Practical implementation of the engineering method for determining the stress state in horizontal sections of reinforced concrete retaining walls

Retaining walls made of reinforced concrete are widely used in hydraulic engineering and transport construction. Since their rear faces are covered with ground filling, it seems difficult to control the stressed state of the rear working fittings, which in some cases led to deviations in the work of structures from the project. In this article, corner type retaining walls are considered. The purpose of the work was to develop and test an engineering technique for determining the stress state in horizontal sections of retaining walls made of reinforced concrete. In the framework of this work, studies were conducted on the structures of reinforced concrete retaining walls that interact with the soils of the base and backfill. At the same time, using the provisions of structural mechanics and the theory of reinforced concrete, an engineering technique was developed that allows calculating the stress state of reinforced concrete retaining walls along horizontal sections. To test the proposed calculation methodology, the in-situ data of instrumental surveys of the operated lower retaining walls of the PSPP water intake (pumped storage power plant) were used on the basis of the «reinforcement unloading» method in relation to the facing structural reinforcement of the walls. The developed method was practically implemented to assess the effective tensile stresses in the rear working reinforcement, as well as the compressive stresses in the concrete of retaining walls.

1. Volosukhin V.A., Dyba V.P., Yevtushenko S.I. Calculation and design of retaining walls of hydraulic structures. Tutorial. Moscow, ASV Publ., 2015. 96 p.

2. Volosukhin V.A., Voropaev V.I., Yaitskiy L.V. Calculation of retaining walls of hydrotechnical structures: textbook. Novocherkassk: YURSTU, 2005. 108 p. ISBN 5-88998-494-2

3. Serebryannikov N.I. Pumped-storage power plants. Construction and operation of Zagorskaya PSPP / Rodionov V.G., Kuleshov A.P., Magruk V.I., Ivanushchenko V.S. Moscow: Izd. NC ENAS, 2000. 355 p.

4. Sinyugin V.Yu., Magruk V.I., Rodionov V.G. Pumped storage power plants in modern electric power industry. Moscow, NC ENAS Publ., 2008. 352 p.

5. Barbour E., Wilson I.A., and Radcliffe J., A review of pumped hydro energy storage development in significant international electricity markets, Renewable Sustainable Energy Rev., 2016, vol. 61, P. 421-432. DOI: 10.1016/j.rser.2016.04.019.

6. Antal B.A., Pumped storage hydropower: a technical review, Master’s Report, Boulder: Univ. of Colorado, 2014, p. 84. DOI:10.1002/9783527673872.ch29.

7. Tàczi I., Pumped Storage Hydroelectric Power Plants: Issues and Applications, Budapest, Hungary: Energy Regulators Regional Association, 2016, p. 11. DOI: 10.1051/e3sconf/201913901009.

8. Lisichkin S.E. Calculation studies of stability and strength of retaining walls of the first tier of the water receiver of the Zagorsk pumped storage power plant] / Rubin O.D., Atabiev I.Zh., Melnikova N.I. // Hydro technical construction. 2012, no. 2, P. 44-48.

9. Vinay B. Chauhan, Dasaka Murty, Vinil K. Gade. Investigation of failure of a rigid retaining wallwith relief shelves. The 15th Asian Regional Conference on Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering. 2016. P. 2492-2497. DOI: 10.3208/jgssp.TC302-02.

10. Abhishek S.V., Tarachand V., Satyanarayana Reddy C.N.V. Case study of failure of retaining Wall at Dwarakanagar, Visakhapatham / 48th Indian Geotechnical Conference. Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), December 22-24, 2013. Roorkee, India. pp. 1-4. ISBN: 978-81-925548-1-5, Paper No. 286.

11. Chauhan V.B., Dasaka S.M., Gade V.K. Investigation of failure of a rigid retaining wall with relief shelves // Japanese Geotechnical Society Special Publication. 2016. Pp. 2492-2497. DOI: 10.3208/jgssp.TC302-02.

