The behaviour of a propped retaining wall: results of a numerical experiment

TLDR: In this paper, the influence of type of construction and initial stress in the soil on the behaviour of single propped retaining walls is investigated and the results of the investigation indicate that for excavated walls in soils with a high initial K 0 value prop forces and wall bending moments greatly exceed those predicted by current design methods.

Abstract: The design of propped retaining walls is currently based on approximate limit equilibrium calculations. A factor of safety is used to ensure adequate stability and to restrict soil and wall movements to acceptable levels. No distinction is made for the type of construction, whether excavated or backfilled, or of the stress state in the soil prior to construction. In this Paper the finite element method is employed to investigate the influence of type of construction and of initial stress in the soil on the behaviour of single propped retaining walls. An elasto-plastic constitutive law is used to model the soil behaviour and a rigid prop is assumed to act at the top of the wall. The results of the investigation indicate that for excavated walls in soils with a high initial K0 value prop forces and wall bending moments greatly exceed those predicted by current design methods. In addition large soil and wall movements are experienced even at shallow depths of excavation. The behaviour is dominated by the ver...