A simple closed-form solution for kinematic responses of retaining wall incorporating the effects of shear stiffness of soils

摘要

The seismic behavior of retaining wall is governed by the kinematic soil-retaining wall interaction, which has been described by various methods such as elastic continuum model and Scott model. Due to their overcomplexity in the expression or low accuracy, practical applications of such methods are limited. Thus, inherited the simplicity of the Scott model, a concise analytical solution, involving the effect of the shear stiffness of soils, based on the Pasternak model is presented in this technical note to evaluate the kinematic soil-retaining wall interaction. In addition, both the soil spring factor k and shear stiffness factor gamma in the proposed model have been demarcated. As compared with the existing literature, a good prediction is achieved in the present model. Besides, the physical mechanisms underlying kinematic soil-wall interaction are detailed elaborated by carrying out a group of parametric studies regarding the effects of kinematic soil-retaining wall interaction. The results emphasize that the soil shear stiffness significantly influence the kinematic behaviors of retaining wall so that it is a critical element in the seismic design of retaining wall.