Publication

Abstract : A slip line solution is proposed to analyze the active earth pressure on cantilever retaining walls supporting a layered cohesionless backfill. The reduction in earth pressure in the presence of a dense sand layer resting on the top of a loose sand stratum is estimated under static and seismic conditions. Unlike the conventional limit-equilibrium or limit analysis approach, the present methodology can trace an adaptive failure surface by developing a network of slip lines based on the properties of each layer. The results are presented in terms of the active earth pressure coefficient, which includes the contribution from both the layers. Rapid mobilization of stresses at the layer interface and the wall backface is presented with normalized stress contour. Though the failure surfaces are nonlinear, the active earth pressure distribution behind the wall is observed to be almost linear. Under the static condition, the present results lie between the solutions obtained from the equivalent layer analysis and the layered calculation method.