AN OVERVIEW TO THE SEISMIC PERFORMANCE OF THE WING WALL OF A BOX CULVERT WITHOUT COVERED SOIL

Abstract

It is clear that the dynamic conditions are of great importance in the design of the retaining structures, which are known to suffer damage greatly due to the magnitude of dynamic soil pressures. In this context, the study aims to investigate the dynamic response of the wing walls of a box culvert considering soil-structure interaction. The model developed by the finite element method has been created from the combination of the foundation soil-structure and backfill systems. The soil-structure interface is considered to be bonded in modelling approach. Viscous dampers are used in three directions in the semi-infinite soil domain in order to get rid of the wave reflections effects at the boundaries. In addition, the nonlinear behaviour of the foundation and backfill soil is taken into account by Drucker Prager material model, and full transient analyses are performed for four different ground systems. In the analyses, the PRI-UP component of 1995 Kobe earthquake is considered. The responses are interpreted in terms of the stresses occurring in the wall critical sections and lateral displacements of the wall. The results obtained from the seismic analyses clearly reveal the effects of the stiffness changing in the foundation soil system on the wing wall dynamic behaviour.