Seismic Displacements of Soil Retaining Walls Situated on Slope

Abstract

In this study, a new method for calculating seismic displacements of soil retaining walls is proposed. This pseudostatic-based method is based on the failure mechanisms proposed and verified by the writer. Displacement analyses using the proposed method are performed for two soil retaining walls situated on slope. Both walls were severely damaged during the 1999 Chi-Chi earthquake in Taiwan. Analytical results indicate that the severe damage to the walls was induced by relatively loose soils in the base and the passive zone at the toes of the walls. Suggestions for the design and construction of soil retaining walls situated on a slope include: (1) the assumption that no vertical ground acceleration induces relatively small error in the calculated displacements of the wall; (2) the internal friction angle of the foundation soil,