9305133 Andersen The aim of this research project is to further understand the fundamental behavior of gravity retaining walls subject to earthquake loading; in particular, the effect of coupled sliding and tilting on a gravity earth retaining structure (current design practice neglects rotational motion and its effect on earth forces); the effect of obstructed motion (that is, a retaining wall coming in contact with a fixed object such as a bridge abutment and a bridge deck); and the effect of repeated loading. The focus is on gravity retaining walls, as these can provide the basis for understanding more complex earth retaining systems. The specific objectives are to: 1. Complete the data reduction and analysis of a prior centrifuge modeling study that focused on the tilting behavior of gravity retaining walls; 2. Conduct a new study on gravity retaining walls with dry sand backfill that is capable of coupled sliding and tilting, obstructed motion, and repeated loading behavior. This involves experiments on a scale-model retaining wall mounted on a geotechnical centrifuge which is capable of simulating earthquake strong motions. These studies will be used to assess the utility of currently proposed techniques for describing coupled sliding and tilting, obstructed motion and repeated loading behavior of earth retaining structures. ***
