Unified Solution of Active and Passive Earth Pressure on Retaining Wall

Abstract:

Based on the plane failure surface hypothesis and the limit equilibrium theory,a unified solution for the distribution,total force,location of the resultant active and passive earth pressures on retaining walls and the reacting force on failure surfaces was derived using differential slice method and graphic method.The solution was applied to the case with a battered wall,inclined ground surface,cohesive backfill and distributed surcharge on the ground surface.The Coulomb’s and Rankine’s theories of earth pressures could be considered as the special cases of the unified solution.The practical calculation model of earth pressures for stratified soils was established under the condition of battered walls and cohesive backfills.This model could be reduced to the current solution of earth pressures for stratified soils according to the Coulomb’s theory of earth pressures.By contrast with earlier methods in the literature,the validity of the present solution was verified.

Key words:retaining wall; earth pressure; plane failure surface; limit equilibrium theory; stratified soil