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INTRODUCTION
Lateral Earth Pressure – the
pressure between the retained earth

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and the back of the earth-retaining

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structure

Module 6: Lateral Earth Pressure Structures subjected to lateral earth

pressure
• Retaining walls
• Basement walls
• Braced excavations
Prepared by: • Sheet piles
Maria Cecilia M. Marcos, Ph.D.
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Forces and Pressure acting between an earth retaining structure 2
and the adjacent ground (Coduto, 2001)

COEFFICIENT OF LATERAL EARTH PRESSURE CONDITIONS OF LATERAL EARTH PRESSURE

Coefficient of Lateral Earth Pressure , K – ratio of the horizontal At-rest pressure, 𝜎h
• rigid and unyielding
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effective stress to the vertical effective stress at any point in a soil.

• no lateral strain
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• wall is static – no movement either to the right or left

• state of elastic equilibrium
𝜎′h
𝐾=
𝜎′v Active pressure, 𝜎a
where • wall is moving outward a short distance
K = coefficient of lateral earth pressure • wall is moving away from the soil mass gradually
𝜎’h = horizontal effective stress
𝜎’v = vertical effective stress
Passive pressure, 𝜎p
3 • Opposite of active condition – wall moves into the backfill 4

EARTH PRESSURE AT REST EARTH PRESSURE AT REST

Coefficient of Lateral Earth Pressure at-rest, Ko Ko can be determined using
Distribution of lateral earth pressure at rest correlations:
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K o = 1 - sin 
′
𝜎h
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 unit weight of soil = 𝛾 𝐾𝑜 =  unit weight of soil = 𝛾

𝜎’o 𝜎 ′o
 f = c'+ ' tan  '
z
 f = c'+ ' tan  '
Ko = (1 - sin  )(OCR)sin
’
𝜎′ℎ = K o 𝜎′o ’

Effective
Effective
Effective
Effective
K o ( overconsolidated) = K o ( normally−consolidated ) OCR
cohesion cohesion

c’
𝜎′ℎ =
f Kfriction
o 𝜎′o
angle
H c’
f friction angle

where 𝜎′𝑜 = 𝛾 z
’ ’ ’
Total force per unit length of the wall
’

Lateral earth pressure at rest is:

𝜎′ℎ = K o𝛾 z 𝑃𝑜 = 1/2K o𝛾 H2
where H/3
Ko = coefficient of lateral earth pressure at rest The values of Ko in most soils ranges from
𝜎’h = lateral earth pressure at rest 0.5 and 1.0, with perhaps higher values
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𝜎’o = vertical effective stress Ko 𝛾 H for heavily overconsolidated clays6

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RANKINE’S THEORY OF ACTIVE EARTH PRESSURE RANKINE’S THEORY OF ACTIVE EARTH PRESSURE
𝛥L Coefficient of Active Earth Pressure, Ka Distribution of active earth pressure
A’ A
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-2c Ka
If wall AB is allowed to move away from −2c Ka
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
unit weight of soil = 𝛾
 f = c'+ ' tan  ' the soil mass gradually, horizontal stress
𝜎’o
’ z will decrease
Effective
cohesion Effective 𝜎 ′a
c’
f friction angle
𝐾𝑎 = ′
𝜎′
’ ℎ ’
𝜎o
Ka can be derived from stress condition
represented by Mohr’s circle:

K a = tan 2 (45 - )
2
1 - sin 
Ka = 𝛾 zKa 𝛾 zKa − 2c Ka
B’ B 1 + sin  7 8

RANKINE’S THEORY OF ACTIVE EARTH PRESSURE RANKINE’S THEORY OF ACTIVE EARTH PRESSURE
Active earth pressure cohesionless −2c K a -2c Ka
Tension crack using similar triangles:
𝜙′
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𝜎′𝑎 = 𝜎′𝑜 tan2 (45 − ) 2c

zo =
−2c Ka -2c Ka
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2
 Ka
Active earth pressure – cohesive
where
𝜙′ 𝜙′
𝜎′𝑎 = 𝜎′𝑜 tan2 (45 − ) − 2c' tan (45 − ) 𝛾 zKa
𝛾 zKa − 2c Ka zo is depth of tension crack
2 2
 For pure cohesive soil,
since K a = tan (45 - ) 2

2 i.e. when  = 0 :
𝜎𝑎 = 𝜎𝑜 K a − 2c Ka 2c
𝛾 zKa 𝛾 zKa − 2c Ka zo =
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 10

RANKINE’S THEORY OF PASSIVE EARTH PRESSURE RANKINE’S THEORY OF PASSIVE EARTH PRESSURE
𝛥L Coefficient of Passive Earth Pressure, Kp Distribution of passive earth pressure
A A’ Passive earth pressure cohesionless
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If wall AB is pushed into the soil mass,

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horizontal stress will increase 𝜙′

𝜎’o 𝜎′𝑃 = 𝜎′𝑜 tan2 (45 + )
z 2
𝜎 ′𝑝 Passive earth pressure – cohesive
𝜎′ℎ 𝐾𝑝 = z
𝜎 ′o
𝜙′ 𝜙′
Ka can be derived from stress condition 𝜎′𝑝 = 𝜎′𝑜 tan2 (45 + ) + 2c′ tan (45 + )
represented by Mohr’s circle: 2 2
 
K p = tan 2 (45 + ) since K p = tan 2 (45 + )
 unit weight of soil = 𝛾
2 2
1 + sin  2c K p  z Kp
 f = c'+ ' tan  ' 𝜎𝑝 = 𝜎𝑜 K 𝑝 + 2c K 𝑝
Kp =
B B’ ’ 1 − sin  11 12
Effective
cohesion Effective
f friction angle
c’
’ ’

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RANKINE’S PRESSURE WITH SLOPING GRANULAR BACKFILL COMMONLY ASSUMED ACTIVE PRESSURE ON WALLS

Active pressure:  ha
'
= Ka v' cos 
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COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING

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Passive pressure:  hp
'
= K p v' cos 

cos  - (cos 2 - cos 2 ' )

K a = cos 
cos  + (cos 2 - cos 2 ' )

cos  + (cos 2 - cos 2 ' ) 1

K p = cos  =
cos  − (cos 2 - cos 2 ' ) Ka

Frictionless vertical retaining wall with sloping 13 14

backfill (Das and Sivakugan, 2017)

COMMONLY COMMONLY
ASSUMED ACTIVE ASSUMED
PRESSURE ON PASSIVE
WALLS PRESSURE ON
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WALLS
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REFERENCES
B. Das and N. Sivakugan (2017), “Fundamentals of Geotechnical
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Engineering” 5th Edition

COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING

Coduto, D.P. (2001) Foundation Design: Principle and Practices.

2nd Edition, Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River

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