Keywords: masonry, concrete block, arch, retaining wall, finite element, micro model.

A vast majority of arches can be found as bridges in railway and roadway systems, aqueducts, and roofs. However, employing arch action to resist lateral earth pressure has not been exploited broadly in the literature. A recent study has investigated the potential of utilizing flat arch unreinforced concrete block retaining wall to resist the lateral earth pressure and surcharge loading. The proposed retaining wall was constructed as a segmental circular flat arch. This novel concept was a success, with experimental stresses and deflections well below critical limits. Despite the success, the wall’s deflection profile was unexpected, possibly due to loss of fixity at the abutments. Therefore, the authors were unable to numerically replicate their experimental measurements, preventing them from presenting a general response of this structural system. This paper investigates the possibility of explaining the experimental results as a result of abutment slippage. A 3-D finite element simplified micro model, verified using a thick-cylinder analysis, is used to numerically reproduce the experimental setup. The influence of grout stiffness and arch wall-abutment coefficient of friction on the loss of fixity is investigated. A detailed discussion on the influence of these factors and a renewed analysis of the experimental results is presented. The model confirmed the hypothesis of fixity loss as producing the experimental deflected shape. The development of this model makes possible a parametric analysis characterising the response of the structural system.

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