CHAP 2 : LATERAL EARTH PRESSURE

WEEK 6 ~ CHAP. 2
LATERAL EARTH PRESSURES

TEACHING LECTURER ;
PM. IR. BAHARDIN BAHAROM
HJH. FAUZILAH ISMAIL
HAIROL ANUAR HARON
DIANA CHE LAT

FKA Level 5-49, 07-3818345

Soil Engineering ECG353/ECG213/Pasir Gudang Campus/FBI 1
CHAP 2 : LATERAL EARTH PRESSURE

ACTIVITY : Week 6 ~ CHAP. 2

Lecture ~ 34 slides
Tutorial
Independent learning activities

Soil Engineering ECG353/ECG213/Pasir Gudang Campus/FBI 2

CHAP 2 : LATERAL EARTH PRESSURE
LEARNING OUTCOMES

Week 6 : Coverage ~ Determination of lateral thrust

based on Rankines Bells Theories

Learning outcomes:
At the end of this lecture/week the students would
be able to:

i. Discuss Rankines Bells theories for lateral earth

pressures
ii. Perform analysis to determine horizontal thrust
based on Rankines Bells Theories.

Soil Engineering ECG353/ECG213/Pasir Gudang Campus/FBI 3

CHAP 2 : LATERAL EARTH PRESSURE

OUTLINE of PRESENTATION
2.1 Introduction & Overview.
2.1.1 Application of Lateral Earth
Pressures to Retaining Walls
2.1.2 Modes of Failure

2.2 States of Equilibrium at rest, active and passive.

2.2.4.3 Contd.Lateral Pressures Distribution

based on Rankines Theory (Cohesionless Soil).

2.3 Lateral Pressures Distribution based on Rankines

Bells Theory (Cohesive Soil).

Soil Engineering ECG353/ECG213/Pasir Gudang Campus/FBI 4

CHAP 2 : LATERAL EARTH PRESSURE
Rankines Lateral Pressure (Active State)
2.2.4.3 Active Pressure (effect of multi-layered soil)

Effect of a multi-layered or stratified soil

Soil Engineering ECG353/ECG213/Pasir Gudang Campus/FBI 5

CHAP 2 : LATERAL EARTH PRESSURE

Example 4 (cohesionless soil)

Determine the active thrust and its line of action for the following wall:

Pa1
=
Pa kN/m
Pa2 Pa3
za

Soil Engineering ECG353/ECG213/Pasir Gudang Campus/FBI 6

CHAP 2 : LATERAL EARTH PRESSURE
Rankines Lateral Pressure (Active State)
2.2.4.4 Active pressure (horizontal cohesionless soil with
imposed surcharge,q and standing water)

Soil Engineering ECG353/ECG213/Pasir Gudang Campus/FBI 7

CHAP 2 : LATERAL EARTH PRESSURE
Combination Cases
Example 5
Condition : Cohesionless soil.
Calculate the Total Active Thrust (Pa) acting on the
retaining wall.
q, Surcharge Loading of 100 kN/m2

Soil properties - Top layer:

C1 = 0 kN/m2
H1 = 4 m 1 = 30O
b = 19 kN/m3

Groundwater table at the mid boundary

Soil properties - Bottom layer:

C2 = 0 kN/m2
H2 = 4 m 2 = 15O
sat = 22 kN/m3

Soil Engineering ECG353/ECG213/Pasir Gudang Campus/FBI 8

CHAP 2 : LATERAL EARTH PRESSURE
Rankines Lateral Pressure (Active State)
2.2.4.5 Effect of sloping surface,

Soil Engineering ECG353/ECG213/Pasir Gudang Campus/FBI 9

CHAP 2 : LATERAL EARTH PRESSURE
Rankines Lateral Pressure
..Effect of sloping surface,

Active pressure, ha
'
K a v' cos

Passive pressure, hp
'
K p v' cos

cos - (cos2 - cos 2 ' )

where Ka
cos (cos2 - cos2 ' )

cos (cos2 - cos 2 ' ) 1

and Kp
cos (cos - cos ' ) K a
2 2

Soil Engineering ECG353/ECG213/Pasir Gudang Campus/FBI 10

CHAP 2 : LATERAL EARTH PRESSURE

Example 6
6 1

Soil Engineering ECG353/ECG213/Pasir Gudang Campus/FBI 11

CHAP 2 : LATERAL EARTH PRESSURE

2.3
Bells solution for cohesive
soil
c>0
Soil Engineering ECG353/ECG213/Pasir Gudang Campus/FBI 12
CHAP 2 : LATERAL EARTH PRESSURE

