Seismic Distress of Broken-Back Gravity Retaining Walls
Publication: Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering
Volume 143, Issue 4
Abstract
Vertical-back gravity retaining walls and, in particular, quay walls have repeatedly experienced large displacements during past earthquakes, causing substantial damage to the facilities and infrastructure built on their backfill. In this analytical study, the possibility of improving the seismic performance of gravity retaining walls by changing their back-face geometry is investigated. Pseudostatic limit-equilibrium analyses are carried out to examine and compare the external and internal (structural) stability of vertical-back and broken-back walls subject to static and seismic loading conditions. The effect of wall inertia is also considered in these analyses. The results show that the horizontal thrust and the overturning moment exerted by a backfill soil are largely reduced on a broken-back retaining wall. A parametric study is subsequently carried out for comparing the static and seismic resilience and structural stability of broken-back walls with those of a vertical-back wall. The comparisons demonstrate significantly enhanced bearing capacity and external stability of a broken-back wall. It is determined that a segmental broken-back gravity wall with adequate bearing capacity and sliding stability will be also structurally stable against slippage or toppling of its concrete-block segments. These characteristics can be exploited to design resilient and less voluminous gravity retaining walls to mitigate earthquake damage.
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Acknowledgments
The author is grateful for the constructive comments provided by three anonymous reviewers as well as the editors of the Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering, which greatly improved the quality of the paper.
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Published In
Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering
Volume 143 • Issue 4 • April 2017
Copyright
© 2016 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Jan 12, 2015
Accepted: Jul 18, 2016
Published online: Nov 8, 2016
Published in print: Apr 1, 2017
Discussion open until: Apr 8, 2017
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