Soil-Structure Interaction Analysis in a Port Wharf Through Finite Element Methods Using the PLAXIS 2D Software

Resumo

During the project lifespan, berthing structures are exposed to several types of stress. Mooring strains,
weight of the structure and external loads from machinery and soil may generate stresses and displacements on the
foundations. As they are structures that normally present a high level of complexity, the analysis of their behavior
through numerical methods becomes an interesting tool. The use of these methods also allows to model the soil in
a satisfactory way, since, as it is a heterogeneous medium, its properties are of difficult determination. The
objective of this work is to use numerical methods as a way of analyzing the displacements and tensions imposed
on the foundations of a port wharf. Standard penetration tests performed at the site were used to estimate the
geotechnical parameters through correlations found in the literature. The numerical modeling was generated in the
PLAXIS 2D AE. software, through a two dimensional plane-deformation analysis of the problem. Preliminary
analysis identified the presence of these effects on the foundations of the wharf, thus showing the importance of
their verification at the project stage. Through this work, it is expected to better understand the behavior of the
soil-structure interaction present in this wharf, so that in future projects these effects can be taken into account.