Evaluation of Pseudo-Static and Numerical Methods to Calculate Seismic Soil Pressure on Basement Walls

In design of basement structure it is required to estimate limits of earth pressure. The distribution and intensity of horizontal earth pressure is the major importance in design of wall for any basement structure. This is usually performed by assuming a linear pressure distribution that includes using active, passive or Mononobe-Okabe pressure coefficients obtained by either limit equilibrium, stress field solutions or limit analysis. These coefficients are approximate in a theoretical sense, do not distinguish between wall movement, and provide no pre-failure information. In this paper the finite element method is applied to obtain seismic soil trust on finite displacing basement wall and then compare it with seven type of analytical solution to obtain suitable criteria. This study was motivated by the lack of well-defined design procedures and design data for evaluating earthquake force on deep basement structures. The outcome of this work is considered to be ones of practical interest for Tehran area. The results are also useful for other regions in which predominantly soil characteristic behavior is expected as required in this analysis.