Reinforced Earth

and Its
Applications
 Reinforced Earth
Reinforced Earth is a composite material
formed by the association of frictional soil and
tension resistant elements in the form of
sheets, strips, or nets of metal, synthetic fabrics
or fibre reinforced plastics.
or
Reinforced earth is a combination of earth and
linear reinforcing strips that are capable of
bearing large tensile stresses.
Reinforced earth is also called as Reinforced
soil.
 Reinforced Earth
Generally used in retaining walls, embankments,
quay walls, underground structures.
Henri Vidal ,a French engineer ,demonstrated the
concept of the Reinforced Earth in 1966 and
later on Dr. Jones (scientist) continued it.
Objectives :-
this methods are opted to improve the engineering
and mechanical properties of soil.
Because of its technical superiority and economic
advantages, reinforced earth has become a widely
used in the construction of earth-retaining
structures.
Practical Figures of Reinforced Earth
 Types of Reinforcement
Types of Reinforcement :-
Sheet reinforcement
Strip reinforcement
Geo-grid reinforcement
a) Uniaxial
b) Biaxial
c) Triaxial
 Sheet Reinforcement
It is be formed from metal such as galvanized
steel, fabric (textile).
These are manufactured from synthetic
materials such as polypropylene, polyester and
glass fibres.
The thickness ranging from 0.125mm to
7.5mm
These reinforcement has high tensile strength,
which can last up to 400kN/m.
 Sheet Reinforcement
This can be constructed in two ways. They are
a)Woven made from continuous monofilament
fibres.
b)Non-woven made from staple fibres.
Practical image of sheet reinforcement:
 Strip Reinforcement
These are flexible linear members having
greater breadth than their thickness.

Thickness usually varies from 3mm-9mm &

breadth is between 40mm-120mm.

These strips can also be formed from bamboo,

polymers and glass fibre reinforced plastics.
 Geo-grid Reinforcement
Geo-grids are commonly made of polymer
materials, such as polyester, polyvinyl alcohol,
polyethylene or polypropylene.
Geo-grids are commonly used to reinforce
retaining walls, as well as sub bases or sub
soils below roads or structures.
 Reinforcement Embankments
An embankment is an artificial barrier that
typically is used to hold back water or to
support a roadway , railway, or canal.
These are man-made mounds mainly consist of
stones , rocks, and earth.
Generally, these embankments are longer than
they are in height.
Practical Image of Embankment
 Reinforced Soil Wall
A vertical-walled structure formed by
increasing the stability of the backfill of the
retaining wall with the installation of
reinforcement materials such as geogrids and
steel strips into the backfill.
While designing a reinforcement soil wall, we
need to consider
a) External stability
b) Internal stability
Modes of Failure
 My References
Saran, S., Reinforced Soil and it's Engineering
Applications, Second Edition, IK Publishers,
New Delhi.
Ranjan G. and Rao A. S. R., Basic and Applied
Soil Mechanics, Revised Second Edition, New
Age publishers, New delhi.
Arora, K. R., Soil Mechanics and Foundation
Engineering, Standard Publishers, New Delhi.
Thank You