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The Dongju Lee Memorial Lecture

Department of Civil Engineering and Engineering Mechanics

Columbia University

New York City


Case Histories of Failed MSE Retaining Walls

Prof. Dov Leshchinsky

Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
University of Delaware


February 20, 2006 (Monday)
3:00-4:00 pm

Interschool Lab, 750 CEPSR


Abstract: During the past 20 years, mechanically stabilized earth (MSE) walls have replaced conventional retaining walls.  Generally, MSE walls are more economical and aesthetical than the alternative walls.  As is the typical case with structures that are more economical, details of construction are important. While such details create a composite structure that performs very well, ignoring details may result in costly failures as very little redundancy exists.  Presented are several forensic studies of failed walls.  It is shown that such failures can be attributed to design errors and, more often, to construction negligence stemming from ignorance.  While there are several contributing factors leading to failure, this presentation concentrates only on the critical factor in each case.  It is shown that proper design or construction may add marginal cost to the overall cost of the structure; however, the cost of repair is huge.  This can be instructive to designers, contractors, and researchers.

The Dongju Lee Memorial Lecture was established with a generous contribution from the Lee Family. We would like to express our gratitude to DJ's father, Prof. Yong-won Lee (who is currently the President of Chinju National University of Education, Korea), for his support in establishing the Lecture and an Award. DJ, as Dongju preferred to be called, passed away on February 26, 2003 while he was a student working toward the doctoral degree. He obatined his Master's and Professional degrees from Columbia University.

more about Dongju Lee

Biographical Sketch of Prof. Dov Leshchinsky
    Prof. Leshchinsky obtained his Bachelor's and master's degrees from the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, and his Ph.D. from the University of Illinois. He has been a Professor of Civil Engineering at the University of Delaware for more than 23 years. Prior to joining the faculty in Delaware, he worked as a geotechnical engineer with the Association of American Railroads in Chicago. At the University of Delaware he has conducted research in slope stability engineering, soil reinforcing, geosynthetics and dredge materials. The National Science Foundation, US Army Corps of Engineers, Federal Highway Administration and Private industries have sponsored various research projects he has conducted. His main research thrust interfaces between theories and its application to practice. Much of his work has focused on comprehensive design methods for reinforced step slopes and walls as well as geotextile tubes.

He has published over 100 technical publications in journals, conferences and reports. Over 20 MS and PhD students graduated under his supervision. Several of his design methods have culminated with the development of user-friendly computer programmes (FoSSA, ReSSA, MSEW, ReSlope, GeoCops). These design tools are being used world wide. Recently, he has been involved with two complex and large projects involving soft soil (i.e. Woodrow Wilson Bridge in Maryland side of the Potomac River and Cherry Island Landfill in Delaware). As a consultant, he co-authored the design manual “Guidelines for Geofoam Applications in Embankment Projects”. Dr. Leschinsky has been invited to deliver Keynote Papers in several International Conferences (e.g. Conference on Soil Reinforcement in Kyushu, 1992; Slope Stability Conference in Japan, 1999; Geosynthetic Society Annual Meeting in Korea, 2002).

Questions:
E-mail: [email protected]
Tel: 212-854-1203