Numerical Investigation of Gravity Retaining Wall Foundation Failure Mechanisms
Numerical Investigation of Gravity Retaining Wall Foundation Failure Mechanisms
Numerical Investigation of Gravity Retaining Wall Foundation Failure Mechanisms
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Arman Kamalzadeh
University of Auckland
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ABSTRACT
This research investigates the response of the gravity retaining walls subjected to monotonic and
sinusoidal loadings, adopting the OpenSees finite element analysis. Recent research has shown the
capacity of the shallow foundation supporting the wall controls the behaviour of the system, Pender
(2018). Understanding the wall system failure mechanism can help us in seismic resistant design of
gravity wall systems. There has been a controversy in the geotechnical engineering community on
whether the failure mechanism initiates by rotational deformation or horizontal sliding.
The appeal of utilising OpenSees is the capability of its available constitutive models for soil,
particularly the Manzari-Dafalias which can represent the complete spectrum of drained behaviour
of sand from very loose to dense (and also undrained behaviour and pore pressure response).
Cantilever walls with a reinforced concrete stem and base will be investigated to check on the
rotational and sliding foundation failure mechanisms. The earthquake response of the system is
likely to produce permanent deformations of the foundation soil beneath the heel and toe of
concrete base of the wall. The implications of this for wall system performance under subsequent
earthquakes will be investigated. Ricker Wavelet dynamic input motion will be applied to
investigate the above factors.
1 INTRODUCTION
The current design approach can be traced back to 1g shaking table tests observations performed by Okabe
(1924) and Mononobe and Matsuo (1929), the so-called M-O approach. With some modifications by Seed
and Whitman (1970) the M-O method has become the main approach for designing earthquake-resistant
retaining structures. The appeal of this method is its simple application. Formula 1 to 3 show how the M-O
lateral thrust is calculated.
Paper 99
2019 Pacific Conference on Earthquake Engineering and Annual NZSEE Conference 1
cos2 (𝜑 − 𝜃 − 𝛼)
𝐾𝐴𝐸 =
sin(𝜑 + 𝛿) sin(𝜑 − 𝜃 − 𝑖) 2 (1)
cosθ cos2 𝛼 cos(𝛼 + 𝛿 + 𝜃)(1 + √ )
cos(𝛼 + 𝛿 + 𝜃) cos(𝑖 − 𝛼)
𝑘
𝜃 = 𝑡𝑎𝑛−1 (1−𝑘
ℎ
) (2)
𝑣
𝑃𝐴𝐸 = 0.5𝐾𝐴𝐸 𝛾𝐻 2 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ 𝑃𝐴𝐸ℎ = 𝑃𝐴𝐸 𝑐𝑜𝑠𝛿 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑃𝐴𝐸𝑣 = 𝑃𝐴𝐸 𝑠𝑖𝑛𝛿 (3)
Where 𝜑 is the backfill friction angle, 𝛼 is the angle between the backfill side of the wall with the vertical, 𝛿
is the interface friction angle, 𝑖 is the backfill surface slope angle, 𝛾 is the unit weight of the backfill and, 𝐻
is the height of the wall. Note that in the absence of a dynamic excitation (𝜃 = 0) therefore, we can calculate
pressures induced by soil self weight.
Although, recent design approaches concludes the equivalent static seismic force distribution along the depth
of the wall is similar to an inverted triangle, using centrifuge test and FE models some researchers currently
found out it is an upright triangle (Mikola et al., 2014, Chin et al., 2016, Wood, 2018). Moreover, another
source of overestimation is the equivalent force magnitude, especially where design PGA (peak ground
acceleration) exceeds (Sitar et al., 2012). The current design method assumes maximum dynamic earth
pressure is simultaneous with the wall peak inertia force causing over-conservative design while centrifuge
test results have shown the occurrence time of these is not coincident (Sitar and Al Atik, 2008). Al Atik and
Sitar (2010) have implemented finite element (FEM) analyses using the OpenSees (McKenna et al., 2013)
platform (developed by The University of Berkley, California) to model their centrifuge tests and full-scale
models. They find the FEM analyses results from OpenSees are in strong agreement with centrifuge test
results and find the current design method is excessively conservative. Also, Chin et al. (2016) used
OpenSees modelling and localised their models using typical New Zealand soil types and seismic zones of
NZS 1170.5 (Standards New Zealand Technical Committee, 2004) for embedded cantilever walls with two
different propping configurations.
