Lateral earth pressure

About: Lateral earth pressure is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 5334 publications have been published within this topic receiving 62552 citations.

Instrumentation of an Unsaturated Expansive Soil Slope

Abstract: To understand the complex soil-water interaction in an unsaturated expansive soil slope subjected to rainfall infiltration, a comprehensive instrumentation and monitoring program was carried out on an 11-m high cut slope in Hubei of China. The instrumentation included jet-filled tensiometers, thermal conductivity suction sensors, moisture probes, earth pressure cells, inclinometers, vertical movement points, artificial rainfall simulator, a tipping bucket rain gage, a vee-notch flow meter, and an evaporimeter. The technique and experience associated with each of the instrumentations are presented in this paper with an emphasis on the difference from the instrumentation in nonexpansive soils. In particular, a deliberate sealing scheme was adopted to prevent the potential bypass water flow through the shallow cracks into the installation holes for the suction sensors and the moisture probes. All the instruments worked well throughout the two month monitoring period, during which two artificial rainfall events were created. The recorded responses in pore-water pressure, water content, horizontal stress, and soil deformation were reasonably consistent with one another.

Seismic passive earth resistance using modified pseudo-dynamic method

Abstract: In earthquake prone areas, understanding of the seismic passive earth resistance is very important for the design of different geotechnical earth retaining structures. In this study, the limit equilibrium method is used for estimation of critical seismic passive earth resistance for an inclined wall supporting horizontal cohesionless backfill. A composite failure surface is considered in the present analysis. Seismic forces are computed assuming the backfill soil as a viscoelastic material overlying a rigid stratum and the rigid stratum is subjected to a harmonic shaking. The present method satisfies the boundary conditions. The amplification of acceleration depends on the properties of the backfill soil and on the characteristics of the input motion. The acceleration distribution along the depth of the backfill is found to be nonlinear in nature. The present study shows that the horizontal and vertical acceleration distribution in the backfill soil is not always in-phase for the critical value of the seismic passive earth pressure coefficient. The effect of different parameters on the seismic passive earth pressure is studied in detail. A comparison of the present method with other theories is also presented, which shows the merits of the present study.

Passive Pressure During Seismic Loading

Abstract: The results of a parametric study (based on a Mononobe-Okabe analysis) of passive earth pressure resistance of cohesionless soils under dynamic loading are presented. Since passive resistance decreases with increasing ground acceleration while the failure zone increases in size, retaining structures designed for static loading conditions may prove to be inadequate under seismic loading. The mathematical equivalence of the active and passive earth pressure problems is demonstrated and a number of ambiguities (surrounding the passive earth pressure problem) in the literature are resolved.