Numerical simulation for centrifuge model tests on cantilever type steel tubular pile retaining wall by rigid plastic FEM

Constructions of retaining walls in soft rocks using cantilever type steel tubular pipe are increasing in Japan because the Press-in construction methods using tubular piles with a large-diameter and high flexural rigidity are now available. However, the current design method to determine the necessary embedment length in such a case is empirical. In this paper, the rigid plastic FE analysis was used to simulate centrifugal model tests aimed for developing a new design method. Besides, the stability of the wall in two-layered ground and the influence of seismic inertia forces on the stability of the wall were studied. As the horizontal seismic intensity increases, it affects the earth pressure distribution and the failure mechanism, and it decreases the safety factor. In two-layered ground, the failure mechanism changes according to the thickness of the top layer and the embedment length of the wall in the rock layer.