The performance of conventional rigid retaining wall under harmonic and transient ground motions is evaluated using three-dimensional finite element (FE) simulations. Rotation of wall about the base is found to be the predominant failure mechanism of the gravity retaining wall under seismic excitation. Earth pressure distribution corresponding to the peak ground acceleration is found to be nonlinear and unique in shape. The earth pressure distribution is strongly related to the rotational movement of the wall. Existing force-based methods for rigid retaining walls overestimated the earth pressure under seismic conditions compared to these numerical simulations.

中文翻译：

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地震激发下刚性挡土墙的有限元建模 (FEM) 与基于力的简化方法

使用三维有限元 (FE) 模拟评估传统刚性挡土墙在谐波和瞬态地震动下的性能。研究发现，墙体围绕基座的旋转是重力挡土墙在地震激发下的主要破坏机制。发现对应于峰值地面加速度的土压力分布是非线性的并且形状独特。土压力分布与墙体的旋转运动密切相关。与这些数值模拟相比，现有的基于力的刚性挡土墙方法高估了地震条件下的土压力。