Geotechnical Engineering-II

Unit 1
Earth Pressure and Retaining Walls

Dr. Awdhesh Kumar Choudhary

Assistant Professor
Department of Civil Engineering
NIT Jamshedpur
Lateral Earth Pressure

On earth retaining structures such as

retaining wall, sheet piles etc, the back fill
consisting soil mass exerts lateral pressure
on the wall in horizontal direction, known
as lateral earth pressure.
In 1929, Karl von Terzaghi (also known as
the father of soil mechanics) conducted
experiment on retaining wall and showed
the relation of earth pressure exerted on
the wall when it changes its position i.e.
 When the wall moves towards the
backfill.
 When the wall moves away from the
backfill.
 When the wall remain at its place.
Types of Lateral Earth Pressure
There are basically three types of lateral
earth pressure :-
1) Active earth pressure
 Due to excessive pressure of the retained soil, the
retaining wall tends to move away from the back
fill.
 Consequently a certain portion of the back fill
located immediately behind the retaining wall, gets
separated from the rest of the soil mass and hence
the earth pressure on the retaining wall decreases.
 The wedged shaped portion of the back fill tending
to move with the wall, is called the failure wedge.
 The retaining wall is kept in equilibrium by resisting force developed due to shear
strength of the soil along the plane of the failure wedge in a direction away from the
retaining wall.
 There is a limit within which the retaining wall may move from the back fill, thereby
limiting the pressure. The minimum pressure exerted by the soil on the retaining wall, is
called Active Earth Pressure.
Types of Lateral Earth Pressure

2) Passive earth pressure

 Whenever the retaining wall moves towards the
back fill due to any natural cause, the earth pressure
increases because the retaining soil gets compressed.
 The resulting shearing strength develops along the
plane of the failure wedge in a direction towards the
retaining wall.
 The pressure reaches a maximum limit when the
shearing resistance of the soil has been fully
mobilized. The maximum earth pressure due to
maximum shear stress on the retaining wall is
called Passive Earth Pressure.
Types of Lateral Earth Pressure

3) Earth pressure at rest

 We know that active earth pressure is
accompanied by the movement of the retaining
wall away from the back fill and passive earth
pressure is accompanied by the movement of the
retaining wall towards the back fill.
 Thus, there occurs an intermediate situation
when the retaining wall does not move due to
earth pressure but remains perfectly stationary.
 The pressure which develops due to back fill
at zero movement is called Earth Pressure at
Rest.
 Its value is higher than limiting active Relationship between wall movement and
lateral pressure
pressure but less than the passive pressure.
Definition of at rest, active and passive pressures ( Wall is frictionless)
Rankine’s Earth Pressure Theory
Assumptions:
 There is no adhesion or friction between the wall and soil.
 Lateral pressure is limited to vertical walls.
 Failure (in the backfill) occurs as a sliding wedge an assumed failure
plane defined by φ
 Lateral pressure varies linearly with depth and the resultant pressure
is located one-third of the height (H) above the base of the wall.
 The resultant force is parallel to the backfill surface.
Rankine’s Earth Pressure Theory
Case 1. Cohesionless backfill with horizontal ground
surface

Active Case:
 For Rankine’s active state, the earth pressure at any
depth z against the retaining wall is
σ՛a = Ka γ z
 σ՛a increases linearly with depth, and at the bottom (a)
of the wall, it is
σ՛a = Ka γ H
 The total active force per unit length of the wall is
equal to the area of the pressure diagram i.e.
Pa = ½ Ka γ H2

Passive Case:
 For Rankine’s passive state, the lateral earth
pressure at any depth z against the retaining wall is (b)

σ՛p = Kp γ H
Pressure distribution against a retaining
The total passive force per unit length of the wall is wall for cohesionless soil backfill with
Pp = ½ Kp γ H2 horizontal ground surface: (a) Rankine’s
active state; (b) Rankine’s passive state
Rankine’s Earth Pressure Theory
Case 2. Partially submerged cohesionless backfill
supporting a surcharge (Fig. a)
1) Active Case:
 The effective active earth pressure at any depth
is
σ՛a = Ka σ՛o
where σ՛a and σ՛o are the effective vertical pressure
and lateral pressure, respectively
 At depth z = 0; σo = σ՛o = q and σ՛a = Kaq
 At depth z = H1
σ՛o = (q + γ H1) and
σ՛a = Ka (q + γ H1)
 At depth z = H
σ՛o = (q + γ H1 + γ՛ H2 ) and
σ՛a = Ka (q + γ H1 + γ՛ H2 )
where γ՛ = γsat – γw
 The variation of σ՛a with depth is shown in Fig. b
 The lateral pressure on the wall from the pore Rankine’s active earth-pressure distribution against
water between z = 0 and H1 is 0, and for z > H1, it a retaining wall with partially submerged
cohesionless soil backfill supporting a surcharge
increases linearly with depth.
 At depth z = H; u = γw H2
Rankine’s Earth Pressure Theory
 The total lateral-pressure diagram (Fig. d) is the sum of the pressure diagrams
shown in Fig. b and Fig. c
 The total active force per unit length of the wall is the area of the total pressure
diagram is
Pa = Ka q H + ½ Ka γ H12 + Ka γ H1 H2 + ½ ( Ka γ՛ + γw ) H22

