Practical analysis and design of mechanically-stabilized earth walls—I. Design philosophies and procedures

Design methods with the important design/construction considerations for mechanically-stabilized earth (MSE) walls are described. A general analysis/design procedure for MSE wall systems is discussed in detail. The effects of design methods, particularly the impact of the new load and resistance factor design (LRFD) method, on MSE walls are discussed in the companion paper (Part II) through the use of realistic examples. To ease the comparisons among the various design approaches, a unified notation is used to express all equations.