Effect of liquefaction on stability of retaining walls

Research output: Contribution to journalConference articlepeer-review

Abstract

Failures of retaining walls have occurred many times during past earthquakes. While design calculations have been developed for retaining walls with dry backfills, the complex nature of excess pore pressure buildup in saturated soils makes most simple design calculations unsuitable for the design of waterfront retaining structures when significant pore pressure is generated. In particular, when liquefaction is initiated in soils, the stability of retaining walls is seriously compromised. Over the years, a large number of centrifuge tests have been conducted on retaining wall models subjected to simulated earthquake loading. The types of retaining walls tested include cantilever walls, anchored sheetpile walls, and gravity retaining walls. This paper presents a summary of the results and in particular, the effect of liquefaction of soils on the stability of retaining walls. Analysis of the data and implications for design are discussed.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1165-1179
Number of pages15
JournalGeotechnical Special Publication
Issue number130-142
StatePublished - 2005
EventGeo-Frontiers 2005 - Austin, TX, United States
Duration: 24 Jan 200526 Jan 2005

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