In this tutorial, the simulation of a geosynthetic-reinforced soil retaining wall in Abaqus is presented. The soil is modeled as a two-dimensional part using an elastic–cap plasticity material with hardening. The geosynthetic is represented as a two-dimensional wire model with elastic properties, defined by beam elements.
The retaining wall is analyzed using a sequential construction procedure, built layer by layer, to a total height of 3 meters. Ten general static steps are used in the simulation. In each step, one layer of soil and geosynthetic is added to the model, and gravity load is applied to that layer. The geosynthetic is embedded within the soil region. Appropriate boundary conditions are assigned to all parts. A fine mesh is required to obtain accurate results.
The pressure diagram from Sam Helvany’s book is compared with the Abaqus results. The two diagrams show good agreement. After the simulation, additional results such as stress distribution, displacement, and plastic strain can also be obtained. Figures of the assembled parts and simulation results are provided below.
