"WALLPRES" --- WALL PRESSURE ANALYSIS

Program Description:
"WALLPRES" is a spreadsheet program written in MS-Excel for the purpose of determining the horizontal
(lateral) pressures to be applied to walls from various types of loading including lateral earth pressure,
hydrostatic pressure, as well as uniform, point, line, and strip surcharge loadings.
This program is a workbook consisting of five (5) worksheets, described as follows:

Worksheet Name

Description

Doc
Wall Soil Pressures
Wall Pressures from Point Load
Wall Pressures from Line Load
Wall Pressures from Strip Load

This documentation sheet

Static horizontal soil pressure against wall
Horizontal pressures on rigid wall from point surcharge load
Horizontal pressures on rigid wall from continuous line surcharge load
Horizontal pressures on rigid wall from continuous strip surcharge load

Program Assumptions and Limitations:

1. This program is based on the following references:
a. NAVFAC DM-7.02 Manual - "Foundations & Earth Structures" (1986)
b. NAVFAC DM-7.01 Manual - "Soil Mechanics" (1986)
c. Army TM 5-818-1 / Air Force AFM 88-3, Chap. 7 (Oct. 1983)
"Soils and Geology Procedures for Foundation Design of Buildings and Other Structures"
d. "Foundation Analysis and Design" (2nd Edition), by: Joseph E. Bowles
McGraw-Hill, 1977
e. "USS Steel Sheet Piling Design Manual" - updated and reprinted by FHWA with permission (July 1984)
f. "Lateral Soil Pressure on Retaining Walls and Embedded Exterior Walls of Structures"
Report U7-PROJ-S-RPT-STRU-6001, by: Sargent & Lundy, LLC (Feb. 26, 2009)
for South Texas Project Units 3 & 4, Project No.: 12462-003
2. The resulting pressures obtained from the worksheets in this workbook can be used in the design of the
stems of either cantilever or propped cantilever retaining walls, as well as for long walls of tanks and pits.
3. The equations used in the "Wall Pressures from Point Load" and "Wall Pressures from Line Load"
worksheets are from References "a" through "e" above, utilizing original (1885) Boussinesq Equations
modified to correlate with experimental test results. The Boussinesq equations assume the that wall is
rigid and does not move, and that the wall is perfectly smooth (no shear stress between wall and soil).
Thus, the equations overestimate the wall pressures for flexible walls by up to a factor of 2.
4. The equation used in the "Wall Pressures from Strip Load" worksheet is from References "d" and "e" above.
Again, this equation assumes that the wall is rigid (does not move), which overestimates the wall pressures
for flexible walls by up to a factor of 2. Thus, the factor of 2 appears in the numerator of this version of the
equation. Other references may cite this equation without the factor of 2, which would normally be more
applicable for flexible walls which are able to move at top.
5. This program contains comment boxes which contain information including explanations of input items, etc.
(Note: presence of a comment box is denoted by a red triangle in the upper right-hand corner of a cell.
Merely move the mouse pointer to the desired cell to view the contents of that particular "comment box".)

"WALLPRES.xls" Program
Version 1.2

WALL PRESSURE ANALYSIS

For Static Horizontal Soil Pressure Against Wall with Level Backfill
Using Rankine Theory for either Active or At-Rest Condition
Subject:
Originator:
Checker:

Job Name:
Job Number:

Input Data:
Wall Height, H =
Depth to GWT, H1 =
Soil Dry Unit Wt., gs =
Sat. Soil Wt., g(sat) =
Soil Friction Angle, f1 =
Soil Friction Angle, f2 =
Active or At-Rest Cond.?
Surcharge Load, Q =

20.000
7.000
0.120
0.135
30.00
30.00
Active
0.500

ft.

Data & Parameters:

Hw = 13.000
gw = 0.0624
g(sub) = 0.0726
Ka1 =
0.333
Ka2 =
0.333

ksf

Equivalent Fluid Pressure (EFP):

EFP1 =
0.040 kcf
EFP1 = Ka1*s
EFP2 =
0.087 kcf
EFP2 = Ka2*(sub)+w

0.167
0.280
0.595
0.811
1.572
0.447
0.167

ksf

Ps = Ka1*Q
P1 = Ka1*s*H1
P2 = P1 + Ka2*(sub)*Hw
P3 = gw*Hw
P4 = P 2 + P 3 + P s
P5 = P 1 + P s
P6 = P s

ft.
kcf
kcf
deg.
deg.

