DYNAMIC MODELING AND RESPONSE OF SOIL-WALL SYSTEMS

Following a brief review of the inaccuracies that may result from the use of a popular model for evaluating the dynamic soil pressures and associated forces induced by ground shaking in a rigid wall retaining an elastic stratum, the sources of the inaccuracies are identified and a modification is proposed which. while retaining the attractiveness of the original model, defines correctly the action of the system. In the proposed modification, the soil stratum is modeled by a series of elastically supported, semiinfinite horizontal bars with distributed mass rather than by massless springs. The concepts involved are introduced by reference to a fixed-based wall retaining a homogeneous elastic stratum, and are then applied to the analysis of more complex soil-wall systems. Both harmonic and transient excitations are considered, and comprehensive numerical solutions are presented that elucidate the actions of the systems examined, and the effects and relative importance of the numerous parameters involved.