Yield design of reinforced earth walls by a homogenization method

The increasing use of the reinforced earth technique in geotechnical engineering requires the development of reliable and practical yield design methods for reinforced earthworks. The method presented in this Paper originates from the idea that, from a macroscopic point of view, reinforced earth can be regarded as a homogeneous material with anisotropic properties, owing to the existence of privileged orientations due to the reinforcing strips. The proposed yield design homogenization procedure may become an appropriate design method for reinforced soil structures in general.