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USE OF POOR DRAINING BACKFILLS FOR REINFORCED SOIL STRUCTURES

The cost of reinforced soil structures have been proven to be cheaper and easier to construct than traditional reinforced concrete retaining walls. These cost comparisons were commonly carried out by fellow researchers in countries where the granular backfill material are abundant. In several other countries such as Singapore, Malaysia etc., very few reinforced soil structures are constructed due to the relative cost of the backfill which has to be imported. This paper details previous technical studies which have shown that the poor draining backfills are suitable for reinforced soil structures if employed with the proper reinforcing element. A cost comparison of using poor draining backfills and granular backfills are also provided.