Dynamic analyses of propped retaining structures

The paper presents the main results of several numerical dynamic analyses of propped embedded retaining structures. The numerical model entails the static condition of an excavation 4m height in presence of a pair of retaining cantilever walls in a dry, coarse grained soil. Successively, two structural elements (props) connecting the opposite walls have been introduced. Two strong motion acceleration time histories, recorded during two Italian earthquakes, and two equivalent analytical waveforms have been applied to the bottom of the model. The results indicate a very complex response of the system, due to the effects of local seismic response and soil-structure interaction phenomena. Increments of forces acting on structural elements due to seismic actions are significant; however, yield bending moments of wall section are only reached for seismic events of high intensity. © 2014 Taylor & Francis Group, London.