthetic rubber. Its function is to absorb shocks and
impact loads. So, it avoids friction between two precast panels. If not
provided, the load will directly transfer to the precast panels. There are
chances of cracking the panels due to live load/vehicular loads.
 It is paced between precast panel within grooves to absorb shocks and
prevent cracking of panels due to friction.
 Geo-grid Strips- These are manufactured in the factory and come in form of
rolls. These are used with soil as a reinforcement. It takes tension and
maintains the stability of grid.
 It is a synthetic material which is strong in tension and is used to reinforce
the retained soil. A geo-grid works by interlocking the soil (or) granular
material placed over them. Geo-grid holds precast members to remain in
their position. Which otherwise could fail due to retained soil pressure.
 Geo-grids are very easy to use and are cheaper than steel reinforcement.
 The other end of the geo-grid strip is connected to U-Hooke placed in the
fill and are again covered with a layer of soil.
 These U-Hookes are provided to keep the strips at a place. It does not allow
the dislocation of strips from their actual position.
** Nowadays, instead of geo-grids, geo-straps are used.
 After tying of geo-grids with U-Hooke, soil is compacted with light roller.
** Central part of the fill is compacted using roller, Min. 5 Tonne roller.
**Patch near panels is compacted with light roller.