Influence of Modeling Approaches on the Response of a Retaining Wall

Abstract

In this article, the evaluation of the behavior of a gravity retaining wall is analyzed by considering different modeling approaches. The influence of taking into account the spatial variability of soil parameters in modeling approaches on the response of a retaining wall, assessed through horizontal displacements behind the wall and vertical displacements at the base of the wall. The displacements were evaluated with the finite element software CESAR, developed by the Central Laboratory of Bridges and Roads in France (LCPC), and the statistical analysis of the results was performed with Microsoft Excel. The results indicated that the effects of modeling the soil as a heterogeneous case on the wall displacements were much more significant than when the soil is modeled considering the statistically homogeneous case or the analysis case of a multilayer. This influence of the modeling of the soil as being totally heterogeneous is expressed through the lower standard deviations of the displacements, and also through the narrowness of the band defined by the maximums and the minimums of the results of the displacements, with respect to the two other modeling cases. This result leads towards a gain in terms of accuracy of the results, considering the spatial variability of the soil parameters in both directions, horizontal and vertical.