LATERAL EARTH PRESSURE

• In geotechnical engineering, it is often

necessary to prevent lateral soil movements.
• We have to estimate the lateral soil pressures
acting on these structures, to be able to
design them.
TYPES OF EARTH-RETAINING
STRUCTURES
• We can calculate σv’
• Now, calculate σh’ which is the horizontal stress
• σh‘/ σv‘ = K
• Therefore, σh‘ = Kσv‘
• Lateral earth pressure represents pressures
that are “to the side” (horizontal) rather than
vertical.
• Caused by soil self weight and or external load
• 3 categories:
• At rest earth pressure (Ko)
• Active earth pressure (Ka )
• Passive earth pressure (Kp)
EARTH PRESSURE AT REST
• The at rest pressure develops when the
wall experiences no lateral movement.
• This typically occurs when the wall is
restrained from movement such as a
basement wall that is supported at the
bottom by a foundation and at the top by a
floor framing system prior to placing soil
backfill against the wall.
• In a homogeneous natural soil deposit,
GL

v’
h ’ X

the ratio h’/v’ is a constant known as

coefficient of earth pressure at rest (K0).

Importantly, at K0 state, there are no

lateral strains.
ESTIMATING K 0

For normally consolidated clays and granular

soils, K = 1 – sin ’
0

For overconsolidated
clays,
K0,overconsolidated = K0,normally consolidated OCR0.5

From elastic
analysis,  Poisson’s
K0  ratio
1
ACTIVE EARTH PRESSURE
• The active pressure develops when
the wall is free to move outward
such as a typical retaining wall and
the soil mass stretches sufficiently
to mobilize its shear strength
 v’ = z

• Initially, there is no lateral movement

h’ = K0 v’ = K0 z
As the wall moves away from the
soil,
v’ remains the same; and
h’ decreases till failure occurs.
PASSIVE EARTH PRESSURE
• If the wall moves into the soil,
then the soil mass is compressed
sufficiently to mobilize its shear
strength and the passive pressure
develops.
RELATION BETWEEN LATERAL EARTH
PRESSURE AND WALL
EARTH PRESSURE THEORIES
• A French military engineer, Vauban, 1687.
• The theories by Coulomb and Rankine referred to
as the “Classical earth pressure theories”
• These theories have been developed originally to
apply to cohesionless soil backfill
• Although Coulomb presented his theory nearly a
century earlier to Rankine’s theory, Rankine’s
theory will be presented first due to its relative
simplicity.
RANKINE'S THEORY
• Assumptions in Rankine's Theory
 The soil mass is semi infinite, homogeneous, dry
and cohesionless.
 The ground surface is a plane which may be
horizontal or inclined.
 The face of the wall in contact with the backfill is
vertical and smooth other words, the friction
between the wall and the backfill is neglected
 The wall yields about the base and thus satisfies
the deformation conditions for plastic equilibrium
EXPRESSIONS FOR INTENSITY OF LATERAL EARTH
PRESSURE, TOTAL LATERAL THRUST AND POSITION
OF TOTAL EARTH PRESSURE

• The following cases of cohesionless backfill will

now be considered .
 Dry or moist backfill with no surcharge
 Stratified backfill
 Submerged backfill
 Backfill with uniform surcharge
 Backfill with sloping surface
 Inclined back and surcharge
 CASE 1 : DRY OR MOIST BACK FILL
ACTIVE CASE
At the instant of shear failure

σ1 = σ3 tan2 ( 45 + ϕ/2)+2C tan(45+ϕ/2)

now σ1 = σv = γ z
where z is depth at any point of reference
σ3 = σ h = p a
for a cohesionless soil; C = 0
we know that θ = ( 45 + ϕ/2)
therefore plastic equilibrium equation becomes
γ z = pa tan2 θ+ 0
 γ z = Pa tan2 θ+ 0
Pa = γ z cot2 θ
Pa = γ z Ka ; where Ka = cot2 θ
cot2 θ = cot2 ( 45 + ϕ/2) = tan2 ( 45 - ϕ/2)= = Ka
the distribution of earth pressure over the retaining wall at depth
z=H
is p a = γ H Ka
Total active earth pressure per unit length of wall Pa = (1/2) (Ka γ H) H
where Pa is acting at H/3 from base
PASSIVE CASE
• At the instant of shear failure

