Lateral Earth Pressures

What is Lateral Earth Pressure?

Designing any retaining wall requires
knowledge of lateral earth pressure, the pressure
developed by the backfill.

It is the force generated by the lateral earth

pressure that constitutes a large part of the
load that the wall must carry.

represents pressures that are “to the

side” (horizontal) rather than vertical
 Lateral Support
In geotechnical engineering, it is often necessary to
prevent lateral soil movements.

Tie rod
Anchor

Sheet pile

Cantilever Braced excavation Anchored sheet pile

retaining wall
 Lateral Support
We have to estimate the lateral soil pressures acting
on these structures, to be able to design them.

Gravity Retaining Soil nailing

Reinforced earth wall
wall
 Lateral Support

Reinforced earth walls are increasingly becoming popular.

geosynthetics
 Lateral Support
filled with
Crib walls have been used in Queensland. soil
Good drainage & allow plant growth.
Looks good. Interlocking
stretchers
and headers
Categories of Lateral Earth
Pressure
 Active/Passive Earth Pressures
- in granular soils

Wall moves
away from soil

Wall moves A
towards soil
B

smooth wall

Let’s look at the soil elements A and B during the

wall movement.
 Active Earth Pressure
- in granular soils

σv’ = γz

σv ’ z Initially, there is no lateral movement.

∴σh’ = K0 σv’ = K0 γz
σh ’ A

As the wall moves away from the soil,

σv’ remains the same; and
σh’ decreases till failure occurs.

Active state
 Active Earth Pressure
- in granular soils

As the wall moves away from the soil,

τ

lope
nve
uree
fail Initially (K0 state)
Failure (Active state)

σv ’ σ
active earth
pressure decreasing σh’
 Active Earth Pressure
- in granular soils
τ

l ope
en ve
u r e
fail

WJM Rankine
(1820-1872)
φ
[σh’]active σv ’ σ

Rankine’s coefficient of
active earth pressure
 Active Earth Pressure
- in granular soils
τ Failure plane is at
45 + φ/2 to horizontal σv ’
l ope
n ve σh ’
45 + ϕ/2
fail u r e e
A

φ 90+ϕ

[σh’]active σv ’ σ
 Active Earth Pressure
- in granular soils

As the wall moves away from the soil,

σh’ decreases till failure occurs.

σh ’ K0 state
σv ’ z
Active
σh ’ A state

wall movement
 Passive Earth Pressure
- in granular soils

Initially, soil is in K0 state.

As the wall moves towards the soil,
σv’ remains the same, and
σv ’
σh’ increases till failure occurs.
σh ’
B
Passive state
 Passive Earth Pressure
- in granular soils

As the wall moves towards the soil,

τ
Initially (K0 state)
Failure (Active state) lope
nve
uree
fail
passive earth
pressure

σv ’ σ

increasing σh’
 Passive Earth Pressure
- in granular soils
τ

l ope
en ve
u r e
fail

φ
σv ’ [σh’]passive σ

Rankine’s coefficient of
passive earth pressure
 Passive Earth Pressure
- in granular soils
τ Failure plane is at
45 - φ/2 to horizontal σv ’
l ope
45 - ϕ/2 n ve σh ’
fail u r e e
A

φ 90+ϕ

σ
σv ’ [σh’]passive
 Passive Earth Pressure
- in granular soils

As the wall moves towards the soil,

σh’ increases till failure occurs.

σh ’ Passive state
σv ’
σh ’
B
K0 state

wall movement
Earth Pressure Distribution
- in granular soils
[σh’]active
PA and PP are the
resultant active and
passive thrusts on
the wall

[σh’]passive H

PA=0.5 KAγH2

h PP=0.5 KPγh2

KPγh KAγH
 σh ’

Passive state

Active state
K0 state

Wall movement
(not to scale)
 Rankine’s Earth Pressure Theory
assumes:
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

along
an assumed failure plane defined by ø.

Lateral pressure varies linearly with depth and the

resultant pressure is located one-third of the height
(H)
above the base of the wall.
Rankine’s Earth Pressure Theory
Rankine’s Active earth pressure coefficient

Rankine’s Passive earth pressure coefficient

 The Coulomb Theory
Coulomb active earth pressure coefficient:

Coulomb passive earth pressure coefficient:

The Coulomb Theory is similar to Rankine
except that:

There is friction between the wall and soil and takes this
into account by using a soil-wall friction angle of δ.
Note that δ ranges from ø/2 to 2ø/3 and δ = 2ø/3 is
commonly used.

Lateral pressure is not limited to vertical walls

The resultant force is not necessarily parallel to the

backfill surface because of the soil-wall friction value δ.
Retaining Walls - Applications

Road
Train
Retaining Walls - Applications

highway
 Retaining Walls - Applications

High-rise building

basement wall
 Gravity Retaining Walls

cement mortar
plain concrete or
stone masonry
cobbles

They rely on their self weight to

support the backfill
Cantilever Retaining Walls

Reinforced;
smaller section
than gravity
walls

They act like vertical cantilever,

fixed to the ground