Retrofit of existing multi-block quay walls: centrifuge modelling

Evidence from recent earthquakes has shown that quay walls are particularly vulnerable to seismic shaking. Being key components of commercial and passenger ports, their seismic damage may incur pronounced direct and indirect losses. To make things worse, the vast majority of ports in Europe’s high seismicity areas (e.g., Greece, Italy), were designed and constructed several decades ago, according to obsolete seismic codes. Such quay walls are typically composed of multiple blocks, resting on top of each other without substantial shear connection. A series of dynamic centrifuge model tests was carried out at the at the University of Dundee, using the Piraeus Port (Greece) as a case study, to investigate the seismic response of such quay walls and exploit retrofitting methods. The paper presents the physical modelling approach and presents a comparative evaluation of the proposed retrofitted system.