Seismic evaluation of reinforced-soil segmental retaining walls

Abstract

In this paper, a shaking table test on the seismic performance of SRW was simulated systematically with dynamic finite element method. In the analysis, a cyclic mobility model, in which the influences of the stress-induced anisotropy, the density and the structure of the soil can be described in a unified way, was adopted to simulate the backfilled ground. By comparing the results between the calculation and the shaking table test, the seismic performance of SRW under earthquake motions was discussed in detail. The accuracy of the calculation was proven to be quite satisfactory. Based on this result, numerical tests were also carried out to investigate the dynamic behavior of SRW in field condition. In the numerical tests, parametric analyses were conducted to obtain an effective method for improving the stability and controlling the deformation of the SRW. It was found that increasing the reinforcement length is more efficient to improve the stability of the SRW than reducing the reinforcement spacing, and that the compaction degree in the resistant zone should be guaranteed for controlling the overall deformation. The main purpose of this paper is to establish an effective evaluation method for the seismic behavior of SRW.