Civil Engineering Association

A review of design methods for retaining structures under seismic loadings

ABSTRACT: The earth retaining structures frequently represent key elements of ports and harbors, transportation
systems, lifelines and other constructed facilities. Earthquakes might cause permanent deformations of
retaining structures and even failures. In some cases, these deformations originated significant damages with
disastrous physical and economic consequences. For gravity walls, the dynamic earth pressures acting on the
wall can be evaluated by using the Mononobe-Okabe method, while Newmark rigid sliding block scheme is
suitable to predict the displacements after the shaking, as demonstrated by several experimental tests. Instead,
this simplified approach is not very useful for embedded retaining walls for various reasons. Many researchers
are interested to this topic. Advanced numerical analyses, centrifuge modeling, in-situ monitoring of full-scale
model are the main developing research activities on this subject. Here, after a brief review on the fundamental
seismic earth pressures theories, the application of the pseudostatic approach to the analysis of embedded
retaining walls, as prescribed by the European Codes, is highlighted. Finally, some considerations on the certain
limitations of this approach is done and the indications given by the latest Italian Building Codes (D.M