Asha Menon
Independent Researcher
India
Abstract
Retaining walls are critical structures designed to hold back soil and prevent landslides or erosion, especially in seismic-prone regions. Earthquake-resistant retaining walls must accommodate dynamic loads induced by ground shaking while maintaining structural stability and safety. This paper investigates design methodologies for retaining walls considering seismic effects based on prevalent codes and practices until 2019. A comparative study of static and seismic design forces is conducted using pseudo-static analysis and Newmark sliding block methods. The study includes a statistical analysis of failure modes under varying seismic intensities and soil types. Results indicate that incorporating seismic design criteria significantly enhances safety margins. Recommendations for optimal wall geometry and reinforcement detailing are proposed for improved earthquake resilience.
Keywords
Earthquake-resistant retaining walls, seismic design, pseudo-static analysis, Newmark sliding block method, structural stability, dynamic earth pressure
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