Effects of strain localization on seismic active earth pressures

An improved method based on pseudostatic and limit-equilibrium analysis is proposed for evaluating seismic (static plus dynamic) active earth pressures induced by backfill behind movable rigid retaining walls. The proposed method can take into account the effects of strain localization and postpeak shear resistance reduction in the dense backfill soil during a strong earthquake, and the main improvement over the existing method is that a simple analytical solution is provided. DOI: 10.1061/(ASCE)GT.1943-5606.0000291 CE Database subject headings: Seismic effects; Earth pressure; Strain; Localization; Limit equilibrium. Author keywords: Seismic active earth pressure; Strain localization; Pseudostatic; Limit equilibrium; Postpeak reduction.