Lecture 5

Sheet Pile/Retaining Walls

Introduction
• These are flexible structures that depend upon
the ‘passive resistance’ of the soil in front of
and behind the lower part of the wall for stability
• Anchors provide additional stability when
incorporated
• For this type of retaining wall, their weight is
negligible compared with other forces involved
• Analysis and design methods usually neglect the
effect of friction between the soil and wall,
particularly when working with active pressure
values
– This should not be the case with passive pressure
values where the effect of wall friction can almost
double the Rankine value of kp
2

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 Categories of Sheet Pile Walls
Sheet pile walls may be split into 2 main
groups, each with its unique method of
analysis. The groups are:

1. Cantilevered walls
2. Anchored and propped walls
– Walls with a single strut or anchor
– Walls with multiple struts

Cantilevered walls – Geometry and Ideal

lateral pressures for Stability
Geometry Pressure Diagram

Active
Passive Pressure Zone
Pressure
x Zone
d

Passive
Point of
rotation Active Zone
4

2
 Cantilever wall stability (effective stress
consideration)
Pressures Forces

s = K g (x + H)
PA1
h a d
s = K g x
h p d

PP1
s = K g ( x + H )
h p d

PA2 PP2

s = K g d s  = K g (d + H)
h a d h p d

Cantilevered walls – Simplified lateral

pressures

Possible direction of
wall movement

Excavation area

Active Pressure Zone

Passive
Pressure Zone

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 Geometrical Considerations • h – height of wall
above depth of
embedment
• d – depth of
penetration that will
h make the wall stable
• For equilibrium, the
active pressure on the
‘back’ of the wall must
d0
be balanced by the
d passive pressure,
both in front of and
Point of behind the wall
rotation
7

Consideration of rotation
• For an arbitrary point O, assumed to be the point of
(outward) rotation, the THEORETICAL (or CP2)
pressure distribution is as shown in the figure below

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 Cantilever wall stability Considerations
Design calculations are required to determine
the depth of penetration, d, of the wall.
Because the depth of the point of rotation is
also unknown 2 equations are required to
obtain a solution.
These are moment and force equilibrium
SF = 0
SM = 0
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Simplified pressure Distribution

• Normally adopted in the
analysis
• In this case, the net
passive resistance below
the point of rotation is
replaced by a horizontal
force R
• The obtained value of the
depth of embedment, d is
increased by 20% to
compensate for the
simplification 10

5
 Cantilever wall: Serviceability Limit
Design Considerations
The maximum moment on the wall must be determined

Maximum moment occurs where the resultant force, F = 0, thus

1 1
F = K a g d (z + H) 2 - K p g d z 2 = 0
2 2 11

Cantilever wall – SL design

F
M

Having determined z for which F = 0, then taking

moments about the base gives

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6
 Limit State (LS) Design Approach

• In the BS 8002 LS
approach, the design
procedure is to reduce
the shear strength by a
mobilization factor M

The depth, d is obtained by balancing the disturbing

and restraining moments about O, together with the
horizontal forces established using the (theoretical)
pressure distribution diagram

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• The analysis generates two

equations containing two
unknowns (d & d0) – which can
be solved using an iteration
technique
• In this case it is also common
practice to:
– Make an allowance of 10 kN/m2
surcharge (if not present) on the
retained soil
– Allowance of 10% of the clear height
in front of the wall – to allow for
unplanned (future) excavations

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7
 ANCHORED
SHEET PILE WALLS

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Anchored walls
• Anchors are used when:
– The height of the retained soil is significant
– Deflections in the adjacent soil need to be
minimised
• In many temporary excavations, struts are
used rather than anchors.
– From an analytical viewpoint struts and
anchors can be treated in the same way
• The method of analysis depends on:
– whether there is a Single anchor/strut
– whether there are Multiple anchors/struts

16

8
 Walls with a single anchor
• Generally, anchored walls are statically indeterminate
• For a single anchor, analysis can proceed by making
an assumption about the deformation of the wall.
There are two common assumptions
1. The base of the pile is assumed to be free to
rotate and move laterally
This is known as the Free Earth Support Method

Strut

Assumed
deformed shape
of the wall
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Walls with a single anchor contd.

