A method to consider the nonlinear behaviour of reinforced concrete in flexible earth-retaining walls: preliminary results

Abstract

This paper presents a numerical methodology to incorporate in finite element analyses of deep excavations the nonlinear behaviour of reinforced concrete walls. This method is based on the interaction between two well validated numerical models: one used for incremental analysis of geotechnical works (but assuming concrete as linear elastic) and the other used for nonlinear analysis of reinforced concrete structures taking into account the characteristics of the concrete and the steel reinforcement at each structural section. The analysis of an excavation in clay supported by a single propped diaphragm wall is presented as an example of application. It is shown how the consideration of the nonlinear behaviour of reinforced concrete influences the global performance of the retaining structure.