Award Date

1-1-2008

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Engineering (ME)

Department

Civil and Environmental Engineering

First Committee Member

Moses Karakouzian

Number of Pages

102

Abstract

Not much literature is available which addresses the analysis of stacked retaining walls. Many designers have developed undocumented and informal methods of analysis based on geotechnical theory, practical experience and intuition; This thesis presents and compares results from eight common methods of analysis: four methods based on limit equilibrium, three based on elastic theory, and one that is a combination of limit equilibrium and elastic theory. These eight different methods were used to analyze 64 different configurations of double-stacked cantilever retaining walls, including a double-stacked configuration that failed in 1992. In all, results from a total of 512 separate analyses are presented and compared herein, including analysis with a finite element computer application, Plaxis; The results of these analyses follow the generally accepted notion that as the horizontal spacing between double-stacked walls decreases, the forces at the lower wall increase due to the effects of the upper wall. No method of analysis consistently yields the most or least conservative values, suggesting that the retaining wall designer need take great care in selecting a method of analysis.

Keywords

Analysis; Retaining; Stacked; Walls

Controlled Subject

Civil engineering

File Format

pdf

File Size

2641.92 KB

Degree Grantor

University of Nevada, Las Vegas

Language

English

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