Rankine’s active earth-pressure distribution against a retaining wall with partially

submerged cohesionless soil backfill supporting a surcharge
Rankine’s Earth Pressure Theory
Case 2. Partially submerged cohesionless backfill
supporting a surcharge (Fig. a)

2) Passive Case:

 Rankine’s passive pressure at any depth against

the wall is
σ՛p = Kp σ՛o
 The variation of σ՛p with depth is shown in Fig. (b)
 The variation of the pressure on the wall from
water with depth is shown in Fig. (c)
 The distribution of the total pressure σp with
Depth is shown in Fig. (d)
 The total lateral passive force per unit length of
the wall is the area of the diagram i.e.

Pp = Kp q H + ½ Kp γ H12 + Kp γ H1 H2 + ½ ( Kp γ՛ + γw ) H22

Rankine’s active earth-pressure distribution against

a retaining wall with partially submerged
cohesionless soil backfill supporting a surcharge
Rankine’s Earth Pressure Theory
Case 1. Cohesive backfill with horizontal
ground surface
1) Active Case:
 The active pressure against the wall at any
depth below the ground surface is

 The variation of Kaγz with depth is

shown in Fig. (b) and the variation of
with depth is shown in Fig. (c)
N.B. = is not a function of z. Hence
Fig. (c) is a rectangle.
 The variation of the net σ՛a value of with
depth is shown in Fig. (d)
N.B. = Because of the effect of cohesion, σ՛a
is negative in the upper part of the
retaining wall.
 The depth zo at which the active pressure
becomes zero is Rankine’s active earth-pressure distribution against a
retaining wall with cohesive soil backfill

Hence,
Rankine’s Earth Pressure Theory
 For the undrained condition i.e. Φ = 0
Ka = tan245 = 1 and c = cu (undrained cohesion)
Hence,

So, with time tensile cracks at the soil-wall interface will develop up
to a depth zo
 The total active force per unit length of the wall can be found from
the area of the total pressure diagram shown in Fig. (d) i.e.
Pa = ½ Ka γ H2 -
 For Φ = 0 condition,
Pa = ½ γ H2 - 2 c u H
 However for calculation of total active force for tensile cracks are
also taken into account.
Reason - Since no contact exists between the soil and the
wall upto a depth of zo therefore only the active pressure distribution
against the wall between z = and H is considered.
In this case,

 For Φ = 0 condition,
Rankine’s Earth Pressure Theory

Case 1. Cohesive backfill with horizontal ground surface

2) Passive Case:

 Rankine’s passive pressure against the wall at depth z is

 At z = 0 ; σ՛p =
 At z = H ;
 The variation of σ՛p with depth is shown in Fig. (b)
 The passive force per unit length of the wall can be found
from the area of the pressure diagram shown in Fig. (b) i.e.

 For the undrained condition i.e. Φ = 0, Kp = 1

Rankine’s passive earth-pressure distribution

against a retaining wall with cohesive soil
backfill
Coulomb’s Earth Pressure Theory
Assumptions:
 The backfill is a dry, cohesionless, homogeneous, isotropic soil.
 The backfill surface is planar and can be inclined.
 The back of the wall can be inclined to the vertical.
 The failure surface is a plane surface which passes through the heel of
the wall.
 The position and the line of action of the earth pressure are known.
 The sliding wedge is considered to be a rigid body and the earth pressure
is obtained by considering the limiting equilibrium of the sliding wedge as a
whole.

How Coulomb’s earth pressure theory is different from Rankine’s theory!!

 Friction between the wall and soil is considered by using a soil-wall
friction angle δ՛.
 The value of δ՛ ranges from φ/2 to 2φ/3. Although δ՛ = 2φ/3 is commonly
used.
 Lateral pressure is not limited to vertical walls as in case of Rankine’s
theory.
 The resultant force is not necessarily parallel to the backfill surface
because of the existing soil-wall friction.
Coulomb’s Earth Pressure Theory

 Let AB Fig. (a) be the back face of

a retaining wall supporting a
granular soil.
 The backfill surface is constantly
lying at an angle α with the
horizontal. Here BC is a trial failure
surface.
Coulomb’s active pressure: (a) trial failure wedge; (b) force polygon

