Comparison of several seismic active earth pressure calculation methods for retaining structures

Earthquake earth pressure is one of the key parameters for the seismic design of retaining structures. In this work, the seismic earth pressure calculation methods used in the design specifications of retaining walls, bridge abutments, and other retaining structures in various countries are summarized. Moreover, different calculation methods and examples are analysed and compared. A comparison shows that most of the specifications used or modified the M-O method for calculating seismic active earth pressure, and the calculation approach is basically consistent. The difference in the seismic active earth pressure at the bottom of the retaining walls calculated with various specifications gradually increases with increasing seismic peak acceleration. The coefficient of seismic active earth pressure and the resultant force of seismic active earth pressure both increase with increasing seismic peak acceleration. The calculation method, which considers the additional load at the top, results in a seismic earth pressure resultant force point at a height of above 1/3 H . When calculating the seismic active earth pressure of reinforced soil structures under various specifications, the effect of reinforcement materials on the reduction in wall back earth pressure is not considered, and the calculation results are relatively conservative. The comparison results can provide a reference for the optimization and improvement of the seismic design of retaining structures, such as reinforced earth retaining walls.