Tutorial – Retaining Walls

[1] The cross s e c t i o n o f a cantilever r e t a i n i n g w a l l is shown i n Figure 3. Calculate

t h e factors of safety with respect to overturning and sliding.

[2] A frictionless retaining wall of 6 m height has a backfill as shown in the figure
below.

(a) If the wall is unyielding, calculate the force due to earth pressure per meter
length of wall.

(b) If the wall is allowed to yield, plot the active and passive earth pressure profile.

(c) Compute the resultant force and the location of thrust on the wall for the earth
pressure computed in (b).

(d) Compute the total active thrust if the backfill is sloping upwards at 10º.
[3] A retaining wall has to be designed in order to support a backfill of 7 m height. The properties
of backfill and soil strata below the retaining wall are given in the figure. Proportion the
retaining wall foundation if it has to also support a vertical load of 500 kN/m. There is no
water table present up to the depth of rock strata. The design should consider center of the
stem of retaining wall. Assume that the effective area method is applicable for eccentric
foundations for all the calculations. Check the design for overturning, sliding. Calculate the
ultimate bearing capacity of wall foundation and the factor of safety against shear failure.

[4] A fly ash storage system is being constructed for a thermal power station. Due to shortage of
land, the management has decided to build a 30 m square partially underground storage tank
with rigid and frictionless retaining walls. The tank rests on uniform strata 8.5 m below the
ground surface and the water table is assumed at the ground surface. Calculate the moment
on the side walls for the following five stages of filling in the tank and find the critical moment
and shear force at the bottom of wall. Also find the uplift force at the tank bottom.
 1. Empty tank
2. Fly ash sludge to the full height (1 m below the top of tank)
3. Fly ash after consolidation under self-weight
4. Fly ash under surcharge load before consolidation
5. Fly ash under surcharge load after consolidation
The water is retained in the tank (no evaporation). The surcharge load of 1.0 m high
concrete blocks exerts no friction to the wall. Do the consolidation and subsequently earth
pressure calculations assuming a three layer system inside the tank. Assume constant Cc
during the consolidation process under a particular loading.

[5] Based on the three link as attached as follows:

1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yNrbUTOcYd4
2. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oO9gIlSP-2I
3. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PDy5EXne0ko
Please answer all the questions below:
+ What is the Retaining Wall?
+ Why the Retaining Wall is very important to avoid the slope failure?
+ What are the elements of the Retaining Wall?
+ Explain the Failure in the Retaining Wall.

[6] Case 1: A highway cut is made in horizontal sandstone beds as shown below. The cut face is
sloped 1(horizontal) to 6(vertical) for appearance. An open vertical joint that strikes parallel
to the cut face is 9m from the cut toe. A second set of joints also exists; these vertical joints are
spaced 10 m apart and extend all the way through the sandstone and strike perpendicular to
the road. The joints and the bedding thus divide the sandstone into blocks. Consider the 10 m
deep block shown above. Just above the base of the cut is a highly weathered cohesionless
seam of silty sandstone 0.5 m thick. A small concrete wall is poured at the toe of the cut to
restrain this bed. The sandstone throughout has a unit weight of 24 kN/m3, and the angle of
internal friction of the basal weathered sandstone is 30°.
Case 1: No water in joint 1
The weight (i.e. force) of the upper sandstone block on the weathered bed is (See figure):