Short for reinforced soil slope, a face steeper than the fill could hold unaided but flatter than 70 degrees, the angle where design switches to wall methods. Primary reinforcement layers carry the main load, and shorter secondary layers near the face stop shallow sloughing during compaction and rain. The face is usually vegetated through erosion control matting or wrapped in geotextile.
RSS on the east side goes in at one-to-one with grid every two feet and turf mat on the face.
Also heard as
- reinforced soil slope
- reinforced steepened slope
Related terms
Reinforcement
Using the tensile strength of a geosynthetic to hold soil together so it can stand steeper or carry more load.
MSE wall
Mechanically stabilized earth wall: compacted fill reinforced with layers of geogrid or steel strips behind a facing.
Uniaxial geogrid
Geogrid with its strength concentrated in one direction, used to reinforce walls and steep slopes.
Lift
One layer of fill placed and compacted at a time, the unit by which walls, slopes and embankments are built.