Predicting the stability of the reinforced slope with retaining wall

There is a difficulty in designing the new type of the reinforced slope by conventional methods. Instead, the finite element method is increasingly applied in this field. In this paper a practical case of predicting the desplacements of the reinforced slope with or without retaining wall by elasto-plastic finite element method is introduced. A comparison of the displacements is made between different designs and the effects of properties of the backfill on the horizontal displacements are analyzed.The results indicate that elastic modulus, the angle of internal friction, and cohesive stress of the backfill are main factors affecting the stability of the slope.There exist non-linear relations between the factors and the maximum horizontal displacements, and every curve seems to approach its critical point. Thus it is easily figured out that proper controlling of the soil parameters tends to help us to reach the goal of the design with safety and cost saving.