Static Response of Non-yielding Basement Walls with Different Material Properties

The paper presents a comprehensive numerical model developed and validated using experimental scaled tests to analyze the impact of various material parameters on the static behavior of nonyielding retaining walls. The study investigates the influence of factors such as backfill soil friction angle, degree of consolidation (compaction degree), and wall elastic modulus on lateral earth pressure distributions, magnitudes, and wall deflection. The numerical model is calibrated using a ¼ scale experimental test and then applied to study the lateral earth pressure response of full-scale nonyielding walls with a height of 4 m. Realistic material properties, measurable in the laboratory, are employed in the simulations to capture significant effects on wall behavior. The backfill soil is modeled as a cohesionless material with elastic–plastic response and the Mohr–Coulomb (M–C) failure criterion. The results highlight the effect of increasing the soil’s friction angle on the reduction of the induced lateral forces, and hence the wall’s lateral deflection. Furthermore, the study demonstrates the resultant lateral earth force measured position, in comparison to the conventionally employed design methodologies. Finally, the study examines the effect of the variations of the soil–wall interface friction angle and wall concrete elastic modulus on the wall's lateral deflection and the locations of resultant lateral earth forces.