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Finite element analysis of the effect of corrosion on the behavior of reinforced earth walls
Author(s) -
Chau TruongLinh,
Bourgeois Emmanuel,
Corfdir Alain
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
international journal for numerical and analytical methods in geomechanics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.419
H-Index - 91
eISSN - 1096-9853
pISSN - 0363-9061
DOI - 10.1002/nag.1095
Subject(s) - homogenization (climate) , stiffness , corrosion , finite element method , cohesion (chemistry) , structural engineering , strips , materials science , geotechnical engineering , geology , engineering , composite material , physics , biodiversity , ecology , quantum mechanics , biology
SUMMARY A simple model for the corrosion‐induced loss of stiffness and strength of the steel strips of earth‐reinforced walls was introduced in a finite element simulation of the long‐term behavior of the wall, in which the backfill‐strips interactions are taken into account by means of a generalized homogenization procedure (called a multiphase model). The results show an initial phase of slow displacements induced by the loss of stiffness, followed after a few decades by a steep acceleration of the displacements, leading to wall failure. The influences of the parameter controlling corrosion, the backfill cohesion and the heterogeneity of the corrosion process are discussed. Results are used to discuss a strategy for reinforced earth wall surveillance. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.