Stages of wall design Earth Pressures

Active Earth Pressures

Assumptions:

- Dry soil
- Smooth wall
- Horizontal ground surface
- Vertical interface wall-ground

A small movement of the wall of its height

Stage 1 Design of wall (D, t, F1, F2,
reinforcements) results in the reduction of the active earth pressures

from
Stage 2 Design of anchors (length, section, fixed length, positions)

to

Stage 3 Check of global stability of wall -

anchor - ground

Normally, iterations are required

 Passive Earth Pressures

geostatic pressures Under the same assumptions, the gradual movement of the wall inwards
results in the increase of the horizontal effective stresses

from to

active earth pressures

gradually reduces until failure, therefore:

At failure:
 Special cases Saturated Clay - Long Term

Dry Sand

Pore water pressure

hydrostatic pressure
Pore water pressure

Saturated Sand

Pore water pressure

Saturated Clay - Short Term
Cantilever walls

Earth Pressure Analysis

For the quantitative analysis on cantilever walls, it is assumed that the wall
movements are sufficient for the development of the FULL active earth
pressures and PART (0.50 - 1.00) of the passive earth pressures.

Displacements Earth Pressures Resultant of Pressures

Rotation
point

Passive pressure x (0.5-1.0)

Active pressure
 Design

The two design unknows are:

- The length of embedment D = BD

- The distribution of pressures at the full height of the wall, based on
which the wall is determined (wall thickness, reinforcements, etc.)

Iterative method

Equilibriums of Forces and Moments are satisfied

Envelope
Simplified method Simply supported walls

Infinitely stiff walls

Landside pressures

Accurate pressure Approximate pressure

distribution distribution

There are four unknowns:

- Assume that M = 0
- Equilibrium of forces --> C =...
- Equilibrium of moments --> fo = ...
- Assume that ΓΔ = (0.2 - 0.4) fo
Real movements for non-displaced wall
(YA = 0)

Real movements for small outward

displacement YA = 0.001 H (~ active
pressures)
 Excavation side Alternatively...
pressures

PARTIAL
development (0.5-1.0)
of the passive
pressures

Design

Equilibrium of forces
and moments
 Flexible walls Pressures at the fixed part of anchored
walls

Pressures
Moments
Landside pressures Displacements

Limit
Similar to the infinitely stiff walls, assumed to be similar to the active passive
pressures pressure

Excavation side pressures

The pressure distribution changes according to the loading stage (see

right page) Rigid wall

- Initially it is similar to the distribution of the cantilever walls

- Finally (at failure) it is similar to the infinitely stiff anchored walls. Limit
passive
pressure

Flexible wall
Design Iterative method

Reality

Model

The structural system is similar to the one

we had for a cantilever wall, but now the
unknowns are three:
 Simplified method
Blum's method

Fundamental assumption: The point of zero moments (pin) is the

same as the point of zero pressures

Equilibrium of beam

Equilibrium of beam
 Walls with multiple anchors

In this case, the pressure calculation is quite complicated and varies

according to:

- the number, position and installation sequence of the anchors

- the type of ground
- the excavation method
- the shoring method

For this reason, the pressures are calculated from (simplified and
conservative) empirical envelope diagrams, which have been suggested
by various researchers
 Sand Soft Clays (or deep
excavations)

valid for:

It can be theoretically proven that:

where is the active pressure coefficient Soft clay with very big depth

for a smooth wall (δ=0)

Soft clay with layer of stiff clay close to

bottom of excavation
σv,H = vertical pressure at final excavation level
 Stiff Clays (or shallow excavations)

Note
valid for: For all previous cases, the anchor/strut forces are calculated with
the assumption of equal distribution of the pressure envelopes

Attention!
For intermediate excavation cases in clay with

the most conservative case of the previous diagrams for soft and
stiff clays is valid
 Description and design of anchors

Anchor description

Rock

Soil

Fixed Free length

length
Installation phases Anchor design

For the anchor design, sufficient safety against the following failure
modes (anchor or anchor-ground) has to be ensured:

Failure of anchor steel

Failure of anchorage
between ground and
grout

anchor force
anchor section

simple prism
failure

Failure modes
failure with circular
slip surface

KRANZ failure
(composite prism)
 Cohesive soils (Clays)
Failure of anchorage
(between ground and grout)

Ultimate load

Working load

Rocks
 Simple prism failure
Therefore

Without anchorage
Where required FoS eg

available FoS without anchorage

anchor inclination (based on horizontal plane)

failure plane inclination (based on horizontal plane)

anchor load

With anchorage

Therefore,
- assume ω
- calculate α, A
- choose ω which gives Amin

An additional deflection check is required

 KRANZ failure (composite prism)

Calculation

Assumptions

- Geometry of failure mechanism

- P1 = Active pressure at ΓΔ
- P2 = Active pressure at ΑΒ