Analytical evaluation of the dynamic distress of rigid fixed-base retaining systems

The current study proposes an analytical closed-form solution for the dynamic distress of rigid fixed-base retaining systems aiming at evaluating the main assumptions and limitations of the pertinent available elasticity-based methods. The new solution is actually an extension of the well-known model of Wood and is capable of evaluating the dynamic distress of either a single or a pair of rigid fixed-base walls interacting with each other, in the case of harmonic base loading. Wall distress is mainly evaluated in terms of dynamic earth pressures, shear forces and bending moments, while the original concept of a “distress spectrum” is introduced as a potential new tool for the seismic design of retaining structures. Distress and wall deformation are interrelated in a number of three-dimensional graphs, where dynamic interaction phenomena are evident. Finally, given the rigorous nature of the new solution, its results verify qualitatively and quantitatively the negligible amplitude of the computational errors of the approximate elasticity-based solutions proposed in the literature.