Reliability of Quay Walls

Reliability of Quay Walls

Wolters, H.J.

Bakker, K.J. (mentor)
Brinkgreve, R.B.J. (mentor)
De Gijt, J.G. (mentor)
Schweckendiek, T. (mentor)
Vrijling, J.K. (mentor)
Vrouwenvelder, A.C.W.M. (mentor)

Civil Engineering and Geosciences

Hydraulic Engineering

Hydraulic Engineering

2012-09-07

A committee of Civieltechnisch Centrum Uitvoering Research en Regelgeving (CUR) is currently (2012) working on the update of the handbook Quay Walls (CUR 211). In the past the partial safety factors in this book were derived using a spring model, but new developments enable to use Finite Element Methods (FEM) to model sheet-pile structures and quay walls with relieving floor. The main objective is to use FEM (in this case PLAXIS) to calibrate the partial safety factors. To fulfil this objective, level II probabilistic calculations (FORM) are performed using Prob2B (a toolbox from TNO) to define influence coefficients for the different parameters and reliability indices for the different failure mechanisms. This is done for two benchmark quay walls: an anchored sheet-pile and a quay wall with relieving floor. Both are designed according to the FEM design guidelines in CUR 166, the handbook on sheet-pile structures. Furthermore, the calculations require coefficients of variation for each stochastic parameter, correlation coefficients and definitions of Limit State Functions. These are all derived and presented in the report. With the output of the level II calculations, a level I method is used to define the partial safety factors and besides the design procedure of CUR 166 with FEM is evaluated and suggestions for adaptation for quay walls with relieving floor are presented. The main consequences according to the output of the probabilistic FEM calculations are: 1) Higher partial safety factors on the internal angle of friction and stiffness parameters of the soil 2) Lower partial safety factors on the geometrical parameters (retaining height, water levels) 3) Mean values for cohesion, sheet-pile parameters and anchor diameter 4) Changes in fault tree for quay walls with relieving floor 5) Adaptation of the in the handbook sheet-pile structures (CUR 166) prescribed calculation method using FEM for quay walls with relieving floor (CUR 211) 6) Additional effort in the research and calculations of other quay walls 7) Standardization of probabilistic calculations or sensitivity analysis in quay wall design

Probabilistic Calculation
Quay Wall
Finite Element Method
Partial Safety Factor
Reliability

http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:ccc1089d-e078-47e0-8357-99a909a74ac3

2012-09-12

Student theses

master thesis

(c) 2012 Wolters, H.J.