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Mechanically stabilized earth (MSE or reinforced soil) is soil constructed with artificial reinforcing. It can be used for retaining walls , bridge abutments, seawalls , and dikes . [ 1 ] [ 2 ] Although the basic principles of MSE have been used throughout history, MSE was developed in its current form in the 1960s.
Schematic cross section of a pressurized caisson. In geotechnical engineering, a caisson (/ ˈ k eɪ s ən,-s ɒ n /; borrowed from French caisson 'box', from Italian cassone 'large box', an augmentative of cassa) is a watertight retaining structure [1] used, for example, to work on the foundations of a bridge pier, for the construction of a concrete dam, [2] or for the repair of ships.
Other manufacturers were thus compelled to use other terminology to describe the process such as shotcrete, pneumatic concrete, guncrete, etc. Shotcrete is an all-inclusive term for spraying concrete or mortar with either a dry or wet mix process. However, shotcrete may also sometimes be used to distinguish wet-mix from the dry-mix method.
The term MSE is usually used in the US to distinguish it from "Reinforced Earth", a trade name of the Reinforced Earth Company, but elsewhere Reinforced Soil is the generally accepted term. [78] MSE construction is relatively fast and inexpensive, and although labor-intensive, it does not demand high levels of skill.
The reinforced soil's mass, along with the facing, then acts as an improved gravity wall. The reinforced mass must be built large enough to retain the pressures from the soil behind it. Gravity walls usually must be a minimum of 50 to 60 percent as deep or thick as the height of the wall, and may have to be larger if there is a slope or ...
Another common type of shallow foundation is the slab-on-grade foundation where the weight of the structure is transferred to the soil through a concrete slab placed at the surface. Slab-on-grade foundations can be reinforced mat slabs, which range from 25 cm to several meters thick, depending on the size of the building, or post-tensioned ...
Soil stabilization is a general term for any physical, chemical, mechanical, biological, or combined method of changing a natural soil to meet an engineering purpose. [1] Improvements include increasing the weight-bearing capabilities, tensile strength, and overall performance of unstable subsoils , sands, and waste materials in order to ...
In military engineering, earthworks are, more specifically, types of fortifications constructed from soil. Although soil is not very strong, it is cheap enough that huge quantities can be used, generating formidable structures. Examples of older earthwork fortifications include moats, sod walls, motte-and-bailey castles, and hill forts.