Seismic Response of Retaining Walls with Rubberized Inclined Backfill

Damage caused by earthquakes to earth retaining structures can result in a high number of casualties. One way to improve the seismic response of these structures is to use lightweight backfill materials such as tire derived aggregates (TDA) as separate layers or mixtures with sand. The present research studies the static and dynamic response of cantilever retaining walls with inclined backfill filled with soil-rubber mixtures (SRM). The finite element software GeoStudio QUAKE/W in conjunction with SLOPE/W is used. A comparison with a similar retaining structure with conventional backfill shows that the displacements of the wall with SRM backfill increased, but less shear forces were developed behind the wall, and higher factors of safety against slope stability were obtained. The Newmark method is also used to determine the permanent deformations that may occur as a result of the inertial forces associated with the seismic loading.