Abstract:
In the practice of the current engineering, design methods of retaining walls under earthquake are essentially empirical. The dynamic pressures are calculated assuming a seismic coefficient clearly defined acting in the horizontal and vertical directions using the concept of the limit equilibrium method. Recent research shows the variability and insufficient comprehension of the seismic action on different types of retaining walls under severe earthquake effect.
The present work focuses on numerical analysis of the influence of the geometric shape of retaining walls, geotechnical soil characteristics and numerical modeling parameters their dynamic response to seismic actions essentially on the wall displacement and active lateral pressure. The analyses will be carried using the code PLAXIS 2D based on the finite element method. The results of numerical calculation will be compared with other approaches available in the literature.
