The document describes the design and analysis of a 7m high mechanically stabilized earth (MSE) retaining wall in Kottayam, India using MSEW software. It outlines the internal and external stability checks performed according to FHWA guidelines, including sliding resistance, bearing capacity, reinforcement tension resistance, pullout resistance, and connection strength. Literature on MSE wall design principles, components, and past case studies are also reviewed. Laboratory test results on the soil and design details such as reinforcement layout are presented.

1. DESIGN ANDANALYSIS OF MSE WALL
AT ROB KOTTAYAM
Presented by:
Sruthi Raj pk
Roll no: 07

2. • Design and analysis of Mechanically stabilized earth retaining wall of ROB Kottayam.
Using MSEW Software.
• Provided Initial height of the wall 7m with modular concrete panel facing
• Follows FHWA-NHI-10-024 Design guidelines
• External stability check - Direct sliding, Bearing Capacity and Eccentricity can be
assessed using Ka based on Coulomb’s lateral earth pressure.
• Internal stability check – Pull out resistance, connection strength, Reinforcement tension
resistance.
INTRODUCTION

3. LITERATURE REVIEW
Author
Year of
publicati
on
Journal name Description
Joseph E Bowler 1988 Foundation analysis and design
• The mechanically reinforced earth wall uses the principle of
placing reinforcing into the backfill using devices such as metal
strips and rods, geotextile strips and sheets and grids, or wire grids
• Basic 3 components of a reinforced retaining wall is earth fill,
facing unit and Reinforcement
Christopher Barry R. 2009 Design and Construction of
Mechanically Stabilized Earth Walls
and Reinforced Soil Slopes – Volume
I:FHWA-NH-10-024
• Mechanically Stabilized Earth Walls (MSEWs) and Reinforced
Slopes (RSSs) are cost effective soil-retaining structures that can
tolerate much larger settlements than reinforced
• placing tensile reinforcing elements (inclusions) in the soil, the
strength of the soil can be improved significantly.
• Use of a facing system to prevent soil raveling between the
reinforcing elements allows very steep slopes and vertical walls to
be constructed safely.

4. Author
Year of
publicati
on
Journal name Description
Armin stuedlein 2010 Design and Performance of a 46-m-
High MSE wall
• Geotechnical instrumentation, including wall surveys,
inclinometer installations with sondex settlement rings,
piezometers, and strain gages on reinforcing strips, provides
information required to verify performance of the wall relative to
design
• Selected steel strip reinforcement in order to limit and extend
embankment fill .
Michael Dobie 2013 Reinforced Soil Retaining Walls – An
Outline of Design Methods and
Sources of Conservatism
• Conservatism can be reduced by using a method of calculation for
internal stability which models likely modes of failure as closely
as possible, and requires as few assumptions as possible to make
the calculation.
• Soil tests are required to define the fill shear strength and unit
weight

5. Author
Year of
publicati
on
Journal name Description
Haresh D Golakiya 2015 Design and behaviour of
Mechanically stabilized earth wall
• Angle of internal friction Ø is the most important of all other
parameters as the basic principal of mechanically stabilization of
earth depends on it.
• Length of reinforcement layers increases as height of wall
increases. Design strength of reinforcement and vertical spacing
between two reinforcements are also main factors
Richard J Bathurst 2016 The influence of facing stiffness on
the performance of two geosynthetic
reinforced soil retaining walls
• Stiff facing in a reinforced soil wall is a structural component that
can lead to significant reductions in reinforcement loads compared
to flexible facing systems.
Soroush Nazarin 2017 Estimation of Maximum Lateral
Displacement of the Back to Back
Mechanically Stabilized Earth Walls
• Back to back mechanically stabilized earth walls (MSEWs) are
the structures usually used in two sides of bridge abutments and
ramps

6. Author
Year of
publicati
on
Journal name Description
Ratnesh ojha 2021 Study of Geosynthetic Reinforced
Retaining Wall under Various
Loading
• Reinforcement in the soil can be used to enhance the behavior of
retaining walls under seismic loading in terms of improved overall
stability of the structure.
• In Case of high retaining wall, tiered walls are preferred over a
single height retaining wall due to their cost-effectiveness
Haitham H. Muteb 2021 Mechanically Stabilized Earth MSE
Walls Applications
• Reinforcing structure and the facing units serve as a supporting
system
• The MSE approach is used to solve the infrastructure problems
that are faced in transportation programs.
1. Hariprasad
chennarupa
2022 The analysis and design of MSE wall
by considering variation of friction
angle of backfill material along the
depth
• (MSE)structures are done by using various types of
reinforcements (coir fiber, metal strips, and geosynthetic
materials).
• Angle of shearing resistance between reinforcement and backfill
plays an significant role in the stability and serviceability of MSE
walls.