2.3 Bells solution for cohesive soil, c>0

ha
'
K a v' - 2c' K a

hp
'
K p v' 2c' K p

Rankines theory deals with earth pressure in

cohesionless granular materials, by assuming
that c = 0.
Bells (1915), published an extension of
Rankines theory which included the cohesion
parameter in cohesive soils

Soil Engineering ECG353/ECG213/Pasir Gudang Campus/FBI 13

CHAP 2 : LATERAL EARTH PRESSURE

Drained cohesive soil, ' & c' available

Active
Drained
Passive
Cohesive
soil
Active
Undrained
Undrained cohesive soil, ' 0 & c' available Passive

Soil Engineering ECG353/ECG213/Pasir Gudang Campus/FBI 14

CHAP 2 : LATERAL EARTH PRESSURE
Rankine-Bell Lateral Pressure (Active State)

Undrained conditions in cohesive soils (in terms of TOTAL stresses)

When angle of friction, = 0, therefore Kp@a =1

Therefore;
ha v 2cu

hp v 2cu

Soil Engineering ECG353/ECG213/Pasir Gudang Campus/FBI 15

CHAP 2 : LATERAL EARTH PRESSURE
Rankine-Bell Lateral Pressure (Active State)
2.3.1 Tension cracks in cohesive soils ( = 0)

Figure shows distribution of active pressure in an

undrained cohesive soil ( = 0) .

Soil Engineering ECG353/ECG213/Pasir Gudang Campus/FBI 16

CHAP 2 : LATERAL EARTH PRESSURE
Rankine-Bell Lateral Pressure (Active State)
2.3.1 Tension cracks in cohesive soils ( = 0)
Near the surface, the active pressure will have a
negative/tension value, ha=0 (no pressure will
transfer to the supporting wall surface
The soil dries slightly and tension cracks will open the
surface downward
Undrained cohesive soil, ' 0
thus K a 1

Soil Engineering ECG353/ECG213/Pasir Gudang Campus/FBI 17

CHAP 2 : LATERAL EARTH PRESSURE
Rankine-Bell Lateral Pressure (Active State)

2.3.1 Tension cracks in cohesive soils

2c d ' where zo is depth of tension

zo
Ka crack (drained condition)

For pure cohesive soil, i.e. when = 0, thus Ka = 1.0 ;

2cu '
zo
where zo is depth of tension
crack (undrained condition)

Soil Engineering ECG353/ECG213/Pasir Gudang Campus/FBI 18

CHAP 2 : LATERAL EARTH PRESSURE
Rankine-Bell Lateral Pressure (Active State)
Active pressure distribution for c~ soils.

- 2c' K a - 2c' K a

zo

+ z

z Ka
z K a - 2c' K a

Soil Engineering ECG353/ECG213/Pasir Gudang Campus/FBI 19

CHAP 2 : LATERAL EARTH PRESSURE
Rankine-Bell Lateral Pressure (Passive State)
Passive pressure distribution for c~ soils.

+ z

z Kp 2c' K p 2c' K p z Kp

Soil Engineering ECG353/ECG213/Pasir Gudang Campus/FBI 20

CHAP 2 : LATERAL EARTH PRESSURE
Rankine-Bells Lateral Pressure
Example 7
A retaining wall that has a soft, saturated clay backfill is shown
below. For the drained condition of the backfill, determine the
following value:
a) PA
b) Pp

Soil Engineering ECG353/ECG213/Pasir Gudang Campus/FBI 21

CHAP 2 : LATERAL EARTH PRESSURE
Rankines Lateral Pressure (Active State)
2.3.2 Effect of surcharge,q and cohesion undrained,cu

Figure shows effect of surcharge on undrained

active pressure distribution (= 0)
Case 1 Case 2
Soil Engineering ECG353/ECG213/Pasir Gudang Campus/FBI 22
CHAP 2 : LATERAL EARTH PRESSURE

