Arching in Distribution of Active Load on Retaining Walls
Publication: Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering
Volume 138, Issue 5
Abstract
Traditional methods for calculations of active loads on retaining structures provide dependable forces, but these methods do not indicate reliably the location of the resultant load on the walls. The Coulomb method does not address the load distribution because it utilizes equilibrium of forces, whereas the Rankine stress distribution provides linear increase of the load with depth. Past experimental studies indicate intricate distributions dependent on the mode of displacement of the wall before reaching the limit state. The discrete element method was used to simulate soil-retaining structure interaction, and force chains characteristic of arching were identified. Arching appears to be the primary cause affecting the load distribution. A differential slice technique was used to mimic the load distributions seen in physical experiments. The outcome indicates that rotation modes of wall movement are associated with uneven mobilization of strength on the surface separating the moving backfill from the soil at rest. Calculations show that the location of the centroid of the active load distribution behind a translating wall is approximately 0.40 of the wall height above the base, but for a wall rotating about its top point, the location of the resultant is at approximately . In the third case, rotation about the base, the location of the calculated centroid of the stress distribution on the wall is slightly below one-third of the wall height.
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Acknowledgments
This material utilized work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. CMMI-1129009. This support is greatly appreciated. The authors also acknowledge Itasca Consulting Group, Inc., for the academic loan of their code. This collaboration is also very much appreciated.
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© 2012. American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Apr 22, 2011
Accepted: Aug 14, 2011
Published online: Apr 16, 2012
Published in print: May 1, 2012
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