Effects of Soil Geotechnical Properties on the Prediction of Optimal Dimensions of Restricted Reinforced Concrete Retaining Walls

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to investigate the effects of soil properties associated with the project requirements and environmental conditions, on the prediction of the design dimensions of L-Shaped restricted reinforced concrete retaining walls by the use of optimization algorithms. Numerous parametric analysis was conducted with Flower Pollination Algorithm to examine the influence of soil geotechnical properties such as internal friction angle and unit weight. The backfill soil, surrounding earth and foundation soil was modelled same and assumed to be comprised of granular soils for modelling. Additionally, dual effects of external surcharge load application and excavation depth change was also analyzed against the change of soil properties. As a result, the change of the retaining wall height and the foundation base width has been discussed and the achievement of the cost-effective optimized sizing of the system has been obtained. Finally, the design differences caused by the changes in soil properties have been revealed and the practicalness of the use of the optimization algorithms for the design of restricted type of retaining walls are shown.

Keywords

• soil properties
• granular soils
• l-shaped retaining walls
• flower pollination algorithm
• optimization