2. The base of the pile is assumed to be fixed in
position and direction
This is known as the Fixed Earth Support Method

Anchor

Assumed deformed
shape of the wall

18

9
 Walls with a single anchor contd
• Most appropriate method will depend on relative
stiffness of wall and soil
• For a rigid wall the assumption of the free earth
support method is realistic
• For a very flexible wall the fixed earth support method
is realistic
• Because the free earth support method analysis is
much simpler this is often used even when the wall
is not rigid
• Allowance can subsequently be made for wall
flexibility which has the effect of changing the
pressure distribution so that bending moments are
reduced 19

Free earth support method

T
Anchor or Prop between
sides of excavation
H

PA

d PP

20

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 Free earth support method – the approach
• Determine effective vertical stresses
• Determine effective lateral stresses using
Rankine’s method
• Apply factor to lateral stresses to limit
deformations – where applicable
• Add in water pressures if water levels are
different on the two sides of the wall
• Take moments about the anchor/strut to
determine required depth of wall
• Use force equilibrium to determine anchor
force
• Determine maximum moment and size of the
wall
21

Effects of wall flexibility

Analysis assumes a rigid wall, but in reality walls will not
be perfectly rigid

Deformed shape Deformed shape Ideal Pressure

of a rigid wall of a flexible wall distribution on a
flexible wall 22

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 Illustration

d1
Strut
Retained
Dry Sand
d2

Assumptions
• Rigid wall
• Rigid unbuckling strut
• Triangular active and passive pressures
23

Illustration
There are two possible modes of failure
1. With the strut close to the surface

passive

Anticipated
deformation of
wall
active

24

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 Illustration
2. With the strut close to the base of the wall

deformed
active position of
wall

passive

25

Illustration
Consider the limiting equilibrium (strut close to the base)
Lateral stresses s’h = K s’v = K g z

active d1

1
K a g d 12
2
Ka g d1
passive F
Kp g d 1 K p g d1 d 2
d2 1
K p g d 22
2
Kp g (d1+ d2)

26

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 Illustration

1
K a g d 12
2

K p g d1 d 2
1 F
K p g d 22
2

To initially ‘eliminate’ F take moments about the prop/strut; then

1 d d 1 2d2
K a g d 12 1 = K p g d 1 d 2 2 + K p g d 22
2 3 2 2 3

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Multiple anchors
• Multiple anchors are often needed for very deep
excavations
• Alternatively if there are floors in deep
basements, these can act as multiple struts
• The multiple anchors or struts provide increased
rigidity. This limits deformations
• The problem is statically indeterminate and no
simple assumptions are possible

28

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 Multiple anchors contd.
The earth pressures will depend on:

– Relative stiffness of soil and wall

– Spacing of the anchors/struts
– Load-deformation response of the anchor
– Pre-stress, if any, set up during construction

In practice empirical procedures are used to

estimate forces in the struts and pressures on the
walls

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Anchor design considerations

An anchor must provide the required anchor force
without excessive movement of the anchor

Deformed
Vertical
position of
plate
wall
anchor

30

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 Anchor design considerations contd

Passive Active
pressures pressures

The maximum anchor force that can be mobilised is

T = ( K p s v - K a s v ) A

where s’v is the effective vertical stress at the centre of the

plate, and A is the area of the plate
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Anchor design
T = ( K p s v - K a s v ) A

To mobilise the limiting pressures very large deformations are

required which are inconsistent with the plate acting as an anchor.
The pressures must therefore be factored so that they are
consistent with smaller deformations. This can be achieved by
factoring Kp and Ka as before, i.e. by using either

Kp* = Kp /F and Ka* = Ka where F is usually 2

OR; using f* when calculating Kp* and Ka* where
tan f 
tan f * =
Ff

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 Anchor design
Plate anchors can only provide limited anchor forces
For larger anchor forces it is common to use raked pile anchors

These can mobilise frictional stresses as well as bearing

pressures on the ends.
Increasing depth of burial increases all components of resistance33
because of the increase in s’v

Other Sheet Pile ANCHOR Types

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