2.3.2 Effect of surcharge,q and cohesion undrained,cu

In the active case, the effect of the surcharge is
to reduce the depth of the tension zone
Two form of active pressure distribution are
possible
Case 1 (q<2cu)
Case 2 (q>2cu)
To obtain tension crack, zo, put ha=0 and z=zo

2
0 =

2
0 =

Soil Engineering ECG353/ECG213/Pasir Gudang Campus/FBI 23

CHAP 2 : LATERAL EARTH PRESSURE

surcharge

ACTIVE
Case 1 PRESSURE Case 2
qKa<2cdKa FOR DRAINED qKa>2cdKa
CONDITION @ q>2cu
@ q<2cu

For undrained
condition, Ka=1

2
0 =

Soil Engineering ECG353/ECG213/Pasir Gudang Campus/FBI 24

CHAP 2 : LATERAL EARTH PRESSURE

Example 8
A smooth retaining wall with 8 m height is supporting soil with
undrained cohesion is 30kPa and unit weight is18.5 kN/m3. Calculate
the active thrust acting on wall when:
a) q=25 kPa
b) q= 75 kPa
q

Soil Engineering ECG353/ECG213/Pasir Gudang Campus/FBI 25

CHAP 2 : LATERAL EARTH PRESSURE

REVISION

Soil Engineering ECG353/ECG213/Pasir Gudang Campus/FBI 26

 RANKINES AT REST LATERAL EARTH PRESSURE

Soil mass in a state of elastic equilibrium

h = o = Ko v

For course-grained soils (Jaky, 1944)

z
v Ko = 1 sin

o = Ko v
h h

v = z

Distribution of at rest
lateral earth pressure with
depth
 RANKINES ACTIVE LATERAL EARTH PRESSURE

Tension crack
2c' K a
If the wall is allowed to move away from the
soil mass a state of plastic equilibrium can
be reached in which every point in a soil mass
2c'
zo is on the verge of failure (active condition)
Ka

Effective active lateral earth pressure is ;

v 'a 'v K a 2c' K a

'a 'v K a 2c' K a

h = 0 Where,
h 1 sin '
Ka
1 sin '
45 + /2
v

Failure wedge
H
'v K a 2c' K a

v = z Distribution of active lateral

earth pressure behind the wall
 RANKINES PASSIVE LATERAL EARTH PRESSURE

2c' K p
If the wall is pushed into the soil mass
until a state of plastic equilibrium is
reached, then the soil mass is said to be
in the state of passive condition.

Effective passive lateral erath pressure is ;

v 'p 'v K p 2c' K p

'p 'v K p 2c' K a
h = 0 Where,
h
1 sin '
Kp
1 sin ' 45 - /2
v

H
'v K p 2c' K p

v = z Distribution of passive lateral

earth pressure behind the wall
CHAP 2 : LATERAL EARTH PRESSURE

END OF WEEK 6

W7
CHAPTER 2

(sub-topic 2.5)
Lateral Pressures Distribution based on
Coulombs Theory
Soil Engineering ECG353/ECG213/Pasir Gudang Campus/FBI 30
CHAP 2 : LATERAL EARTH PRESSURE

TOOLS THAT YOU MUST

HAVE DURING CLASS (W7)

Graph papers
Geometry set
(Protractor, Compass,
French@Flexible Curve and etc)
Soil Engineering ECG353/ECG213/Pasir Gudang Campus/FBI
31 31
Tutorial Chapter 2
Week 6
 Tutorial 2.2
A retaining wall of 8 m high supports a soil of saturated
unit weight 18 kN/m3, = 30, c = 0. The backfill is
subjected to a surcharge of 15 kPa. Calculate the active
force on the wall if;

a) The wall is smooth and ground water table at ground

surface
b) The soil backfilled have inclination, = 20
 Tutorial 2.3
A retaining wall having a smooth vertical back retains a
cohesive soil for a depth of 6.5 m. the backfilled soil has
the following properties; C = 35 kPa, = 0, b = 19.5
kN/m3 . Plot the lateral earth pressure distribution
diagram and determine the magnitude and position of
total resultant active thrust acting behind the wall
when there is a surcharge of 80 kPa on the ground
surface.