Structural dynamics in civil engineering

Abstract

All structures, large or small, are subjected to physical forces that influence their behavior. Let us think of the blades of a marine wind turbine that vibrate in the middle of a storm, in an airplane when it enters a turbulent zone or a machine exposed to its own vibrations, as well as in rigid retention structures they are usually used in civil works such as retaining walls, bridge abutments and foundations, among others. The design of these structures is based on the calculation of the static and dynamic forces exerted by the retained material on the structure itself. Specifically, in the case of dynamic actions, the Mononobe-Okabe (M-O) method is the most internationally accepted for the calculation of dynamic forces on rigid retaining walls. This work presents an extension of the M-O method, called the modified M-O method (M-M-O), to obtain dynamic thrusts in rigid retention structures with compressible expanded polystyrene (EPS) inclusions between the structure and the retained material.