 In the stability consideration of the probable failure wedge ABC, the following
forces are involved (per unit length of the wall):
1. W = Weight of the soil wedge.
2. F = Resultant of the shear and normal forces on the surface of failure BC. This is
inclined at an angle of ϕ՛ to the normal drawn to the plane BC.
3. Pa= Active force per unit length of the wall. The direction of Pa inclined at an angle
δ՛ to the normal drawn to the face of the wall that supports the soil. Here δ՛ is the angle of
friction between the soil and the wall.
 The force triangle for the wedge is shown in Fig. (b)
Coulomb’s Earth Pressure Theory

 By applying law of sines in Fig. (b), we have

upon rearranging,

 The preceding equation can be written as

Force polygon

where, γ = unit weight of soil

 In the above equation β is the only variable. Rest all (γ, H, θ, α, ϕ՛ and δ՛) are
constants.
 To determine the critical value of β for maximum Pa, we have
 Upon solving and substituting the relationship of β in equation xx, Coulomb’s
active earth pressure is obtained as
where, Ka = Coulomb’s active earth pressure coefficient

=
Sheet Pile Walls

 A sheet pile wall is an earth and

water retaining structure which is
made up of a series of sheet piles driven
side by side to the required depth in the
ground.
 The driven sheet piles thus form a
continuous vertical wall which is Sheet pile wall as earth retaining structures
basically referred to as a sheet pile wall.
 Unlike other RCC or masonry rigid
retaining walls, sheet pile walls are
lighter in weight and flexible.
 The sheet piles can be of timber,
reinforced concrete or steel depending
on the provision made for achieving its
stability.
Sheet pile wall as water retaining structures
Types and uses of Sheet Pile Walls

Sheet pile walls are of three types:

1. Cantilever sheet piling.
2. Anchored sheet piling.
3. Braced sheeting. Cantilever sheet piling

Sheet pile walls are used in:

1. Light weight construction
when the bearing stratum is
poor for supporting the Anchored sheet piling
heavier RCC or masonry
retaining wall.
2. For temporarily retaining
earthfills in some construction
activities, and
Braced sheeting
3. Water front structures.
Design of cantilever sheet pile wall
 Fig. (a) shows the cantilever sheet pile in a cohesionless soil deposits.
 The pile rotates about the point Oʹ as shown in figure.
 The pressure above Oʹ is passive in the front and active on the back side.
 The pressure below the point Oʹ will be reverse i.e. there is active pressure in
the front and passive on the back side.
 The Figure (b) shows the actual pressure distribution.
Design of cantilever sheet pile wall
Case 1. Cantilever sheet pile walls
embedded in granular soil

 The analysis considering actual

pressure distribution is quite
complicated, so the pressure
distribution is generally simplified as
shown below.
 As shown in fig. (c), the pressure will
be zero at the point O.
 The pressure diagram BCO1 shows
the active pressure.
 The pressure at the dredge level is
given by
P1 = γhKa
Design of cantilever sheet pile wall

 The depth ‘a’ of point O1 of zero

pressure is given by,
P1 - γa (Kp - Ka) = 0
a = P1 /γ (Kp - Ka)

 The total active pressure above point O1

be P1 acting at a height of Z1 above O1.
 The passive pressure is given by the
diagram O1EO. The passive pressure
intensity at the bottom tip A can be
expressed as
P2= γ (Kp - Ka) (d - a)
P2= γ (Kp - Ka) b
where b = (d - a) , in which d is the depth of
point A below the dredge level.
Design of cantilever sheet pile wall
 The passive pressure is indicated by the diagram OAF on the back side.
The intensity of pressure at the tip A is given by,
P3= γ (h + d) Kp – γdKa
 From the equation of equilibrium in the horizontal direction,
P1+ P3 - P2= 0
 The total pressure P3 and P2 be expressed as follows :
P1 + 𝟏/𝟐 m (P2+ P3) - 𝟏/𝟐 m (P2) b = 0
 The equivalence of areas has been taken as shown in below figure:
Design of cantilever sheet pile wall
 The height of the point E above the tip A is taken as m .
m = ½ P2 b - P1 / ½ P2 + P3
m = P2 b - P1 / P2 + P3
 Taking moments of all the forces about A,
P1 (b + Z1) - ½ P2 b - (b/3) + ½ m (P2 + P3) × m/3 = 0
 Substituting the value of m , the above equation can be written as
b4 + C 1 b3 - C 2 b2 - C 3 b - C 4 = 0
where,
C1 = P4 / (Kp - Ka)
C2 = 8P1/ (Kp - Ka)
C3 = 6P1 [2γ (Kp - Ka) Z1 + P4 ] / γ (Kp - Ka)2
C4 = 6P4(Z1) + 4P1 / γ (Kp - Ka)2

Here, P4 = γ h Kp + γ (Kp - Ka) a

 By trial and error method b can be determined. The value of d is
equal to (b + a).
 The depth d is a factor of safety of unity.
The required depth (D) is usually taken as 1.2d to 1.4d
Thank you

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