Finite element limit analysis of bearing capacity of footing on back-to-back reinforced soil retaining walls

Abstract The paper presents a numerical modeling study on the upper-bound bearing capacity of footing on back-to-back-Mechanically Stabilized Earth (MSE) walls using the finite element limit analysis (FELA) method. Numerical simulations were validated against results from other numerical simulation studies. Parametric analyses were carried out subsequently to examine the influences that the distance between reinforced zones, wall height, reinforcement design, and footing width and location could have on predicted bearing capacity and failure mechanism of back-to-back MSE walls. Results indicate that the influence of wall height on bearing capacity decreases with wall height. Additionally, a vertical slip plane could form along the back of reinforced zone in walls with tight reinforcement if the footing toe is located on the top of the retained zone. Finally, using a full-length top reinforcement layer (as opposed to lower-level layers) to connect the back-to-back walls is the most effective method to improve the bearing capacity of the structure subjected to footing load.