Geosynthetic Reinforced Segmental Retaining Wall Failure: Forensic Investigation and Remediation

At UNC Charlotte, the authors have used a retaining wall failure case history to cover the different modes of failure of retaining wall and to highlight the importance of global stability failure. Specifically, this case study has been used by the authors in undergraduate and graduate courses of geotechnical engineering to highlight the importance to include in the design process the assessment of global stability. The project is valuable to students due to wealth of data including field and laboratory site investigation, monitoring data from slope inclinometers, amongst other data. The students are presented with the initial design information including wall height, backfill information, geosynthetic reinforcement type and layout, etc. The first assignment requires students to check conventional internal and external stability. Then the students are presented with post failure photos of the wall. The failure incident is discussed in detail and the students are then asked to take a second closer look of the project information to try to explain the failure. This time around they also have access to the post failure inclinometer data and field reports that included evidence of surface cracks on the pavement built on the top of the wall. With this available information students successfully explain the failure mode via global slope stability analyses