7. MECHANICALLY STABILIZED EARTH WALL
• A Mechanically Stabilized Earth (MSE) retaining wall is a composite structure consisting
of alternating layers of compacted backfill and soil reinforcement elements, fixed to a wall
facing.
• The stability of the wall system is derived from the interaction between the backfill and
soil reinforcements, involving friction and tension.
• The wall facing is relatively thin, with the primary function of preventing erosion of the
structural backfill. The result is a coherent gravity structure that is flexible and can carry a
variety of heavy loads.

8. • Benefits of MSE Walls:
• Flexibility to accommodate high differential settlement
and several feet of total settlement
• Bearing pressure is distributed over a wide foundation
area
• Extreme wall heights can be achieved
• Extreme loads can be carried (bridge abutment footings,
cranes)
• High resistance to seismic ground movement and other
dynamic forces
• Free-draining, due to granular backfill and open panel
joints

9. MSEW SOFTWARE
• Program MSEW+ is an interactive, graphically rich program, allowing the user to easily
explore various design options or conduct forensic analysis.
• Use of MSEW+ must be licensed. This device is provided with the software and it
constitutes a license. Losing this device is equivalent to losing a license.
• It enables the designer to conduct comprehensive analysis, including internal, external and
global stability.

10. • Step 1 – Establish Project Requirements
. – including all geometry, loading conditions , performance criteria
• Step 2 – Establish Project Parameters
– evaluate existing topography, site subsurface conditions,
reinforced wall fill properties, and retained backfill properties.
• Step 3 – Estimate Wall Embedment Depth and Reinforcement Length
FHWA DESIGN GUIDELINES

11. Step 4 – Define Nominal Loads
Step 5 – Summarize Load Combinations, Load Factors, and Resistance Factors
Step 6 – Evaluate External Stability
. a) Sliding on the base
b)Limiting eccentricity (formerly known as overturning)
c) Bearing resistance
FHWA DESIGN GUIDELINES ( CONTI..)

12. FHWA DESIGN GUIDELINES ( CONTI..)
• (a) The factored resistance against failure by sliding (RR) can be estimated by:
• b) Eccentricity Limit Check:
The eccentricity, e, is the distance between the resultant foundation load and the center
of the reinforced zone (i.e., L/2),

13. FHWA DESIGN GUIDELINES ( CONTI..)
The eccentricity, e, is considered acceptable if the calculated location of the resultant
vertical force (based on factored loads) is within the middle one-half of the base width for
soil foundations (i.e., emax = L / 4) and middle three-fourths of the base width for rock
foundations (i.e., emax = 3/8 L)

14. FHWA DESIGN GUIDELINES ( CONTI..)
• C) Evaluate Bearing on Foundation
• General Shear :To prevent bearing failure on a uniform foundation soil, it is required that
the factored vertical pressure at the base of the wall, as calculated with the uniform
Meyerhof-type distribution, does not exceed the factored bearing resistance of the
foundation soil:

15. FHWA DESIGN GUIDELINES ( CONTI..)
a.Select type of soil reinforcement
b. Define critical failure surface (for selected soil
reinforcement type)
c. Define unfactored loads
d. Establish vertical layout of soil reinforcements
e. Calculate factored horizontal stress and maximum
tension at each reinforcement level.
f.Calculate nominal and factored long-term
tensile resistance of soil reinforcements
•Step 7 –EVALUATE INTERNAL STABILITY

16. g. Select grade (strength) of soilreinforcement and/or number of soil reinforcement elements at each level.
h. Calculate nominal and factored pullout resistance of soil reinforcements, and check established layout

17. i. Check connection resistance requirements at facing
STEP 8: Design Facing Element

18. BORELOG DETAILS

20. LAB RESULTS

33. REFERENCES
• PC varghese ‘Foundation engineering’ ,2012.
• FHWA-NHI-10-024 ‘Design and Construction of Mechanically Stabilized Earth Walls
and Reinforced Soil Slopes’ ,Volume I- 2009.
• IS 6403 (1981): Code of practice for determination of bearing capacity of shallow
foundation.

34. THANK YOU