GEOWALL

COMPETITION

GEOWALL
PREPARATION??

LATERAL EARTH PRESSURE

Learning outcome (LO)

At the end of this chapter, you will be able to:LO1. Define lateral earth pressure
LO2. Determine active and passive pressure
LO3. Describe non cohesive soil pressure
LO4. Discuss lateral earth pressure
LO5. Describe passive pressure
LO6. Design retaining wall

INTRODUCTIO
N

Knowledge on lateral earth

pressure is important to design

structures including retaining
wall, silo and tunnel

TYPES OF
RETAININ
G WALL

Tembok Julur

Tembok Penahan
Berperegang
Tembok Graviti

TYPES OF EARTH
PRESSURE
3 types of earth pressure:
(i) Active earth pressure
(ii) Passive earth pressure
(iii) At-rest earth pressure

ACTIVE AND PASSIVE

PRESSURE
Figure 1 shows a gravity retaining wall that retains non-

cohesive soil with flat surface at its back

At-rest earth pressure,

Lateral earth pressure, h

h = k0v
k0 = Coefficient of earth pressure
(For normally consolidated sand
and clay, k0 = 1-sin ,
with is angle of internal
friction)
v = Vertical stress= z
= Unit weight of the soil
z = Depth
Figure 1

ACTIVE AND PASSIVE

PRESSURE
Pressure at the back of a retaining

wall is larger than the pressure in

front of the wall
Therefore, the wall tends to move
forward
The soil at the back of the wall will
be expanded at its sides upon
loading, while the soil in front will be
compressed

When this happens, the pressure at the

back of the wall will be decreased till

minimum value (fail) ACTIVE PRESSURE
While pressure in front of the wall will be

increased to maximum value PASSIVE

PRESSURE

RANKINES THEORY
Scottish engineer and physicist Rankine

(1857) developed a lateral earth pressure

theory. He assumed that soil mass behind
the wall enters into plastic equilibrium
condition (failure) when a sufficient wall
boundary is moved away from the backfill
toward the backfill.
This theory is limited to vertical wall only

RANKINES THEORY
Active pressure, pa:

pa = 1/2kaz2
(1)

Where,
ka = kos. (kos - kos2 - kos2 )
(2)
(kos + kos2 - kos2 )

RANKINES THEORY
Passive pressure, pp:

pp = 1/2kpz2
(3)

Where,
kp = kos. (kos + kos2 - kos2 )
(4)
(kos - kos2 - kos2 )

RANKINES THEORY
Pa Active pressure
Pp Passive pressure
Unit weight of backfill
Angle between backfill surface and
horizontal lines
Angle of internal friction
ka Coefficient of active pressure
kp Coefficient of passive pressure
z Depth

RANKINES THEORY
If the soil at the back of the wall is

in horizontal state, = 00,

Equations (2) and (4) become:

ka = (1 - sin )
(1 + sin )

kp = (1 - sin )

(6)
(1 + sin )

(5)

RANKINES THEORY
Or in trigonometry identity:
ka = (1 - sin )
(1 + sin )
= tan2 (450 - /2)
(7)
kp = (1 - sin )

(1 + sin )
= tan2 (450 - /2)
(8)

Backfill
Surface

Backfill
Surface

z
z
Pa

Pa

z/3

z/3

zka

(a) Flat backfill

Rankines Theory

zka

(b) Backfil with

COULOMBS THEORY
French army engineer C.A.Coulumb (1776) derived

formulae to evaluate the lateral earth pressures for

sandy soil:
pa = 1/2kaz2

Where,

ka =
(9)

sin2( + )
sin2sin( sin(
)[1+
sin(+ )sin(-)]2
-)sin(+)

COULOMBS THEORY
pp = 1/2kpz2

Where,

kp =

sin2( - )
(10)

)sin(+)]2

sin(+)sin(+)
sin2sin( + )[1-sin(+

COULOMBS THEORY
Pa Active pressure
Pp Passive pressure
Unit weight of backfill
Angle between backfill surface and
horizontal lines
Angle of internal friction
ka Coefficient of active pressure
kp Coefficient of passive pressure
z Depth

COULOMBS THEORY

Z
Failure axis

Coulombs Theory

LATERAL EARTH PRESSURE

DUE TO SURCHARGE LOAD
In many occasions, lateral earth

pressures due to surcharge loads on

backfill cannot be neglected. Those
include due to traffic load, surface
pavement, crane load, footing load
etc.

STABILITY ANALYSIS
3 failure criteria:
Sliding
Vertical settlement
Inverted

Analysis of the stability of the wall

can be performed by applying safety

factor according to its failure criteria

ANALISIS KESTABILAN
Minimum value of Safety Factor
(contd)
F.Ssliding

= 1.5 (if passive pressure at the toe of the wall is

neglected)
= 2.0 (if passive pressure at the toe of the wall
is
considered)

F.Sinverted

= 1.5 (if using granular soil for filling)

= 2.0 (if using cohesive soil for filling)

F.Svertical settlement = 3.0

Soalan:
Sebuah tembok penahan seperti ditunjukkan dalam Rajah 1 berfungsi
untuk menahan tanah pasir. Dengan menggunakan teori Rankine:
(i)Hitung jumlah tekanan aktif tanah yang bertindak pada tembok
penahan dengan merujuk kepada Rajah 1.
(i)Hitung nilai tambahan bagi tekanan aktif tanah sekiranya tanah pasir
yang tertahan di belakang tembok penahan tersebut berada pada
kecerunan 250 daripada ufuk seperti ditunjukkan dalam Rajah 2.

Tanah Pasir
= 300
= 19 kN/m3
10 m

RAJAH 1

= 250

Tanah Pasir
= 300
= 19 kN/m3
10 m

RAJAH 2

Jawapan Soalan (i)

Tekanan aktif megikut Teori Rankine dengan =00:

pa = 1/2kaz2

(1)

dimana,
ka =

kos. (kos - kos2 - kos2 )

(2)
(kos + kos2 - kos2 )
dan

ka = (1 - sin )
(1 + sin )
= tan2 (450 - /2)

Maka, ka = tan2 450- 300 = 0.33

2
Oleh itu, pa = (41.03)(19)(10)2 =

kPa

313.5

Jawapan Soalan (ii)

Tekanan aktif megikut Teori Rankine dengan

=250:
pa = 1/2kaz2

(1)
dimana,
ka =
(2)

kos. (kos - kos2 - kos2 )

(kos + kos2 - kos2 )

Maka, ka =

kos25 0. (kos25 0 - (kos2 25 0 - kos2

30 0))
(kos25 0 + (kos2250 - kos2 300))
= 0.906 . (0.906 - (0.821-0.75) =
0.495
(0.906 + (0.821-0.75)
Oleh itu, pa = (0.495)(19)(10)2 =

kPa

470.25

THANK YOU