Lateral Earth Pressures

Duration: 18 min

N. Sivakugan

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Contents

Copyright2001

Geotechnical applications
K0, active & passive states
Rankines earth pressure theory

A 2-minute break
Design of retaining walls
A Mini Quiz
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Lateral Support

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In geotechnical engineering, it is often necessary to

prevent lateral soil movements.

Tie rod
Anchor

Sheet pile

Cantilever
retaining wall

Braced excavation

Anchored sheet pile

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Lateral Support

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We have to estimate the lateral soil pressures acting

on these structures, to be able to design them.

Gravity Retaining
wall

Soil nailing

Reinforced earth wall

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Soil Nailing

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Sheet Pile

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Sheet piles marked for driving

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Sheet Pile

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Sheet pile wall

7

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During installation

Sheet Pile

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Sheet pile wall

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Lateral Support

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Reinforced earth walls are increasingly becoming popular.

geosynthetics

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Lateral Support

Crib walls have been used in Queensland.

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filled with
soil

Good drainage & allow plant growth.

Looks good.

Interlocking
stretchers
and headers

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Earth Pressure at Rest

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In a homogeneous natural soil deposit,

GL

v
h

the ratio h/v is a constant known as

coefficient of earth pressure at rest (K0).
Importantly,
Importantly,atatKK0 0state,
state,there
thereare
areno
nolateral
lateralstrains.
strains.
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Estimating K0

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For normally consolidated clays and granular soils,

K0 = 1 sin
For overconsolidated clays,
K0,overconsolidated = K0,normally consolidated OCR0.5
From elastic analysis,

K0
1

Poissons
ratio
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Active/Passive Earth Pressures

- in granular soils
Wall moves
away from soil
A

Wall moves
towards soil
B
smooth wall

Lets look at the soil elements A and B during the

wall movement.

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Active Earth Pressure

- in granular soils
v = z
v z
h

Initially, there is no lateral movement.

h = K0 v = K0 z
As the wall moves away from the soil,
v remains the same; and
h decreases till failure occurs.
Activestate
state
Active
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Active Earth Pressure

- in granular soils
As the wall moves away from the soil,

ure
l
i
a
f

ope
l
e
env

Initially (K0 state)

Failure (Active state)

v
active earth
pressure

decreasing h
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Active Earth Pressure

- in granular soils

ure
fail

pe
o
l
e
env

WJM Rankine
(1820-1872)

[h]active

[ h ' ]active K A v '

1 sin
KA
tan 2 (45 / 2)
1 sin

Rankines coefficient of
active earth pressure

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Active Earth Pressure

- in granular soils

Failure plane is at
45 + /2 to horizontal
45 + /2

ure
fail

pe
o
l
e
env

v
h

90+

[h]activ

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Active Earth Pressure

- in granular soils
As the wall moves away from the soil,
h decreases till failure occurs.
v z
h

K0 state
Active
state

wall movement

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Active Earth Pressure

- in cohesive soils

Follow the same steps as

for granular soils. Only
difference is that c 0.

[ h ' ]active K A v '2c K A

Everything else the same
as for granular soils.
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Passive Earth Pressure

- in granular soils
Initially, soil is in K0 state.
As the wall moves towards the soil,
v
h

v remains the same, and

h increases till failure occurs.
Passive state

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Passive Earth Pressure

- in granular soils
As the wall moves towards the soil,

Initially (K0 state)

Failure (Active state)
ure
l
i
a
f

ope
l
e
env

v
increasing h

passive earth
pressure

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Passive Earth Pressure

- in granular soils

ure
fail

pe
o
l
e
env

[h]passive

[ h ' ] passive K P v '

1 sin
KP
tan 2 (45 / 2)
1 sin

Rankines coefficient of
passive earth pressure

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Passive Earth Pressure

- in granular soils

Failure plane is at
45 - /2 to horizontal
45 - /2

ure
fail

pe
o
l
e
env

v
h

90+

[h]passive

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Passive Earth Pressure

- in granular soils
As the wall moves towards the soil,
h increases till failure occurs.
v
h

Passive state

B
K0 state
wall movement

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Passive Earth Pressure

- in cohesive soils

Follow the same steps as

for granular soils. Only
difference is that c 0.

[ h ' ] passive K P v '2c K P

Everything else the same
as for granular soils.
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Earth Pressure Distribution

- in granular soils
[h]active
PA and PP are the
resultant active and
passive thrusts on
the wall

[h]passive

PA=0.5 KAH2
h

PP=0.5 KPh2

KPh

KAH

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h
Passive state
Active state
K0 state
Wall movement
(not to scale)

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Rankines Earth Pressure Theory

[ h ' ]active K A v '2c K A

[ h ' ] passive K P v '2c K P

Assumes smooth wall
Applicable only on vertical walls

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Retaining Walls - Applications

Road
Train

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Retaining Walls - Applications

highway

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Retaining Walls - Applications

High-rise building

basement wall

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Gravity Retaining Walls

cement mortar
cobbles

plain concrete or
stone masonry

Theyrely
relyon
ontheir
theirself
selfweight
weightto
to
They
supportthe
thebackfill
backfill
support
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Copyright2001

Cantilever Retaining Walls

Reinforced;
smaller section
than gravity
walls

Theyact
actlike
likevertical
verticalcantilever,
cantilever,
They
fixedto
tothe
theground
ground
fixed

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Copyright2001

Design of Retaining Wall

- in granular soils

Block no.

1
1

toe
toe
Wi = weight of block i

Analyse the stability of this rigid body with

x = horizontal distance of centroid of block i from toe
vertical walls (Rankine theory valid)
i

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Safety against sliding along the base

Fsliding

PP {Wi }. tan

soil-concrete friction
angle 0.5 0.7

PA

to
tobe
begreater
greater
than
than1.5
1.5
2

PA

PA

PP

S
toe

h PP
R

S
toe

R
y

2
PPPP==0.5
0.5KKPPh
h2

2
PPAA==0.5
0.5KKAAH
H2

Safety against overturning about toe

Foverturning

PP h / 3 {Wi xi }
PA H/3

to
tobe
begreater
greater
than
than1.5
1.5
2

PA

PP

S
toe

h PP
R

S
toe

R
y

PA

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Points to Ponder

Copyright2001

How does the key help in improving the stability

against sliding?

Shouldnt we design retaining walls to resist at-rest

(than active) earth pressures since the thrust on the
wall is greater in K0 state (K0 > KA)?

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