Active Earth Pressure Distribution Against Braced Wall Considering Arching Effects

Abstract

AbstractEstimation of active earth pressure against the rigid wall depends on the mode of wall movement. The pressure distribution is non-linear owing to arching effects. Here new formulations of calculating active earth pressure above and below cut level are proposed considering arching effects against braced wall. Horizontal translation as well as rotation about the top of wall is taken into account for above excavation whereas below cut level the wall is tilting around its lower edge. Expressions for earth pressure coefficient, earth pressure distribution and total earth pressure force are provided considering soil parameters like soil friction angle ‘ϕ’, wall friction angle ‘δ’ and cohesion ‘c’, etc. For validation of the proposed formulation, the predicted values are compared with existing case studies. Comparisons between measured and predicted values establish that proposed method satisfactorily predict earth pressure exerted on wall for both cohesive and cohesionless soil.KeywordsArching effectStress distributionWall movementCase study