Field evaluation of moisture-suction regime and modulus of geosynthetic-reinforced soil wall with geo-composite side-drain

Geosynthetic-reinforced soil (GRS) walls built on hillslopes are more increasingly incorporated with geo-composite side drain in order to prevent the side-seepage entering the fill. This study evaluates the long-term moisture, pore-water pressure, and shear modulus, of a 6.5 m-high geogrid-reinforced soil wall in western Thailand. Through extensive field monitoring and in-situ spectral analysis of surface wave (SASW) tests, conducted during the Years 2018–2019, as well as laboratory tests, several key findings emerge. Free-free resonant frequency (FFR) testing of non-reinforced samples reveals the role of soil wetting and drying history and hysteresis in the stiffness-moisture relationship. In-situ pore-water pressure was found to be highest below the road surface near the wall face, decreasing with depth due to underdrainage, with values ranging from −27 to 5 kPa. The intersection of the side drainage board with the underdrain bottom layer shows the highest water content. In-situ and laboratory-derived soil-water retention curve (SWRC) were found to differ at greater depths. In unsaturated conditions, the in-situ small strain modulus of GRS appeared insensitive to suction stress below 10 kPa but was slightly affected under positive pore-water pressure, with multiple linear regression modeling indicating a dependency of stiffness on depth and pore-water pressure.