12. G.L. Sivakumar Babu, Raghuveer Rao Pallepati. Forensic analysis of failure of retaining wall. The 15th Asian Regional Conference on Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering (2016). Pp. 2514-2519. DOI: 10.3208/jgssp.TC302-08.

13. A. Lim, P.P. Rahardjo, “Lesson learned from retaining walls failures: a geotechnical disaster”, Int. Conf. on disaster management, 2018 (ICDM 2018). https://doi.org/10.1051/matecconf/201822903014.

14. T.N. Do, C.Y. Ou, and R.P. Chen, “A study of failure mechanisms of deep excavation in soft clay using the finite element method”, Computer and Geotechnics, 73:153-163, 2016. DOI: 10.1016/j.compgeo.2015.12.009.

15. Federal Law of 21.07.1997 No. 177-FZ (as amended on 01.01.2022) “On the safety of hydro technical structures” // Code of Laws of the Russian Federation. 2021. № 24. Art. 4188.

16. SP 58.13330.2012 “Hydraulic structures. Basic provisions” Updated edition of SNIP 33-01-2003. Moscow, 2012. 39 p.

17. SP 41.13330.2012 “Concrete and reinforced concrete structures of hydraulic structures”. Updated edition of SNiP 2.06.08-87, Moscow, 2012. 67 p.

18. SP 101.133320.2012 “Retaining walls, navigable locks, fish passage and fish protection structures”. Updated edition of SNiP 2.06.07-87. Moscow, Minregion Rossii Publ., 2012. 79 p.

19. J. Chen, Z. Li, R. Liang, G. Jiang, and W. Wu, “Verification Analysis of the Relationship Between Soil Pressure and Displacement of Retaining Structure”, Journal of Physics: Conference Series, 2152 (2020), 012014, pp. 1-10. DOI:10.1088/1742-6596/2152/1/012014.

20. Khosravi H.M., Pipatpongsa T., Takemura J., ”Experimental analysis of earth pressure against rigid retaining walls under translation mode. Geotechnique, 2013, 63(12), P. 1020-1028. DOI: 10.1680/GEOT.12.P.021.

21. D.I. Mazni, A. Hakam, J. Tanjung, and F.A. Ismail. “Stability analysis of concrete block retaining wall based on a scaled laboratory”, E3S Web of Conferences, 331, 05013 (2021), P. 1-4. DOI: 10.1051/e3sconf/202133105013.

22. U.C. Sari, M.N. Sholeh, I. Hermanto, “The stability analysis study of conventional retaining walls variation design in vertical slope”, J. Phys. Conf. Ser., 1444, 1 (2020). DOI: 10.1088/1742-6596/1444/1/012053.

23. D.I. Mazni. “An alternative model of retaining walls on the sandy area to prevent landslides, E3S Web of Conferences, 156 (2020).DOI: 10.1051/e3sconf/202015602016.

24. S. Nimbalkar, A. Pain, S.M. Ahmad, and Q. Chen. “Stability Assessment of Earth Retaining Structures under Static and Seismic Conditions”,Infrastructures, 2019, 4, p. 15. DOI:10.3390/infrastructures402001.

25. J. Li, M. Wang, “Simplified method for calculating active earth pressure on rigid retaining walls considering the arching effect under translational mode”, Int. J. Geotech. 2014, 14, P. 282-290. DOI: 10.1061/(ASCE)GM.1943-5622.0000313.

26. Rubin O.D., Lisichkin S.E., Pashchenko F.A. Development of methods for calculating the stress state in horizontal sections of hydro technical retaining walls of the angle type]. 2019. V. 15. № 5. P. 339-344.

27. Rubin O.D., Lisichkin S.E., Pashchenko F.A. “Results of experimental researches of reinforced concrete retaining walls” / Structural Mechanics of Engineering Constructions and Buildings, December 2020, 16(2), pp. 152-160 DOI: 10.22363/1815-5235-2020-16-2-152-160.