σ1 =σ3tan2(45+ϕ/2)+2Ctan(45+ϕ/2)
now σ1 = σh = pp
σ3 = σv = γ z
where z is depth at any point of reference
for a cohesionless soil C = 0
& we know that θ = ( 45 + ϕ/2)
therefore plastic equilibrium eq becomes
pp = γ z tan2 θ + 0
• pp = γ z tan2 θ+ 0
pp = γ z tan2 θ
pp = γ z Kp ; where Kp = tan2 θ
tan2 θ = tan2 ( 45 + ϕ/2) = = Kp
Total active earth pressure per unit length of wall
Pp = (1/2) (Kp γ z) z
where Pp is acting at H/3 from base
• Also
• Kp = 1/ Ka
• magnitude of passive earth pressure will be always
more than active earth pressure.
•
CASE2 STRATIFIED BACKFILL
• If the backfill consists of two or more strata's,
the internal frictional angle should be considered
for all the strata's
• The lateral earth pressure equation is given by
pa = Ka1 γ1 H1 + Ka2 γ2 H2
CASE 3 SUBMERGED BACKFILL
• In this case the backfill is submerged in water and lateral earth
pressure consists of two component
 Lateral pressure due to submerged weight
 Lateral pressure due to water
Thus at any depth ‘z’ below the surface
pa = Ka γ’ z + γw z
• the pressure at the base of the retaining wall ( z = H) is given
by
pa = Ka γ’ H + γw H
• If free water stands on both sides of wall the
water pressure need not be considered and lateral
pressure at the base is given by
pa = Ka γ’ H
• If the backfill is partly submerged, i.e., the
backfill is moist to a depth H1 below ground level,
and then it is submerged, lateral pressure at the
base is given by
pa = Ka γ H1 + Ka γ’ H2 + γw H2
the above equation is on assumption that value of ϕ
is the same for the moist as well as submerged soil.
If it is different say ϕ1 and ϕ2
pa = Ka1 γ H1 + Ka2 γ’ H2 + γw H2
CASE 4: BACKFILL WITH UNIFORM
SURCHARGE
• If the backfill is horizontal and carries a
surcharge of uniform intensity q per unit area
• The lateral earth pressure intensity at the base
of the wall will be
p a = Ka γ H + K a q
CASE 5 BACKFILL WITH SLOPING
SURFACE OR INCLINED SURCHARGE
• If β is the sloping angle of the backfill with the
horizontal, the equation to find out active and passive
earth pressure coefficient is given by

• The total active thrust Pa per unit length of the wall acts
at (1/3)H above the base of the wall and is equal to

• it acts parallel to the surface of the fill.

• A gravity retaining wall retains 12 m of a backfill,
γ = 17.7 kN/m3 φ = 25° with a uniform horizontal
surface. Assume the wall interface to be vertical,
determine the magnitude and point of application
of the total active pressure.
 If the water table is a height of 6 m, how far
do the magnitude and the point of application
of active pressure changed?
EARTH PRESSURE OF COHESIVE SOILS
• A cohesive soil is partially self-supporting so it will, exert a
smaller pressure on a retaining wall than a cohesionless soil
with same angle of friction and density. Cohesion is known
to increase the passive earth resistance of the soil.
Passive
case

