Dynamic Analysis of Rigid Walls Considering Flexible Foundation

Abstract

The dynamic behavior of a rigid wall is studied by the elastic approach. The analyses presented by Veletsos and Younan are extended to include foundation flexibility and damping. A closed-form analytical solution is obtained by assuming a simple backfill-foundation interface condition. The wall foundation effect is included by using well-known dynamic stiffness and radiation dashpot for a rigid strip foundation so that the wall rotation stiffness, proposed in previous works, is replaced by measurable foundation properties. It is shown that both “static” and dynamic base shears may be reduced by the foundation effects such that the base shears computed by the elastic approach may be of the same order as that estimated by the Okabe-Mononobe equation, even for a rigid gravity wall.