The comparison of simulation methods for backfill soil pressure on filled shell structures

The article presents a comparative analysis of two computational methods modelling soil backing of large diameter shells with infill that are installed on the compressible base. The structure under consideration is a thin metal or reinforced concrete shell (usually cylindrical one) filled with soil of coarse fraction. Thin shells with infill are widely used in hydraulic, industrial, civil, and transport engineering. They are also used in various climatic conditions when constructing quays, piers, jetties, breakwaters, retaining walls, bridge foundations, and other facilities. At present, the possibility of their use in the reconstruction and development of structures of the Arctic ports is being considered. Of the two simulation methods of backfill soil as a part of numerical modelling of thin shell with infill, the principal one is that of modelling backfill soil as elasto-plastic medium. The Mohr-Coulomb model was chosen as the analytical one to describe the processes ongoing in the depth of soil. The simplified method of constructing assumes the simulation of backfill soil as a distributed load over the shell surface, whose value is determined by normative documents. The comparison of the calculation results has made it possible to estimate potential errors when using simplified methods of modelling loads.