Seismic Response of Multianchored Retaining Walls

Abstract

The influence of anchor stiffness, inclination, and vertical spacing on the seismic response of multianchored retaining walls is investigated using the finite element method. Anchor stiffness was varied over several orders of magnitude. Anchor inclination is varied from a horizontal position to a steep, but reasonable, inclination. The vertical anchor spacing is varied from a single‐anchor wall to a four‐anchor wall. All walls are subjected to three levels of input excitation with single, half‐sine, displacement pulses with two different wavelengths. An increase in anchor stiffness results in a decrease in maximum and permanent displacements. A stiffer anchor will work over a larger range of input acceleration than a more flexible anchor. An increase in anchor inclination slightly reduces the amount of displacement occurring along the wall. Inclined anchors will experience slightly higher loads than horizontal anchors. A single‐anchor wall experiences more displacement below the anchor level and less displacement above the anchor than a two‐ or four‐anchor wall. Additional rows of anchors cause the wall to experience more of a rotational movement into the backfill, and a decrease in the center‐span displacement suffered by a single‐anchor wall.