Results:

Hw = H - H1
gw = 62.4 psf (for water)
g(sub) = g(sat) - gw
Ka1 = TAN^2(45-/2)
Ka2 = TAN^2(45-/2)

ft.
kcf
kcf

Wall Pressures:
Ps =
P1 =
P2 =
P3 =
P4 =
P5 =
P6 =

Resultant and Location:

Resultant, SPh =
15.27
Distance from Top, Zc = 13.207

ksf
ksf
ksf
ksf
ksf
ksf

SPh = P6*H+P1*H1/2+P1*Hw+(P4-(P6+P1))*Hw/2
Zc = ((P6*H)*H/2+(P1*H1/2)*(Hw+H1/3)+(P1*Hw)*Hw/2+..
+((P4-(P6+P1))*Hw/2)*Hw/3)/SPh

kips
ft.

Q=0.5

Grade Level & Top/Wall

f1

P6=0.167

Soil

H1=7

Ground Water Table

P1=0.28

P5=0.447
Zc=13.207

f2
H=20

Ph=15.27
Hw=13

P2=0.595
Soil Pressure

P3=0.811
Hydrostatic

Ps=0.167
Surcharge

P4=1.572
Total Static Pressure Diagram

Water Pressure

Nomenclature for Static Horizontal Soil Pressure on Wall

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"WALLPRES.xls" Program
Version 1.2

WALL PRESSURE ANALYSIS

Horizontal Pressures on Rigid Wall
from Point Surcharge Load at Top Surface
Subject:
Originator:

Job Name:
Job Number:
Input Data:
Wall Height, H =
Point Load, Qp =
Distance to Qp, x =

20.000
2.00
8.000

Qp

ft.

x=m*H

kips
ft.

Ph

Results:
Horizontal Wall Pressures - Vertical Distribution
m = x/H =
0.400 <=0.4
Distance
Z

Bot./Wall:

Zc

Z=n*H
SPh

n
(n =Z/H)

Pressure
Ph

0.00
0.10
0.20
0.30
0.40
0.50
0.60
0.70
0.80
0.90
1.00

0.000
0.003
0.007
0.008
0.007
0.005
0.004
0.002
0.002
0.001
0.001

(ft.)
Top/Wall:

Checker:

(ksf)

0.000
2.000
4.000
6.000
8.000
10.000
12.000
14.000
16.000
18.000
20.000

Nomenclature
For m<=0.4:
Ph = 0.28*n^2/(0.16+n^2)^3*Qp/H^2
For m>0.4:
Ph = 1.77*m^2*n^2/(m^2+n^2)^3*Qp/H^2

Resultant Load & Location:

Resultant, SPh =
0.08
Distance, Zc =
8.248

kips
ft.

(from top)

Horizontal Wall Pressures - Vertical

Distribution

0.009

0.008

0.007

0.006

0.005

0.004

0.003

0.002

0.001

0.000

Pressure (ksf)

0.0

5.0

Distance from Top, Z (ft.)

Note: Area under curve (resultant)

is calculated using straight-line
segments connecting data points.

10.0

15.0

20.0

25.0

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"WALLPRES.xls" Program
Version 1.2

Wall Resultant Load - Horizontal Distribution

Perpendicular to Wall:

Distance
y

Resultant
SPh'

(deg.)

(ft.)

(kips)

75
60
45
30
15
0
-15
-30
-45
-60
-75

29.856
13.856
8.000
4.619
2.144
0.000
-2.144
-4.619
-8.000
-13.856
-29.856

0.00
0.01
0.03
0.06
0.07
0.08
0.07
0.06
0.03
0.01
0.00

x = m*H

Wall

Angle
q

SPh @ q=0o

SPh

Qp

SPh'

Nomenclature

Wall Resultant Load - Horizontal

Distribution

SPh' = SPh*COS(1.1*q)^2

Resultant Load (kips)

40.0

30.0

10.0

0.09

0.08

0.07

0.06

0.05

0.04

0.03

0.02

0.01

0.0
0.00

Distance from Qp along Wall Length, y (ft.)

