Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

A Numerical Study of the Active Earth Pressure on a Rigid Retaining Wall for Various Modes of Movements

  • Published:
Soil Mechanics and Foundation Engineering Aims and scope

The magnitude and the application point of the resultant active earth pressure are two key problems in the design of a variety of civil engineering structures. Experimental results indicate that these parameters are affected by the wall movements. In this paper, series of two- dimensional finite difference analyses have been carried out using the code FLAC (Fast Lagrangian Analyses of Continua) to study the active earth pressure distribution behind a retaining wall under horizontal translation, rotation about the bottom, and rotation about the top modes of wall displacements. The computation results show remarkable similarity to experimental results available in the literature indicating that the active earth pressure distribution is nonlinear due to the arching effect. It is found that, for a wall under translational and base rotation modes, the active earth pressure is substantially hydrostatic except at the wall base where curvature was observed. These two wall modes are in good agreement with classical solutions. However, the earth pressure distribution due to rotation about the top is found far from the hydrostatic distribution and is highly affected by the arching effect.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. C.A.Coulomb, "Essai sur une application des regles des maximis et minimis a quelques problemes de statique relatifs a l'architecture," Mem. Math. Phys. Acad. Roy. Sci. par divers Savants, Paris, 7 (1776).

  2. WJM. Rankine, "On the stability of loose earth," Philos. Trans. Roy. Soc., London, 147 (1857).

  3. D-Y. Zhu, and Q-H Qian, CF. Lee, "Active and passive critical slip fields for cohesionless soils and calculation of lateral earth pressures," Geotechnique, 51(5), 407-423 (2001).

  4. J. Kerisel and E. Absi, Active and passive earth pressure tables, Balkema, Rotterdam (1990).

    Google Scholar 

  5. V.V. Sokolovskii, Statics of granular media, Pergamon Press Oxford (1965).

  6. J. Graham, "Calculation of passive pressure in sand," Can. Geo. J. 8(4), 566-579 (1971).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  7. W.F. Chen and X.L. Liu, Limit analysis in soil mechanics, Elsevier, New York (1990).

    Google Scholar 

  8. A-H Soubra and B. Macuh, "Active and passive earth pressure coefficients by a kinematical approach," Proc. Inst. Civ. Eng. Geotech. Eng, 155(2), 119-131 (2002).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. M. Ichihara and H. Matsuzawa, "Application of plane strain test to earth pressure," Proc. 8th Int. Conf. on Soil mechanics and Foundation Engineering, 1, 185-901 (1973).

    Google Scholar 

  10. M.A. Sherif, I. Ishibshi, and C.D. Lee, "Earth pressure against rigid retaining walls," J. Geotech. Eng. Div., ASCE, 108, 679-695 (1982).

  11. Y.S. Fang and I. Ishibashi, "Static earth pressures with various wall movements," J. Geotech. Eng. Div, 112(3), 317-333 (1986).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  12. H. Hazarika and H. Matsuzawa, "Wall displacement modes dependent active earth pressure analyses using smeared shear band method with two bands," Comput. Geotech., 19(3), 193-219 (1996).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  13. Y. Wang, "Distribution of earth pressure on a retaining wall," Geotechnique, 50(1), 83-88 (2000).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  14. Y, Wang, Z. Tang, and B. Zheng, "Distribution of active earth pressure of retaining wall with wall movement of rotation about top," Appl. Math.Mech., 25(7), 761-767 (2004).

  15. FLAC, Fast Lagrangian Analysis of Continua, version 5.0. Itasca Consulting Group, Inc., Minneapolis (2007).

  16. S. S. Nadukuru and R. L. Michalowski, "Arching in distribution of active load on retaining walls," J. Geotech. Geoenviron. Eng., 138(5), 575-584 (2012).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  17. Z. V. Tsagareli, "Experimental investigation of the pressure of a loose medium on retaining walls with a vertical back face and horizontal backfill surface," J. Soil Mech. Found. Eng. ASCE 91(4), 197-200 (1965).

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. NMISSI Laboratory, Biskra University, Biskra, Algeria

    N. Benmebarek, H. Labdi & S. Benmebarek

Authors
  1. N. Benmebarek
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. H. Labdi
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. S. Benmebarek
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Additional information

Translated from Osnovaniya, Fundamenty i Mekhanika Gruntov, No. 1, p. 24, January-February, 2016.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Benmebarek, N., Labdi, H. & Benmebarek, S. A Numerical Study of the Active Earth Pressure on a Rigid Retaining Wall for Various Modes of Movements. Soil Mech Found Eng 53, 39–45 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11204-016-9362-z

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11204-016-9362-z

Keywords

Search

Navigation