Seismically Induced Lateral Earth Pressures on Retaining Structures and Basement Walls

Abstract

The evolution of the methodology for the evaluation of seismic earth pressures on retaining structures and basement walls is reviewed together with observations of field performance. The case history data and data from recent experimental work are used to show that the currently used methods are quite conservative and lead to excessively conservative designs in regions where design PGA exceeds 0.4g. Specifically, the experimental data from seismic centrifuge tests shows that the seismic earth pressure distribution for moderate size retaining structures, on the order of 6-7 m high, is triangular, increasing with depth. Moreover, there is no significant increase in seismic earth pressure between unbraced and braced structures with fixed base, while the loads on free standing cantilever structures are substantially lower owing to their ability to translate and rotate. The significance of the observed seismic earth pressure distributions is that the dynamic force can be applied at 1/3H, as is done for static loading, which substantially decreases the design level seismic moments on the structures.