Analysis for Sheet-Pile Retaining Walls

A method for analyzing sheet-pile retaining walls is developed by considering the piling to be cut at the dredge line. The shear, moment, and backfill pressures, due to the material above the dredge line, are computed and then applied as loads to the embedded part of the pile. This embedded length is then treated as a beam on an elastic foundation in which the stiffness of the elastic foundation is assumed to increase linearly with the depth below the dredge line (zero at the dredge line). This type of foundation corresponds approximately to the behavior of sands. Curves have been prepared which show the variations in deflection and moment in this section of the pile, caused by a concentrated shear or moment at the dredge line or a uniform pressure along the embedded length. Using this information, a procedure for analyzing a chosen sheet-pile installation is presented, and the results for two examples are compared with those given by the “classical” procedures for such structures. The results of this study show the importance of the relative flexibilities of the pile section and foundation.