20.0

SPh @ q = 0o

-10.0

-20.0

-30.0

-40.0

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"WALLPRES.xls" Program
Version 1.2

WALL PRESSURE ANALYSIS

Horizontal Pressures on Rigid Wall
from Continuous Line Surcharge Load at Top Surface
Subject:
Originator:

Job Name:
Job Number:
Input Data:
Wall Height, H =
Line Load, QL =
Distance to QL, x =

20.000
2.00
8.000

QL

ft.

x=m*H

kips/ft.
ft.

Ph

Results:
Horizontal Wall Pressures - Vertical Distribution
m = x/H =
0.400 <=0.4
Distance
Z

Bot./Wall:

Zc

Z=n*H
SPh

n
(n =Z/H)

Pressure
Ph

0.00
0.10
0.20
0.30
0.40
0.50
0.60
0.70
0.80
0.90
1.00

0.000
0.069
0.100
0.096
0.078
0.059
0.044
0.033
0.025
0.019
0.015

(ft.)
Top/Wall:

Checker:

(ksf)

0.000
2.000
4.000
6.000
8.000
10.000
12.000
14.000
16.000
18.000
20.000

Nomenclature
For m<=0.4:
Ph = 0.20*n/(0.16+n^2)^2*Q L/H
For m>0.4:
Ph = 1.28*m^2*n/(m^2+n^2)^2*Q L/H

Resultant Load & Location:

Resultant, SPh =
1.06
Distance, Zc =
7.932

kips/ft. Length
ft.

(from top)

Horizontal Wall Pressures - Vertical

Distribution

0.120

0.100

0.080

0.060

0.040

0.020

0.000

Pressure (ksf)

0.0

5.0

Distance from Top, Z (ft.)

Note: Area under curve (resultant)

is calculated using straight-line
segments connecting data points.

10.0

15.0

20.0

25.0

5 of 6

12/3/2014 2:58 AM

"WALLPRES.xls" Program
Version 1.2

WALL PRESSURE ANALYSIS

Horizontal Pressures on Rigid Wall
from Continuous Strip Surcharge Load at Top Surface
Subject:
Originator:
Checker:

Job Name:
Job Number:
Input Data:
Wall Height, H =
Strip Load, Qs =
Distance to Load, x1 =
Distance to Load, x2 =

20.000
1.000
10.000
20.000

x2
ft.

x1

ksf
ft.

Bot./Wall:

ft.

Results:
Horizontal Wall Pressures - Vertical Distribution

Top/Wall:

Qs

Zc
Ph

SPh

Distance
Z

Angle
a

Angle
b

(ft.)

(deg.)

(deg.)

(ksf)

0.000
2.000
4.000
6.000
8.000
10.000
12.000
14.000
16.000
18.000
20.000

0.00
81.49
73.44
66.17
59.77
54.22
49.42
45.27
41.67
38.53
35.78

0.00
5.60
10.49
14.26
16.86
18.43
19.23
19.47
19.33
18.96
18.43

0.000
0.122
0.214
0.264
0.278
0.268
0.246
0.218
0.190
0.164
0.141

Pressure
Ph

Nomenclature
Ph = 2*Qs/p*(b-SIN(b)*COS(2*a)
(per "USS Steel Sheet Piling Design
Manual" - Reprinted by FHWA, 1984,
and "Foundation Analysis and Design", by
Joseph. E Bowles, 2nd Ed. 1977)

Resultant Load & Location:

Resultant, SPh =
4.07
Distance, Zc = 10.301

kips/ft. Length
ft.

(from top)

Horizontal Wall Pressures - Vertical Distribution

0.300

0.250

0.200

0.150

0.100

0.050

0.000

Pressure (ksf)

0.0

5.0

Distance from Top, Z (ft.)

Note: Area under curve (resultant)

is calculated using straight-line
segments connecting data points.

10.0

15.0

20.0

25.0

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