Behavior of Cellular-Reinforced Fly-Ash Walls under Strip Loading

Abstract

In India, pulverized coal is used at thermal power stations as a fuel to generate electricity, thereby producing enormous quantities of fly ash. The amount of fly ash has been increased with the increasing demand of electric utilities. The utilization of fly ash and its disposal in an environmentally friendly manner is a foremost concern for developing countries like India. In this present study, with the aim of proper utilization of fly ash, a series of model experiments was conducted by using fly ash as a backfill material in a cellular-reinforced fly-ash wall subjected to strip loading. Two different types of locally available waste water bottles were used to make cellular reinforcements. The reinforcements were laid in two different patterns, mattress and strip. This paper studies and presents the effects of changes in length, spacing, coverage ratio, and dimensions of the cellular reinforcements on the horizontal displacement behavior of a full height facing panel and on the settlement of backfill. The effects of single and double anchor cellular-reinforcement systems are also discussed and reported in this paper. For all types of reinforcement cases, the variation in length and the spacing of the reinforcement showed significant effect on the horizontal displacement of facing panel and on the settlement of the backfill.