Ajloun National University
Civil Engineering Department
Geotechnical Engineering ΙΙ
Lecturer: Eng. Hadeel N. Alzghool
Chapter 12 : Lateral Earth Pressure
Part 1 (Active earth pressure)
1
Outlines
■ Earth pressure at rest.
■ Active earth pressure (Rankin’s theory).
■ 12.4 A Generalized Case for Rankine Active Pressure—Granular Backfill.
■ Special case: Granular Backfill with Vertical Back Face of Wall.
■ 12.5 Rankine Active Pressure with Vertical Wall Back face and Inclined (C’ – φ’) Soil Backfill.
■ 12.6 Coulomb’s Active Earth Pressure.
■ 12.7 Lateral Earth Pressure Due to Surcharge.
■ 12.8 Active Earth Pressure for Earthquake Conditions—Granular Backfill.
■ 12.9 Active Earth Pressure for Earthquake Condition (Vertical Back face of Wall and C’ – φ’ Backfill).
2
Introduction
■ Retaining structures: the structures that used to maintain two different ground surface elevation,
(they support the slopes of earth masses).
■ The various types of earth retaining structures fall into three groups:
1. Gravity walls
2. Embedded walls
3. Reinforced and anchored earth
3
Introduction
■ 3 basic components of retaining structure:
1. Facing unit: not necessary but usually used to
maintain appearance and avoid soil erosion
between the reinforces.
2. Reinforcement: strips or rods of metal, strips or
sheets of geotextiles, wire grids, or chain link
fence or geogrids fastened to the facing unit and
extending into the backfill some distance.
3. The earth fill: usually select granular material
with than 15% passing the no. 200 sieve.
4
Gravity walls
5
Embedded walls
6
Reinforced earth
7
Earth pressure conditions (states of equilibrium)
■ Design and construction based on:
the knowledge of the lateral forces that act between the retaining structures and the soil
masses being retained.
■ Lateral forces are caused by lateral earth pressure.
1. Earth Pressure at Rest
2. Active Earth Pressure
3. Passive Earth pressure
8
Earth Pressure at Rest
9
Earth Pressure at Rest
■ If wall remains static – soil mass will be in a state of elastic
equilibrium – horizontal strain is zero.
■ Ratio of horizontal stress to vertical stress is called coefficient
of earth pressure at rest, Ko
10
Earth Pressure at Rest
11
Earth Pressure at Rest
12
Earth Pressure at Rest
13
Earth Pressure at Rest
14
At-rest earth pressure with water table
15
At-rest earth pressure with water table
16
At-rest earth pressure with water table
17
At-rest earth pressure with water table
18
Active earth pressure (Rankine’s theory)
▪ If a wall tends to move away, due to excavation,
from the soil a distance Δx, as shown in Figure
12.6a, the soil pressure on the wall at any depth
(horizontal) will decrease.
▪ Constant vertical stress.
▪ The tringle of soil mass will fail sliding down.
▪ At this time, the horizontal earth pressure
becomes = active earth pressure.
19
Active earth pressure (Rankine’s theory)
20
Active earth pressure (Rankine’s theory)
21
Active earth pressure (Rankine’s theory) Example 1
22
Active earth pressure (Rankine’s theory) Example 1
23
Active earth pressure (Rankine’s theory) Example 2
24
Active earth pressure (Rankine’s theory) Example 2
25
12.4 A Generalized Case for Rankine Active Pressure - Granular Backfill.
■ In the previous section, the relationship was developed for Rankine
active pressure for a retaining wall with a vertical back and a horizontal
backfill.
■ That can be extended to general cases of frictionless walls with inclined
backs and inclined backfills.
26
12.4 A Generalized Case for Rankine Active Pressure - Granular Backfill.
27
12.4 A Generalized Case for Rankine Active Pressure - Granular Backfill.
28
12.4 A Generalized Case for Rankine Active Pressure - Granular Backfill.
29
12.4 A Generalized Case for Rankine Active Pressure - Granular Backfill.
30
12.4 A Generalized Case for Rankine Active Pressure - Granular Backfill.
31
32
33
Special case Granular Backfill (C’ = 0) with Vertical Back Face of Wall (θ = 0).
34
Special case Granular Backfill (C’ = 0) with Vertical Back Face of Wall (θ = 0).
35
Special case Granular Backfill (C’ = 0) with Vertical Back Face of Wall (θ = 0).
36
12.5 Rankine Active Pressure with Vertical Wall Back face and Inclined
(C’ – φ’) Soil Backfill.
Some values of Ka’ are given in Table 12.4.
37
12.5 Rankine Active Pressure with Vertical Wall Back face and Inclined
(C’ – φ’) Soil Backfill.
38
12.5 Rankine Active Pressure with Vertical Wall Back face and Inclined
(C’ – φ’) Soil Backfill.
For a problem of this type, the depth of tensile crack is given as:
39
Example #3
40
Example #4
41
Example #4 cont.
42
12.6 Coulomb’s Active Earth Pressure.
■ The Rankine active
earth pressure
calculations discussed
in the preceding
sections were based on
the assumption that the
wall is frictionless.
■ In 1776, Coulomb
proposed a theory for
calculating the lateral
earth pressure on a
retaining wall with
granular soil backfill.
This theory takes wall
friction into
consideration.
43
12.6 Coulomb’s Active Earth Pressure.
44
12.6 Coulomb’s Active Earth Pressure.
45
12.6 Coulomb’s Active Earth Pressure.
46
12.6 Coulomb’s Active Earth Pressure.
47
12.6 Coulomb’s Active Earth Pressure.
48
49
50
12.6 Coulomb’s Active Earth Pressure. (with surcharge load)
■ If a uniform surcharge of intensity q is located above the backfill, as shown in the
figure below, the active force, Pa, can be calculated as:
51
Example #5
52
Example #6
53
12.7 Lateral Earth Pressure Due to Surcharge
In several instances, the theory of
elasticity is used to determine the
lateral earth pressure
on unyielding retaining structures
caused by various types of surcharge
loading, such as
line loading (Figure 12.14a) and strip
loading (Figure 12.14b).
54
12.7 Lateral Earth Pressure Due to Surcharge
Line load of intensity q/unit length
55
12.7 Lateral Earth Pressure Due to Surcharge
Strip load with an intensity of q/unit area
56
12.7 Lateral Earth Pressure Due to Surcharge
Strip load with an intensity of q/unit area
57
Example #7
58
Example #8
59
Example #9
60
61
