Seismic Analysis of Retaining Walls through a Newly Developed Time-Domain Framework of Steedman and Zeng’s Pseudo-Dynamic Method

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Deciphering earthquake record complexity is vital for designing resilient engineering solutions. Steedman and Zeng’s pseudo-dynamic method captures single-frequency harmonic responses but overlooks broad frequency content and propagation characteristics of seismic waves. This study introduces a novel analytical framework conveying the applicability of this method for time-domain analysis of retaining walls under earthquakes. Newly derived formulations incorporate interference from all seismic harmonics, revealing distinct non-linear trends in active stress distribution. Parametric assessments indicate that low shear wave velocity backfills amplify non-linearity in active stress distribution, while smooth walls, low-friction backfills, and elevated unit weights increase seismic response magnitudes.