3D numerical simulation of a centrifuge test on a soil-nailed wall supporting an excavation under cyclic loading

The primary goal of this study is to provide an efficient numerical tool to analyze the seismic performance of nailed walls. Modeling such excavation supports involves complexities due partly to the interaction of support with soil and partly because of the amplification of seismic waves through an excavation wall. Consequently, innovative modeling is suggested herein, incorporating the calibration of the soil constitutive model in a targeted range of stress and strain, and the detection of a natural period of complex systems, including soil and structure, while benefiting from Rayleigh damping to filter unwanted noises. The numerical model was achieved by simulating a previous centrifuge test of the excavation wall, manifested at the pre-failure state. Notably, the calibration of the soil constitutive model through empirical relations, which replaces the numerical reproduction of an element test, more accurately simulated the soil-nail-wall interaction. Two factors were crucial to a successful result. First, probing the natural period of the complicated geometry of the model by applying white noises. Second, considering Rayleigh damping to withdraw unwanted noises and thus assess their permanent effects on the model. Rayleigh damping was applied instead of filtering the obtained results.