Seismic Design of Embankments - Numerical and Analytical Study

In this paper, a dynamic shear strength analysis was performed in a finite elements environment to evaluate the stability of embankments under seismic loadings. In addition, a dynamic factor of safety depending on the results of the numerical analysis was defined. To study these parameters' effects on the embankment's stability, a parametric study concerning the embankment inclination and the soil type was performed. Finally, the numerical analysis results were compared with the results of the pseudo-static analysis according to the EC8. The results of this study show the significance of the numerical seismic analyses in comparison with the analytical calculations.