In this study, we used OpenSees to model soil-retaining wall problem types. The GiD (Coll et al., 2016)
pre/post-processing software, has been utilised to build the geometry of the model.The soil profile is
assumed to have unlimited lateral extent, and there is a bedrock lying under the model. The wall dimensions
are the same as one of the cases in Pender (2018) paper. The static and dynamic response of the wall is
investigated.
𝟐
𝒇(𝒃, 𝒕) = [𝟔𝒃 − 𝟐𝟒𝒃𝟐 (𝒕 − 𝒕𝒐 )𝟐 + 𝟖𝒃𝟑 (𝒕 − 𝒕𝒐 )𝟒 ]𝒆−𝒃(𝒕−𝒕𝒐 ) (4)
𝑏 = (𝜋𝑓)2 (5)
Where t is time, to is the time at which the Ricker wavelet magnitude is maximum, and f is the frequency.
The magnitude of the input Ricker wavelet is then modified to reach a desired value of acceleration. Using a
Figure 2: (a) Ricker wavelet normalized Acceleration time history, (b) Schematic point of application of the
Ricker wavelet in velocity form
Figure 4: Cantilever retaining wall gravity results. (a) and, (b) deflected shape and volumetric strain of the
foundation for 3m heel and L-shaped wall respectively, (c) and, (d) lateral earth pressure distribution for 3m
heel and L-shaped wall respectively.
The critical friction angle for this sand gives us a value of 0.32 for the Ka while, the mobilised earth pressure
coefficients corresponding to Figures 3c and 3d are 0.38 and 0.27 respectively. Despite the L-shaped wall,
there is no evidence of distinctive shear failure zone can be observed as suggested by active earth pressure
theory for the 3m heel wall. Looking closer at the rotation of wall foundation in both cases, a counter-
clockwise movement can be seen. This may be another contributing factor in the difference between existing
and conventional active pressure distributions.
Figure 5: Lateral earth pressure distribution against the virtual back of the wall at different stage of the
analysis for (a) 3m heel, (b) no heel
It should be noted that for Figures 7 and 8, all deformations and strains are due to the weight of the backfill
and the Ricker wavelet excitation effect on the whole model, i.e., the effect of underlying soil is subtracted
from these results (see section 2.3). However, it was noted that with the foundation layer in place, a certain
amount of settlement of the layer occurred when the in situ gravity stresses were generated. Then if the 30 m
deep layer, without the wall and backfill, is subject to Ricker wavelet excitation there will be more
settlement. Under additional Ricker wavelet excitation additional settlement was observed, at least for the
second and third excitations. Consequently, the settlement contours in Figures 6b and 7b include
contributions from the rocking effect of the wall and backfill as well the additional settlement of the
foundation layer from the Ricker wavelet.
As far as horizontal displacement and settlement are concerned Figures 6a and 6b show no special effect
associated with the virtual back of the wall (a vertical line between the heel and the ground surface above).
The same can be said of Figures 6c and 6d. It is apparent that there are concentrations of volumetric strain
(dilatant volume increase) and shear strain in front of the toe of the foundation. Similar to the gravity results,
Figures 7a, 7c and 7d indicate the presence of the conventional triangular wedge behind the wall.
4 CONCLUSIONS
This study has drawn the following conclusion:
The conventional pseudo-static approach is distinctively different from the backfill response of the 8 m
tall gravity cantilever wall with a 3 m wide heel in this study (Figures 6).
The earth pressure distribution has an arch-shaped over the height of the wall. It increases linearly for
upper part of the wall but for the lower part, it decreases.
The residual lateral earth pressure distributions after the Ricker wavelet excitation are greater than the
gravity pressure distributions for the 3m heel wall but not for the L-shaped one.
A common approach to pseudo-static gravity wall design is to assume the boundary of the wall system is
defined by a vertical interface rising upwards through the heel of the wall (virtual back); the backfill
above the heel projection is assumed to be fixed to the wall. No evidence of the virtual back is seen in
the finite element results for the 3m heel wall, except, perhaps, in the lateral displacement contours
(Figures 6a).
4
8
Figure 6: For 3m heel wall at peak lateral earth thrust: contours of (a) horizontal displacement, (b) settlement,
(c) volumetric strain and, (d) shear strain
Figure 7: for no heel wall at peak lateral earth thrust: contours of (a) horizontal displacement, (b) settlement,
(c) volumetric strain and, (d) shear strain
5 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The work of the second named author was funded by the University of Canterbury Quake Centre (UCQC).
All the analyses have been done through the Mahuika platform of New Zealand e-Science Infrastructure
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