Foundation Engineering I

CE-325
Coulomb’s earth pressure theory

NUST Institute of Civil Engineering (NICE)

School of Civil & Env. Engineering (SCEE)

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Coulomb’s earth pressure theory 2
Coulomb’s earth pressure theory 3
 Coulomb’s earth pressure theory 4

One of the earliest methods for establishing earth pressure against

walls, given by Coulomb (1776), with following assumptions:
• Soil is isotropic & homogeneous and has cohesion and internal
friction.
• The rupture surface is planar & the back fill surface is also planar.
• Friction resistance is distributed uniformly along rupture surface.
• The failure wedge is a solid body undergoing translation.
 Coulomb’s active earth pressure 5

Failure wedge and forces Force triangle

acting on it for active earth to establish Pa
pressure
 Coulomb’s active earth pressure 6

Using law of sines

Value of Pa depends on angle . The maximum active wall force

Pa is found by setting dPa/d = 0
Coulomb’s active earth pressure 7
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Found. Analysis & Design Vertical wall,

(Bowles, 5ed) P. 597 sloping backfill
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Found. Analysis & Design Vertical wall,

(Bowles, 5ed) P. 597 sloping backfill
 Coulomb’s passive earth pressure 10

Force triangle to establish Pa

Failure wedge and forces

acting on it for passive earth
pressure
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Found. Analysis & Design Vertical wall,

(Bowles, 5ed) P. 598 sloping backfill
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Found. Analysis & Design Vertical wall,

(Bowles, 5ed) P. 598 sloping backfill
Culman’s graphical method 13
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