Analytical study on the dynamic responses of a sheet-pile groin subjected to transient lateral impulses

Abstract

A novel sheet-pile groin structure consisting of row piles and a tied sheet has been introduced to resist the impact of tidal bores in recent years. However, the dynamic responses of the structure under tidal bore loads have not been carefully studied before. This paper proposed an analytical solution for the dynamic responses of a sheet-pile groin subjected to transient lateral excitation. To take the flexural and longitudinal vibrations into consideration, the piles and the sheet are modeled by Timoshenko beam (TB) theory and a one-dimensional rod, respectively. The soil around the piles is simulated by the dynamic Winkler foundation model. The excitation is considered by a lateral concentrated point load acting on the front pile. On this basis, the governing equations are constructed in the time domain and solved in the frequency domain, while the time-domain responses are obtained using the inverse Fourier transform. The accuracy of the presented analytical solution is validated by comparison with the results obtained from finite element method (FEM) simulation. The effects of the properties of the sheet, piles and soil on the dynamic responses are investigated through a comprehensive parametric study.