Lateral Behavior Analysis of a Rectangular Barrette in Layered Soil with Transverse Isotropy

Abstract

In this study, a theoretical approach is presented for analyzing how rectangular barrettes respond laterally in layered transversely isotropic soil deposits. To do this analysis, a modified Vlasov model is used. In this study, the barrette and the soil around it are treated as a continuum system. The deformation of the barrette is analyzed using the Timoshenko beam theory. By multiplying the barrette’s displacement with a pair of decay functions, the horizontal soil displacement can be quantified. The equations that govern the barrette and soil are derived based on the principle of minimum energy, along with the appropriate boundary conditions. These equations are then solved using an iterative method. The accuracy of the results is confirmed by comparing the barrette response to two previously published results. Additionally, the impact of the shape of the rectangular cross section and the anisotropy of the soil on the static responses of a barrette are explored. The results show that the ratio E_sh/E_sv between the horizontal modulus and vertical modulus for the transversely isotropic soil has significant influences for the response of barrette. An increase of E_sh/E_sv from 0.5 to 3.0 can lead to a reduction of around 75%, 54%, 30%, 40% for the maximums of lateral displacement, rotation, moment, and soil reaction, respectively.