Integration of field monitoring and numerical modelling to evaluate the construction performance of a deep-sea quay wall

Abstract

Quay walls are often assessed using numerical models to capture highly nonlinear soil behavior and the complex interactions between foundation elements. The input parameters of these models are usually derived from advanced laboratory tests; however, capturing the spatial variation in these properties across large quay walls can prove inefficient and costly. Moreover, the difficulty in performing full-scale load tests or small-scale physical models complicates the validation of the numerical model. This paper addresses these challenges by
using monitoring data during the construction of a deep-sea quay wall in the Port of Rotterdam. The quay wall, installed primarily in sand, consists of an anchored retaining wall with a concrete relieving platform. During dredging in front of the wall, fiber optic sensors and inclinometers measured large changes in anchor forces and wall deflection. These changes were then compared to the predictions of a finite element model with the hardening soil model with small strain stiffness constitutive model, with the input parameters derived from cone penetration tests (CPT). The results from the CPT-based numerical model were in good agreement with the measured data, demonstrating the feasibility of integrating numerical modelling and field monitoring while supporting the use of the CPT to calibrate advanced soil constitutive models. The validated model provides a reliable basis against which hypothetical adaptation or remediation measures to the wall can be assessed, such as changes in the dredged seabed depth and surcharge loading.