Sheet Pile Design Earth Pressure for Strip Load

In order to demonstrate the effect from a strip load on the design of sheet pile walls, the earth pressure on a rigid vertical wall rotating about a point near the top of the wall is calculated for cohesionless soil using Brinch Hansen's earth pressure theory. A complete analytical solution corresponding to the calculation of the earth pressure by means of a circular failure arc is given together with charts demonstrating the results for the (plane) internal angle of friction $\varphi =\mathrm{30deg};\text{.}$ It is shown that the surcharge/unit weight ratio and the position of the strip load has significant influence on the design loads and that simple rules‐of‐the‐thumb should be carefully examined in order to ensure safe design procedures.