Pseudo-dynamic passive resistance of battered-faced retaining wall supporting c-Φ backfill considering Rayleigh wave

Abstract

The concept of seismic passive resistance is very much essential for the design of retaining walls under seismic loading conditions, as the damage of such earth structures may lead to catastrophic failure. The earlier analytical methods provide the methodology of computation of seismic passive resistance without considering the effects of Rayleigh waves though it considers about 67% of the total seismic energy. In this present analysis, a new methodology is proposed by considering the Rayleigh wave along with the shear wave velocity (Vs) and primary wave velocity (Vp). Using the limit equilibrium principle, a methodology is developed to calculate the pseudo-dynamic passive resistance on the back of battered-faced retaining walls supporting cohesive-frictional backfill. Results are presented in both tabular and graphical non-dimensional forms. Effects of a wide range of variation of parameters such as wall inclination angle (α), wall friction angle (δ), soil friction angle (Φ), and horizontal and vertical seismic accelerations (kh, kv) have been studied on the seismic passive resistance coefficients.