As an appropriate and economical material, polymer fiber has been widely used for soil improvement. Past experiences show that fibers could increase shear strength, reduce permeability, and increase liquefaction resistance of soil. This paper focuses on the dynamic response and permanent displacement of caisson quay walls in Kobe Port that was damaged during the 1995 Kobe earthquake. The seismic behavior of this soil-structure system is studied using numerical simulations with the FLAC program. Results of past experimental study on the soil-fiber mixtures are employed in order to infer the enhanced parameters of the improved foundation soil. It is shown that use of fiber for improvement of the wall foundation has a significant effect on the system response and the wall demonstrates more appropriate seismic performance. The results are presented in terms of fragility curves prior to and after soil improvement.
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