A CLASS OF INHOMOGENEOUS SHEAR MODELS FOR SEISMIC ANALYSIS OF LANDFILLS

An analytical/numerical procedure is developed to calculate the shear elasto-plastic earthquake response of hill-shaped landfills. Landfill response is evaluated on the basis of newly developed one-dimensional inhomogeneous sheer beam models. In these models, the nonhomogeneity o f landfill materials is taken into account by assuming a specific vari ation of stiffness properties along the depth. Closed-form analytical expressions are derived for natural frequencies, modal displacements, modal participation factors, absolute accelerations and maximum shear strains. Parametric results are presented in graphical and tabular for m and conclusions are drawn. Within a numerical implementation framewo rk of the above formulation, the landfill materials may be modeled by an elasto-plastic hysteretic model following the principles of how or incremental plasticity. The entire numerical procedure may be executed on a personal computer and consequently qualifies as a versatile tool for conducting preliminary design calculations or parametric-type inv estigations. Using this newly developed procedure, the seismic respons e of the Fresh Kills landfill in New York City is investigated. (C) 19 98 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.