CCE 2312-Soil Mechanics II-slides 89-113

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SOIL MECHANICS II-CCE 2312

BACHELOR OF SCIENCE IN CIVIL


ENGINEERING

Dr. George Okwadha


Lateral Earth Pressures
• Lateral earth pressure is the force exerted by the soil mass upon an
earth-retaining structure such as a retaining wall
• There are three distinct kinds of earth pressures namely:
– Active earth pressure
– Passive earth pressure
– Earth pressure at rest
• Active earth pressure
– Consider a retaining wall with a vertical back supporting a
cohesionless soil with a horizontal surface (see figure below)
– Let the angle of shearing resistance of the soil be ϕ and its unit wt.
γ be of a constant value
– Vertical stress acting at a point at depth h below the top of the wall
be given by
• σv = γh
Active earth pressure
Retained Soil

Push

• If the soil retained by the wall exerts a push against the wall by virtue of its
tendency to slip laterally and seek its natural slope or angle of repose,
• the wall will move slightly away from the backfilled soil mass, making the
soil to expand causing an immediate reduction in the value of lateral pressure
at depth h.
• This kind of pressure is called active earth pressure of the soil
• The movement of the structure causes stains in the soil mass which in turn
mobilize shearing stresses which help to support the soil mass and
consequently reduce the pressure exerted by the soil against the structure
Passive earth pressure
• If the wall is pushed slightly into the retained soil, the soil will tend to
be compressed
• There will be an increase in the value of the lateral pressure
• This kind of pressure is called Passive earth pressure
• The surface over which the sheared-off soil wedge to slide is referred
to as the surface of sliding or rupture
• When the structure is pushed against the soil, internal shearing
stresses develop but act in the opposite direction to those in the active
earth pressure and must be overcomed by the movement of the
structure
• The limiting values of both active and passive earth pressure or
resistance for a given soil depends on the amount of movement of the
structure
• This difference in the direction of internal stresses accounts for the
difference in magnitude between active and passive earth pressures
Active and Passive Earth Pressures

(a) Active earth pressure conditions (b) Passive earth pressure conditions

• The narrative above indicates that there are two possible modes
of failure that can occur with the soil mass
• If the value of the vertical pressure remain as σv = γh during
these movements, then the minimum and maximum lateral earth
pressures that will be exerted can be obtained from the Mohr circle
diagram as shown
Active and Passive Earth Pressures
• The lateral earth pressure can
τ
reduce to a minimum value at
which the stress circle is
tangential to the shear strength 𝝈𝟑𝒑
envelope of the soil. 𝝈𝟑𝒂 𝝈𝟏𝒂 𝝈𝟏𝒑
• This minimum value is known
as the active earth pressure
given by
• 𝒑𝒂 = 𝑲𝒂 γh where Ka is the
coeff. of Active earth Press. • When considering active pressure,
• The lateral earth pressure can the vertical pressure due to self-wt
rise to a maximum value is the major principal stress
known as the Passive Earth • And when considering passive
Pressure given by pressure, the vertical pressure due
• 𝒑𝒑 = 𝑲𝒑 γh where Kp is the to self-wt (𝝈𝒗 = 𝛄𝐡) is the minor
coeff. of passive earth Press. principal stress
Active Pressure in cohesionless soils
• This can be estimated using Coulomb theory (1776) and
Rankine’s theory (1857)
Rankine’s theory (Soil Surface horizontal)
• Assumptions are
– The soil mass is semi infinite, homogeneous, dry and cohesionless
– The ground surface is a plane which may be horizontal or inclined
– The face of wall in contact with the backfill is vertical and smooth.
That is, the friction, δ between the wall and the backfill is
neglected
– The wall yields back about the base sufficiently towards the fill for
the active pressure condition to develop and pushed sufficiently
towards the fill for the passive resistance to be fully mobilized
• Consider a smooth, vertical retaining wall holding back a
cohesioless soil with an angle of internal friction ϕ.
• The top of the soil is horizontal and level with the top of the wall
• Consider a point in the soil at a depth h below the top of the wall
assuming that the wall has yielded back sufficiently to satisfy
active earth pressure conditions
Rankine’s theory (surface horizontal cont’)
• In the Mohr circle diagram
shown,
𝜎3 𝑂𝐴 𝑂𝐶−𝐴𝐶 𝑂𝐶−𝐷𝐶
• = = =
𝜎1 𝑂𝐵 𝑂𝐶+𝐶𝐵 𝑂𝐶+𝐷𝐶
• OCcos(90-ϕ)=DC
• But Cos(90-ϕ) = cos90Cosϕ+Sin90sinϕ)
• Cos90=0, sin90=1 ⇒ Cos (90-ϕ) = Sinϕ

