Nailed-soil retaining structures: Design and practice

Soil nailing is an in situ soil reinforcement technique that has been used during the last two decades, mainly in France and Germany, to retain excavations or stabilize slopes. The fundamental concept of soil nailing is the reinforcement of the ground by passive inclusions, closely spaced, to increase the overall shear strength of the in situ soil, to restrain its displacements, and to limit its decompression during and after excavation. The technology, construction process, design methods, and fundamental aspects of behavior and soil-nail interaction in nailed-soil retaining structures are discussed.