Investigation of the displacement-based seismic performance of geogrid earth-retaining walls using three-dimensional finite element modeling

Abstract

This study evaluates the earthquake-induced movement of geogrid earth-retaining (GER) walls. A thorough investigation was conducted on a GER wall model, utilizing a comprehensive finite element (FE) analysis. This research focuses on investigating and designing hollow prefabricated concrete panels and conventional gravity-type stone masonry GER walls. It also displays comparative studies such as the displacement of the wall, deflection of the wall, lateral pressure of the wall, settlement of the backfill reinforcement, vertical pressure of the backfill, lateral pressure of the backfill, vertical settlement of the foundation, and settlements of soil layers across the height and acceleration of the walls of the GER walls. The FE simulations used a three-dimensional (3D) nonlinear dynamic FE model of full-scale GER walls. The seismic performance of models has also been examined in terms of wall height. It was found that the seismic motion significantly impacts the height of the GER walls. In addition, the validity of the proposed study model was assessed by comparing it to the conventional reinforcement concrete and gravity-type GRE wall and ASSHTO guidelines using finite element (FE) simulation results. Based on the findings, the hollow prefabricated concrete panels were the most practical alternative due to their lower deflection and displacement. Based on the observation, it was also found that the hollow prefabricated GER wall is the most viable option, as the settlement and lateral pressure in the former type are high.

Keywords

• Seismic analysis
• Geogrid earth-retaining (GER)
• Conventional gravity-type retaining walls
• Finite element modeling
• Hollow prefabricated concrete structures