Numerical simulation of shaking-table tests on soil-stabilized, geosynthetic-reinforced quay-wall structures

ABSTRACT: A new kind of quay-wall structure using geosynthetics has been proposed for renovating existing sheet-pile quay-wall structures to increase their earthquake resistance capability. The proposed structure adopts the combined techniques of stabilized soil and geogrid for a quay-wall, which is referred to simply as an ‘SG-WALL'. The seismic performance of the SG-WALL structure was investigated through a series of shaking-table tests. The test results showed that the SG-WALL structure has a high seismic resistance. A numerical simulation of the shaking-table tests was performed to reproduce the experimental results. The primary objectives of the simulation were to assess the accuracy of the numerical methods adopted in this study in predicting the dynamic responses of the SG-WALL structure, and to identify the key factors that influence its seismic performance. It was found that the displacement of the quay wall during shaking is not sensitive to the length of the geogrid, but the length of the stabilized soil plays a significant role in restricting the displacement of the quay-wall.