| Abstract: | This research is to study the efficiency of displacement reducer fuses, installed behind the caisson quay walls for controlling
the dynamic backfill thrust and minimizing the displacement, settlement and tilting of the walls. For this purpose, two types
of fuses, Displacement Reducer Panels (DRP) and Displacement Reducer Elements (DRE), were constructed and installed behind
the wall. The DRPs were constructed by hollow Polypropylene sheets to reproduce elastoplastic and plastic mechanical behaviors.
The DREs were cylindrical stainless-steel dampers, working upon friction mechanism that can reproduce perfect plastic behavior.
Here, two series of shaking table 1-g tests were performed with DRP and DRE applications. In this regard, different mechanical
behaviors and capacities were considered for fuses against demand thrusts of backfill in order to compare the mitigation tests
with no-mitigation cases. Harmonic base motions with constant amplitude and constant frequency were used in the model test.
The foundation soil and the backfill soil were constructed with the relative densities of 85 and 25%, respectively, to reproduce
non-liquefiable base layer and loose backfill situations in the model, respectively. The results showed remarkable reduction
in kinetic energy, dynamic backfill thrust and consequently seaward movement, settlement and inclination of the caisson quay
wall in case of using fuses with plastic behaviors behind the wall. |
