NEHRP Clearinghouse

Title
Conventional and Probabilistic Seismic Safety Analysis of Rigid Retaining Walls.
File
PB84113190.pdf
Author(s)
Grivas, D. A.; Vlavianos, V. J.
Source
National Science Foundation, Washington, DC., July 1982, 145 p.
Identifying Number(s)
CE-82-7
Abstract
Methods for determining the active earth pressures against retaining walls under static and seismic conditions are discussed. A probabilistic description of seismic loading is supplied and a reliability analysis of retaining walls is given. Both conventional and probabilistic approaches are applied in a case study involving the safety of a gravity wall during an earthquake. It is concluded that the probabilistic analysis is an improved alternative to conventional procedures because it accounts for the uncertainties associated with important material and seismic parameters while, at the same time, it considers the movement experienced by the wall during ground shaking.
Keywords
Probability density functions; Bearing capacity; Soil Structure interactions; Retaining walls; Pressure distribution; Ground motion; Backfills; Dynamic response; Safety; Soil pressure; Soil dynamics; Earthquakes