Performance of a Cantilever Retaining Wall
This article has a reply.
VIEW THE REPLYThis article has a reply.
VIEW THE REPLYPublication: Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering
Volume 132, Issue 8
Abstract
Earth pressure cells, tiltmeters, strain gauges, inclinometer casings, and survey reflectors were installed during construction of a reinforced concrete cantilever retaining wall. A data acquisition system with remote access monitored some 60 sensors on a continual basis. Analyses of the data indicated development of the active condition after translation of about 0.1% of the backfill height. The wall rotated into the backfill as a rigid body, but the top of the stem deflected away from the backfill, approximately equal in magnitude and opposite in direction to the displacement from rigid body rotation. Loading on the wall back-calculated from strain gauge readings was consistent with active earth pressure. The maximum lateral force, about the same as the design value, occurred during compaction of the backfill. Observations that differed from standard assumptions included the passive earth pressure in front of the shear key being less than 10% of the design value and vertical stress below the heel being greater than the toe. Compaction-induced lateral stresses on the stem were sometimes twice the vertical stress.
Get full access to this article
View all available purchase options and get full access to this article.
Acknowledgments
Partial support was provided by the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT). Special thanks are extended to MnDOT Bridge Office, especially Jihshya Lin, Joe Louis, Gary Peterson, and Erik Wolhowe; MnDOT Metro Construction Office, especially Steve Barrett; MnDOT’s Geodetic Office, especially Don Seitz; contractors Edward Kraemer and Sons, Inc., Burnsville, Minn., and Progressive Contractors, Inc., St. Michael, Minn. The findings and conclusions expressed in this paper are those of the writers and not necessarily those of MnDOT.
References
Aggour, M. S., and Brown, C. B. (1974). “The prediction of earth pressure on retaining walls due to compaction.” Geotechnique, 24(4), 489–502.
Bentler, J. G., Labuz, J. F., and Schultz, A. E. (2005). “Earth pressure behind a retaining wall.” Rep. 2005-14, Minnesota Dept. of Transportation, Saint Paul, Minn.
Clough, G. W., and Duncan, J. M. (1971). “Finite-element analysis of retaining wall behavior.” J. Soil Mech. Found. Div., 97(12), 1657–1673.
Clough, R. W., and Woodward, R. J. (1967). “Analysis of embankment stresses and deformations.” J. Soil Mech. Found. Div., 93(4), 529–549.
Coyle, H. M., and Bartoskewitz, R. E. (1976). “Earth pressure on precast panel retaining wall.” J. Geotech. Eng. Div., Am. Soc. Civ. Eng., 102(5), 441–456.
Coyle, H. H., Bartoskewitz, R. E., Milberger, L. J., and Butler, H. D. (1974). “Field measurements of lateral earth pressures on a cantilever retaining wall.” Transportation Research Record. 517, Transportation Research Board, Washington, D.C., 16–29.
Das, B. M. (2000). Fundamentals of geotechnical engineering, Brooks/Cole, Pacific Grove, Calif.
Goh, A. T. C. (1993). “Behavior of cantilever retaining walls.” J. Geotech. Eng., 119(11), 1751–1770.
Goodman, L. E., and Brown, C. B. (1963). “Dead load stresses and the instability of slopes.” J. Soil Mech. Found. Div., 89(3), 103–134.
Horvath, J. S. (1991). “Effect of footing shape on behavior of cantilever retaining wall.” J. Geotech. Eng., 117(6), 953–978.
Kulhawy, F. H. (1974). “Analysis of a high gravity retaining wall.” Proc., ASCE Conf. on Analysis and Design in Geotechnical Engineering, Univ. of Texas, Austin, Tex., 159–172.
Labuz, J. F., and Theroux, B. A. (2005). “Laboratory calibration of earth pressure cells.” Geotech. Test. J., 28(2), 188–196.
MacGregor, J. G. (1997). Reinforced concrete: Mechanics and design, 3rd Ed., Prentice-Hall, Upper Saddle River, N.J., 337–340.
Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT). (2000). Standard specifications for construction, Minnesota Dept. of Transportation, Saint Paul, Minn., 717–720.
Morgenstern, N. R., and Eisenstein, Z. (1970). “Methods of estimating lateral loads and deformations.” Proc. ASCE Specialty Conf. on Lateral Stresses in the Ground and Design of Earth Retaining Structures, Cornell Univ., Ithaca, N.Y., 51–102.
Terzaghi, K. (1934). “Large retaining-wall tests—I.” Eng. News-Rec., 112, 136–140.
Theroux, B. A., Labuz, J. F., and Dai, S.-T. (2001). “Field installation of earth pressure cells.” Transportation Research Record. 1772, Transportation Research Board, Washington, D.C., 12–19.
Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering
Volume 132 • Issue 8 • August 2006
Pages: 1062 - 1070
Copyright
© 2006 ASCE.
History
Received: Jun 2, 2004
Accepted: Jan 5, 2006
Published online: Aug 1, 2006
Published in print: Aug 2006
Authors
Metrics & Citations
Metrics
Citations
Download citation
If you have the appropriate software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice. Simply select your manager software from the list below and click Download.