ABSTRACT
In this work, a series of 2D numerical models of geosynthetic-reinforced soil (GRS) abutment based on centrifugal model test were established to study the characteristics of GRS abutment ultimate bearing capacity and related influencing factors. Firstly, the numerical model was calibrated and verified against the test results of centrifugal model test. Subsequently, parametric studies were carried out to investigate the influence of reinforcement strength, setback distance and beam seat width on the ultimate bearing capacity of the GRS abutment. The results show that reducing the reinforcement strength or increasing the beam seat width weakened the ultimate bearing capacity. While, increasing the setback distance within 0.3 times of abutment height increased the ultimate bearing capacity of GRS abutment. In addition, the response of stress distribution, lateral displacement and max tension of reinforcement to above factors was also discussed based on numerical results.
