Active and Passive Lateral Earth Pressure with Anisotropic Seepage Effect
Publication: International Journal of Geomechanics
Volume 24, Issue 8
Abstract
This study investigated active and passive lateral earth pressure in the presence of anisotropic seepage conditions. The soil was assumed to be granular and fully saturated. Three methods were used to solve the problem: (1) the upper bound limit analysis method (UBM); (2) upper and lower bound solutions of finite-element limit analysis (FELA); and (3) the stress characteristic method (SCM). The proposed analytical solution for the UBM employed the logarithmic spiral slip surface. The lateral earth pressure coefficients for the active and passive cases were calculated and presented, considering variations in the vertical-to-horizontal hydraulic conductivity ratio, friction angle, and soil–wall interface friction angle. The obtained results for the active and passive cases agree with those of previous studies. The results of the SCM showed that in the presence of seepage, the distribution of stress on the soil–wall interface is nonlinear. In addition, the failure zone obtained from different methods was compared and examined. The failure patterns obtained from the SCM and FELA were almost identical.
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Data Availability Statement
All data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.
Notation
The following symbols are used in this paper:
- H
- height of the wall;
- ix
- horizontal hydraulic gradient;
- iz
- vertical hydraulic gradient;
- Ka
- active lateral earth pressure coefficient;
- Kp
- passive lateral earth pressure coefficient;
- kx
- horizontal hydraulic conductivity;
- kz
- vertical hydraulic conductivity;
- Pa
- active earth force;
- Pp
- passive earth force;
- p
- mean stress;
- q
- surcharge;
- u
- pore-water pressure;
- WFx
- work of the horizontal seepage force;
- WFz
- work of the vertical seepage force;
- Wp
- work of the active or passive force;
- WW
- work of the weight;
- X
- body and/or inertial forces in the x-direction;
- Z
- body and/or inertial forces in the z-direction;
- z
- depth;
- δw
- soil–wall interface friction angle;
- ϕ
- soil friction angle;
- γ′
- submerged unit weight;
- γ
- soil unit weight;
- γw
- water unit weight;
- θ
- failure surface inclination angle;
- σx
- horizontal normal stress;
- σz
- vertical normal stress;
- τxz
- shear stress;
- ψ
- angle between the positive x-axis and the major principal stress; and
- ξ
- .
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Information & Authors
Information
Published In
International Journal of Geomechanics
Volume 24 • Issue 8 • August 2024
Copyright
© 2024 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Jul 6, 2023
Accepted: Feb 5, 2024
Published online: May 21, 2024
Published in print: Aug 1, 2024
Discussion open until: Oct 21, 2024
ASCE Technical Topics:
- Analysis (by type)
- Anisotropy
- Continuum mechanics
- Deformation (mechanics)
- Dynamics (solid mechanics)
- Engineering fundamentals
- Engineering mechanics
- Finite element method
- Geomechanics
- Geotechnical engineering
- Lateral pressure
- Limit analysis
- Methodology (by type)
- Numerical methods
- Pressure (type)
- Seepage
- Soil dynamics
- Soil mechanics
- Soil pressure
- Soil properties
- Solid mechanics
- Stress (by type)
- Stress analysis
- Structural analysis
- Structural engineering
- Structural mechanics
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