ABSTRACT
Recently soil nailing has become a commonly used method of earth reinforcement for stabilisation of existing retaining walls, existing unstable slopes and the construction of new steep slopes. The need to widen motorways and make improvements to the national railways networks in the UK economically demands steeper side slopes. Stabilisation of such slopes by soil nails is gaining acceptance. Soil nailing is a sustainable solution as it aims to strengthen existing earth structures rather than to replace or reconstruct the soil mass. This method has technical and economical benefits over more traditional methods and now possesses a substantial market share in the UK. However experience of the application of soil nailing is relatively limited in the UK. A recent report (CIRIA, 2005) gives guidance about the design, installation and testing of soil nails in the context of the UK. However current codes of practice, particularly design, could be further improved if more was known about the actual performance of the elements in the ground.
