46th Terzaghi Lecture: Geosynthetic Reinforced Soil: From the Experimental to the Familiar

Abstract

The paper begins with a historical review of reinforced soil technology, beginning with nature and the ancients, the development of Terre Armée or Reinforced Earth by Vidal and Lee, and ending with the early uses of geotextiles for soil reinforcement in France, Sweden (Wager and Broms), and the United States (U.S. Forest Service, Federal Highway Administration, J. R. Bell, T. A. Haliburton, B. R. Christopher, and others). Then the advantages and basic behavior of geosynthetic reinforced soil (GRS) are described. An overview of current design procedures, modified with the results of analytical research conducted at the University of Washington, leads to practical suggestions for dealing with creep, pullout, and backfill drainage. Next the properties of reinforcement geosynthetics are discussed, and important conclusions of research on soil–geosynthetic interaction at the University of Washington are presented. Although GRS is quite a mature development, a few technical and several professional issues remain. The technical issues are relatively straightforward but the professional issues are not: they are costly, potentially tragic, and threaten a wonderful technology and our profession. Some suggestions as to what the profession can do about these issues are given.