Active
case
• The negative values of active pressure indicate
suction effect or tensile stresses
• The net pressure over depth of (2 Z c ) Hc is
obviously zero This indicates that a cohesive soil
mass should be able to stand unsupported up to
this depth which is known as the critical depth
• The depth Zc is the depth of tension crack
• The depth Hc is the unsupported excavation depth
COULOMB’S WEDGE THEORY
• Charles Augustine Coulomb (1776), a famous French
scientist and military engineer
• Coulomb's theory considers the soil behind the wall as a
whole instead of as an element in the soil
• If a supporting wall is not there, the soil will slump down to
its angle of repose or internal friction
• if the wall moves forward slightly a rupture plane would
develop somewhere between the wall and the surface of
repose
• The triangular mass of soil between this plane of failure and
the back of the wall is referred to as the 'sliding wedge'
• Coulomb recognized the possibility of the
existence of a curved rupture surface, although
he considered a plane surface for the sake of
mathematical simplicity
• Poncelet (1840), Culmann (1866), Rebhann (1871)
and Engesser (1880) are the notable figures who
contributed to further development of Coulomb's
theory.
 ASSUMPTIONS
• The backfill soil is considered to be dry, homogeneous, isotropic and
cohesionless
• The rupture surface is assumed to be a plane and passes through the heel
of the wall.
• The sliding wedge acts as a rigid body and the value of the earth thrust is
obtained by considering its equilibrium.
• The friction between the wall and backfill soil is considered and is called
wall friction ‘δ’.
• The position and direction of the earth thrust are assumed to be known.
And it acts at 1/3 distance from base and makes an angle δ, with the
normal to the back face of the wall.
• A unit length of the wall perpendicular to the plane of the paper is
considered.
• the theory gives two limiting values of earth pressure, the least and the
greatest (active and passive), compatible with equilibrium.
• The friction is distributed uniformly on the rupture surface.
• The back face of the wall is a plane.
• If the wall yields and the rupture of the backfill soil take place, a soil
wedge is torn off from the rest of the soil mass
• In the active case, the soil wedge slides sideways and downward over
the rupture surface, thus exerting a lateral pressure on the wall
• In the case of passive earth resistance, the soil wedge slides
sideways and upward on the rupture surface due to the forcing of the
wall against the fill.
CULMANN'S GRAPHICAL METHOD
• Karl Culmann (1866) gave his own graphical method
to evaluate the earth pressure from Coulomb's
theory
• Culmann's method used to determine graphically
the magnitude of the earth pressure and to locate
the rupture surface
• It may be conveniently used for ground surface of
any shape, for different types of surcharge loads,
and for layered backfill with different unit
weights for different layers.
• The steps in the construction may be set out as follows:
• Draw the ground line, ϕ-line, and Ψ-line, and the wall face
AB.
• Choose an arbitrary failure plane BC1. Calculate weight of
the wedge ABC and plot it as B-1 to a convenient scale on
the ϕ-line.
• Draw 1-1' parallel to the Ψ-line through 1 to meet BC1 in 1'.
1' is a point on the Culmann-line.
• Similarly, take some more failure planes BC2, BC3,..., and
repeat the steps (ii) and (iii) to establish points 2', 3',...
• Join B, 1', 2', 3', etc., smoothly to obtain the Culmann curve.
• Draw a tangent t-t, to the Culmann line parallel to the 1-line.
• Let the point of the tangency be F'
• Draw F'F parallel to the Ψ-line to meet the ϕ-line in F.
• Join BF' and produce it to meet the ground line in C.
• BF'C represents the failure surface and FF ' represents Pa
to the same scale as that chosen to represent the weights
of wedges.
REBHANN'S GRAPHICAL METHOD
• Rebhann (1871) is credited with having presented the
criterion for the direct location of the failure plane assumed
in the Coulomb's theory
• Let AB represent the back face of the wall and AD the
backfill surface
• Draw BD inclined at ϕ with the horizontal from the heel B of
the wall to meet the backfill surface in D.
• Draw BK inclined at Ψ (= α - δ) with BD, which is the Ψ -line.
• Through A, draw AE parallel to the Ψ -line to meet BD in E.
• Describe a semi-circle on BD as diameter.
• Erect a perpendicular to BD at E to meet the semi-circle in
F.
• With B as centre and BF as radius draw an arc to meet BD
in G
• Through G, draw a parallel to the Ψ -line to meet AD in C.
• With G as centre and GC as radius draw an arc to cut BD in
L, join CL and also draw a perpendicular CM from C on to LG.
• BC is the required rupture surface.