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Deep-Seated Failure and Seepage Related Failure

This document discusses the stability of rigid retaining walls and potential failure modes. It notes that rigid retaining walls must have adequate factor of safety to prevent excessive translation or sliding, rotation or overturning, bearing capacity failure, deep-seated failure, and seepage-induced instability. Deep-seated failure occurs when a slip surface encompasses the wall and adjacent soil, similar to slope stability failure, and can be analyzed using software like Slope/W. Seepage-induced failure can be avoided by installing drainage and using coarse-grained backfill with high permeability. Seepage stability is evaluated by comparing the maximum hydraulic gradient along the wall to the critical hydraulic gradient.

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574 views10 pages

Deep-Seated Failure and Seepage Related Failure

This document discusses the stability of rigid retaining walls and potential failure modes. It notes that rigid retaining walls must have adequate factor of safety to prevent excessive translation or sliding, rotation or overturning, bearing capacity failure, deep-seated failure, and seepage-induced instability. Deep-seated failure occurs when a slip surface encompasses the wall and adjacent soil, similar to slope stability failure, and can be analyzed using software like Slope/W. Seepage-induced failure can be avoided by installing drainage and using coarse-grained backfill with high permeability. Seepage stability is evaluated by comparing the maximum hydraulic gradient along the wall to the critical hydraulic gradient.

Uploaded by

winminthetgeo
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 10

3.

5 Deep-Seated Failure and


Seepage Related Failure of
Gravity Retaining Walls

3.5 - 1
Stability of Rigid Retaining Walls
A rigid retaining wall must have an adequate factor of
safety to prevent

• excessive translation or sliding


• rotation or overturning
• bearing capacity failure
• deep-seated failure
• seepage-induced instability

3.5 - 2
Rigid Wall Stability – Deep Seated Failure

 A rigid retaining wall must not fail by deep-seated


failure, whereby a slip surface encompasses the wall
and the soil adjacent to it.

 This type of failure is similar to that arising from


slope stability failure.
_____________

 Hence, an approach similar to that of _____________


slope stability
may be adopted for analyzing rigid wall stability
associated with deep-seated failure.

 A software tool such as ________


Slope/W may be used for this
purpose to obtain the critical factor of safety based on
different assumed trial failure surfaces.
3.5 - 3
Stability of Rigid Retaining Walls
A rigid retaining wall must have an adequate factor of
safety to prevent

• excessive translation or sliding


• rotation or overturning
• bearing capacity failure
• deep-seated failure
• seepage-induced instability

3.5 - 4
Rigid Wall Stability – Seepage-Induced Failure

 To avoid seepage-related failures, adequate drainage


should be installed in the backfill to dissipate excess
pore pressures quickly.

 ______________
Coarse-grained soils are preferable for the backfill
because of their superior drainage characteristics
fine-grained soils.
compared with ___________

3.5 - 5
Rigid Wall Stability – Seepage-Induced Failure

 A rigid retaining wall must have adequate protection


from groundwater seepage.
 The pore water pressure and the maximum hydraulic
gradient imax developed under seepage must not cause
any of the four stability criteria stated above to be
violated.
 Also the quick condition (otherwise known as static
liquefaction) must not occur, that is
γ'
imax < ic =
γw
where ic (= γ’/γw) is the critical hydraulic gradient that
cause the effective stress at any point in the soil to be
zero. (γ’ = submerged unit weight of the soil, γw = unit weight of water)
3.5 - 6
Rigid Wall Stability – Seepage-Induced Failure

 Seepage-induced stability may be evaluated by


drawing a flow net and checking for the maximum
_______,
hydraulic gradient imax along the wall.
 As a first pass, imax can be estimated using the
simplified approach we discussed earlier.
(See Slide 2.15 - 30, repeated on next slide)

3.5 - 7
Example on Simplified Seepage Calculations
X
From Earlier Slide
Section 2.15 - 30 b

Y
a

Impermeable Layer

hydraulic gradient =
change in head between back and front of wall
total flow path length
=
b
2a + b
≈ imax
Take Elevation Head (EH) to be zero at Point Z
At Point X, EH(X) = a + b PH(X) = 0 TH(X) = EH(X) + PH(X) = a + b
At Point Y, EH(Y) = a PH(Y) = ? TH(Y) = EH(Y) + PH(Y) = a + ?
At Point Z, EH(Z) = 0 PH(Z) = ? TH(Z) = EH(Z) + PH(Z) = ?
3.5 - 8
Rigid Wall Stability – Seepage-Induced Failure

 Seepage-induced stability may be evaluated by


drawing a flow net and checking for the maximum
_______,
hydraulic gradient imax along the wall.
 As a first pass, imax can be estimated using the
simplified approach we discussed earlier.
 Compare imax with ic

 Usually
imax ≤ ic / (FS)s

where (FS)s is a factor of safety for seepage and is


conventionally greater than 3.
3.5 - 9
Recap Learning Objectives
Types of Rigid Retaining Structures

Modes of Failure
Translational, Rotational, Bearing Capacity
Global (or deep-seated) failure
Seepage-Induced
Structural Failure
Calculations to check for stability of
gravity retaining structures
Translational, Rotational, Bearing Capacity
3.5 - 10

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