Industry standard for wall drainage systems?
June 1st, 2021
Q: I just watched your recorded video of mechanically stabilized earth (MSE) wall inspection. Thank you for the presentation; it was very informative. I do have a follow-up question for you. I was recently the site engineer for a precast panel MSE wall and now have the opportunity to inspect construction of the wall that […]
Anchors, tie-rods and whalers
April 1st, 2021
Q: We are having issues related to obstructions in the reinforced zone of our mechanically stabilized earth (MSE) retaining walls. In the first case, there is a rock outcrop that is limiting the length of the geogrid reinforcement. In the second case, we have a drop-down inlet structure to divert stormwater, which is in the […]
ASCE offers virtual workshop: Geosynthetic-reinforced MSE walls, berms, embankments and slopes
February 10th, 2021
The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) will offer a two-day virtual workshop, “Geosynthetic-Reinforced MSE Walls, Berms, Embankments and Slopes,” on March 2 and March 4, 2021. Participants will have access to the virtual workshop video archives and materials for 60 days from the start day of the workshop. Virtual workshop brief Mechanically stabilized earth […]
GSI to host webinar on MSE inspection
January 18th, 2021
The Geosynthetic Institute (GSI) will sponsor a webinar, “Mechanically Stabilized Earth (MSE) Wall, Berm and Slope Construction Inspection,” on February 10, from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. EST. Geosynthetic Materials Association (GMA) member companies and their employees receive discounted rates on all GSI webinar and short course registrations. The inspection (aka, monitoring) of MSE wall, […]
Mechanically stabilized earth wall with simulated tablets as facade
October 1st, 2020
By César Roldán Acosta FIGURE 1 Mechanically stabilized earth wall construction process, Mexico The strategic geographical location of the state of Mexico forces a constant interaction with the economic activities of Mexico City. For this reason, it is critically important to keep the roads linking several towns throughout the state in good condition. The Secretaría […]
GSI to host webinar on MSE inspection
April 27th, 2020
The Geosynthetic Institute (GSI) will sponsor a webinar, “Mechanically Stabilized Earth (MSE) Wall, Berm and Slope Construction Inspection,” on May 6, from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. EDT. Geosynthetic Materials Association (GMA) member companies and their employees receive discounted rates on all GSI webinar and short course registrations. The inspection (aka monitoring) of MSE wall, […]
Technical program available for DFI’s S3: Slope-Support-Stabilization Conference in Minneapolis
July 16th, 2019
The Deep Foundations Institute (DFI) has published the complete program for S3: Slope-Support-Stabilization conference, Aug. 6–9, at The Renaissance Minneapolis Hotel, The Depot, Minn. It is available at www.dfi.org/S3-2019. This technical conference, organized by eight DFI Technical Committees, focuses on the effective application of deep foundations, ground improvement and soil mixing for stabilization of slopes […]
Geogrid reinforced soil structures reach new heights
June 1st, 2019
By Sachin Mandavkar and Mehari Weldu FIGURE 1 U.S. Route 460 RSS during construction Reinforced soil structures are geotechnical systems consisting of reinforcing elements and primarily include mechanically stabilized earth (MSE) walls and reinforced soil slopes (RSS) (Figure 1). MSE walls and RSS are constructed by placing alternating layers of reinforcement and compacted soil behind […]
Geosynthetics for reinforcement and stabilization
June 1st, 2019
Geosynthetics are widely used for reinforcement and stabilization, particularly in transportation-related applications, including base stabilization, reinforced soil slopes (RSS) and mechanically stabilized earth (MSE) walls. This issue of Geosynthetics considers many such applications from multiple viewpoints. Sachin Mandavkar and Mehari Weldu look at very tall MSE walls and RSS through several case studies in “Geogrid […]
MSE wall failures can be mitigated through the use of geotextile filters
April 1st, 2019
For the past 17 years, the Geosynthetic Institute (GSI) has been accumulating data on failures of geosynthetic reinforced mechanically stabilized earth (MSE) retaining walls. We presently have 320 cases, of which 201 (63%) have been caused in whole or part by water within, or adjacent to, the reinforced soil zone. We sincerely hope that our […]