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Retaining Walls Under Seismic Loading, Vijay K. Puri, Shamsher Prakash, Retno Widanarti

International Conference on Case Histories in Geotechnical Engineering

The design of retaining walls in seismic areas poses a complex problem. The traditional design approach usually consists of calculation of a factor of safety against sliding, overturning and bearing capacity failure. This is generally enough for static loads. During seismic loading, the retaining walls tend to get displaced from their original position. The performance of quay walls during the past earthquakes emphasizes this fact. For safe design of retaining walls in seismic areas, the calculation of static and dynamic earth pressure behind the retaining walls is the first requirement. Realistic calculation of displacement of the retaining wall is an …