𝐷𝐶
1−𝑂𝐶 1−𝑆𝑖𝑛ϕ
• 𝐷𝐶 = =𝐾𝑎
1+𝑂𝐶 1+𝑆𝑖𝑛ϕ

• It can be shown by trigonometry


that
1−𝑆𝑖𝑛ϕ ϕ
• =𝐾𝑎 =𝑡𝑎𝑛2 (45𝑜 − )
1+𝑆𝑖𝑛ϕ 2
• And active pressure
𝑝𝑎 = 𝐾𝑎 γℎ
Rankine’s theory (surface horizontal cont’)
• Active pressure distribution at the back of the wall is
shown and the resultant thrust is given by
2
ℎ ℎ
𝑃𝑎 = 𝑝𝑎 = 𝐾𝑎 γ
2 2

pa
Rankine’s theory (surface sloping at angle β)
• In this case, the vertical pressure will no longer be principal
stress since pressure on the wall is assumed to act parallel to
the surface of the wall i.e. at angle β to the horizontal
• The active pressure , pa is still the same and given by
𝑝𝑎 = 𝐾𝑎 γℎ
𝑐𝑜𝑠𝛽− 𝑐𝑜𝑠 2 β−𝑐𝑜𝑠 2 ϕ ℎ ℎ2
• Where 𝐾𝑎 = 𝐶𝑜𝑠𝛽 and 𝑃𝑎 = 𝑝𝑎 = 𝐾𝑎 γ
𝑐𝑜𝑠β+ 𝑐𝑜𝑠 2 β−𝑐𝑜𝑠 2 ϕ 2 2
Example 1

Since pa = Kaγh

Pa,
𝒉
𝑷𝒂 = 𝒑𝒂
𝟐
Example 1 Cont’

That is, 159-64 = 95kN


Coulomb’s Wedge Theory
• Coulomb’s theory considers the soil behind the wall as a
whole instead as an element in the soil (Rankine’s theory)
• If a wall supporting a granular soil were not to be there, the
soil will slump down to its angle of internal friction, ϕ
• If a wall therefore moves forward slightly, a rupture plane
BD would develop somewhere between AB and BC i.e.
between the wall and the surface of repose
• The triangular mass of soil between this plane of failure and
the back of the wall is referred to as the ‘sliding wedge’
(ABD).
• If the retaining wall were suddenly removed, the soil
within the sliding wedge would slump downward
Coulomb’s Wedge Theory
• From the analysis of the forces acting on the wedge at
incipient failure, the thrust from the lateral earth pressure
necessary for the wall to withstand in order to hold the soil
mass in place would be obtained. Hence, referring
Coulomb’s theory as “Wedge theory”
Coulomb’s Wedge Theory Assumptions
• The backfill is dry, homogeneous, and isotropic
• The backfill is elastically undeformable but breakable, granular
material processing internal friction but no cohesion
• The rupture surface is assumed to be plane and passes through the
heel of the wall
• The position and direction of the earth thrust are assumed to be known
and acts at the back of the wall at a point one-third of the height of the
wall above the base of the wall and makes an angle δ with the normal
of the face of the wall. The angle δ is the angle of friction between the
wall and backfill soil and is usually called wall friction
• The sliding wedge acts as a rigid body and the value of the earths
thrust is obtained by considering its equilibrium
• The earth thrust is solved on the basis of a 2-D case of plane strain.
That is, the retaining wall is assumed to be of infinite length and all
conditions of the wall and the fill remain constant along the length of
the wall. Thus a unit length of the wall is considered
Coulomb’s wedge theory
• According to Coulomb,
Coulomb’s wedge theory
See figure above

• The value of wall friction can be obtained from tests. However,


if tests are not available, assume δ to be 0.5 to 0.75ϕ.
Example 2
• Using Coulomb’s wedge theory, determine the total active thrust on a
vertical retaining wall 5m high if the soil retained has a horizontal
surface level with the top of the wall and has the following properties:
ϕ′ = 35𝑜 , 𝛾 = 19𝑘𝑁𝑚−3 𝑎𝑛𝑑 δ = 0.5ϕ′
Example 2 Cont’
Point of application of the total active thrust
• With either Rankine or Coulomb analytical methods, the
total active thrust, Pa is given by
𝐻 1
𝑃𝑎 = 𝑝𝑎 = 𝛾𝐻 2 𝐾𝑎 where Ka is the coeff. of active
2 2
earth pressure, H is the height of the wall and γ is the unit
weight of the soil
• The position of the centre of pressure on the wall is
indeterminate, however locations suitable for design
purposes are given in the figure below, and are based on the
Rankine’s theory with its assumption of triangular
distribution of pressure.
• The locations of Pa can also be used with values from
Coulombs theory.
Point of application of the total active thrust

• The Pa obtained from the Culmann line construction is


assumed to be located where a line drawn through the
centroid of the failure wedge and parallel to the failure
plane intersects the back of the wall.
Surcharges
• This is the extra load carried by a
retaining wall.
β
• Can be
– a uniform load (e.g. a roadway,
stacked goods etc) »Ψ
– a line load (e.g. trains running
parallel to a wall) Ws is the intensity of the uniform
– an isolated load (e.g. column load per unit area, ψ is the angle of
footing) the back of the wall to horizontal
– a dynamic load (e.g. traffic) and β is the angle of inclination of
• Uniform load the retained soil.
– This load is considered as • The surcharge can therefore be
equivalent to an extra height of soil regarded as an extra height of
soil placed on the top of the
– Equivalent height is given by
wall.
𝑊𝑠 𝑆𝑖𝑛ψ
ℎ𝑒 = where γ is the unit • Pressure due to surcharge
γ𝑆𝑖𝑛(ψ+β)
wt. of the soil, Pu = Kaγhe
Surcharges
• The pressure is distributed uniformly over the back of the wall
with its centre acting at half the wall’s height (see figure below)
𝑊𝑠
• If the surcharge of the fill is horizontal, β=0 and ℎ𝑒 =
𝛾
• Pu is thrust on wall due to
Surcharge
• Pa is thrust on wall due to
Earth pressure.
• Pu and Pa can be combined
To give the magnitude and
Point of application of the
resultant thrust.
Example
Example 1 Cont’
End

Thank you

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