Calibration of 2D load for railway embankment stability assessment based on 3D reliability analysis using RFEM
Wei Huang (TU Delft - Civil Engineering & Geosciences)
Michael A. Hicks (TU Delft - Civil Engineering & Geosciences)
Zheng Guan (TU Delft - Civil Engineering & Geosciences)
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Abstract
The Random Finite Element Method (RFEM) is used to calibrate the 2D strip load for the deterministic stability assessment of a railway embankment, considering the effects of 3D train loads and spatial variability of the soil undrained shear strength. 3D random fields are generated to simulate the soil strength variability using different scales of fluctuation in the horizontal plane, and finite element analyses are conducted as part of a Monte Carlo simulation. Each RFEM analysis comprises 500 realizations, from which the probability distribution of undrained bearing capacity is obtained. This allows the 2D design load and resistance to be calibrated against a target reliability level in light of 3D soil spatial variability and load distribution. The results highlight the importance of 3D reliability analysis for the assessment of railway embankments, and the proposed calibration approach provides a reliability-informed 2D solution with improved accuracy.