Construction and performance of an experimental large scale wall reinforced with geosynthetics

The construction, instrumentation and performance of a vertical test wall reinforced with geosynthetic are described. The wall, 5 m high, was built in Northern Italy using a geocomposite having tensile strength of 27 kN/m and a strong cohesionless sandy to gravelly soil from quarried quartz porphyry. Geosynthetic elongations and displacements at wall face were monitored during construction, subsequent loading up to 84 kPa and unloading, as collapse did not occur. Measurements under maximum surcharge are reported and briefly discussed. They suggest that little strength was mobilized by the reinforcements and that the behaviour of the wall was affected by the stiffness of the loading system.