UTRGV Civil Engineering student Zenia De Leon had the opportunity of completing her second UTCRS REU experience at Texas A&M University. Ms. De Leon was interested in geometric and structural design. For this reason, during her 2016 UTCRS REU experience, she decided to focus on the design and performance analysis of retaining walls, an important structural component in the railroad industry. Ms. De Leon was interested in measuring the load distribution on retaining walls, and their performance under such loads. To accomplish this, she utilized a set of strain gages along with a data acquisition program. Her work, aids in the better understanding of soil loading on retaining structures and highlights that the common standards for such structures are somewhat excessive, providing an opportunity for a more economical and efficient design.
