Experimental study on the stability of L - Shaped hybrid quay wall in sand

Abstract

An L-shaped hybrid quay wall was proposed by combining the advantages of the box-shaped and the L-shaped quay wall to improve the stability of the box-shaped quay wall and reduce its construction cost. The stability of the L-shaped hybrid quay wall in a sandy foundation was studied through a series of laboratory model tests. Compared with the box-shaped quay wall, the L-shaped hybrid quay wall can save about 22.6% of concrete material and increase the bearing capacity by 19.1%. The failure surface in the backfill is a joint curve of a straight-line segment and a circular arc that passes through the bottom of the L-shaped hybrid quay wall. The inclination angle of the straight-line segment and the central angle of the arc segment are very close to 45° + φ'/2. The depth from the bottom endpoint of the line segment to the sand surface is approximately 0.625H. The rotation point of the L-shaped hybrid quay wall is located vertically below the middle of the quay wall and horizontally near the starting point of the toe of the quay wall.