Seismic response of waterfront retaining walls

Advances in the understanding of the response of retaining structures to base shaking have been restricted by the use of pseudo-static calculations which have not taken into account dynamic amplification or phase effects. By considering a finite wave speed for the propagation of elastic shear waves through the ground the conventional analysis has been developed to generate a new pseudo-dynamic analysis which throws light on many of the inadequacies of the present calculations. In particular, the pseudo-dynamic analysis shows how an initially stiff soil-wall system may deteriorate towards failure as strain softening is brought about by dynamic amplification or excess pore pressure generation. This approach is strongly supported by the experimental evidence from a series of dynamic centrifuge model tests which have also been used to illustrate the ultimate failure mechanisms for an anchored cantilever wall subject to earthquake loading.