Geotechnics – part 2

Teacher:
Francesca Ceccato
[email protected]

Design of earth retaining

structures

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Motivation:
Retaining structures are very common geotechnical
structures whose failure can cause severe damage and
loss of human lives

Purpose of this lecture:

• Study the stability of simple earth retaining structures (gravity wall,
flexible structures)

Outline:
1. Stability of gravity wall
2. Stability of diafragm wall

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Types of earth retaining structures

• Gravity or freestanding wall: stability is

mainly due to the weight of the wall
• Embedded walls or flexible structures:
stability is mainly due to the the passive
resistance of soil

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Design of earth retaining structures

An earth retaining structure must not:

• Collapse or suffer major damage ULS
• Be subject of unacceptable
deformations in relation to its function
SLS
• Suffer minor damage that would
necessitate excessive maintenance

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 Gravity walls

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Gravity wall

• GRAVITY WALL

• CANTILEVER WALLS

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Gravity wall

• In stone block

• Gabions

• Crib walls in
Precast concrete
or woods

• Earth
reinforced
structure

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Geotechnical stability of earth retaining wall

 Sliding along the base plane SURCHARGE

Sovraccarico

 Toppling (in this case A point)

bw W Pa
 Bearing capacity of foundation base
bP
 Overall Global Stability B A
along BC
T
NO WATER
Q
CASE

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Geotechnical stability of earth retaining wall

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Water effect

• Water pressure increases the total thrust on

the wall!

1 ′ 2 1
𝛾𝛾 𝐻𝐻 𝐾𝐾𝑎𝑎 𝛾𝛾𝑤𝑤 𝐻𝐻2
2 2

1 1
𝑃𝑃𝑡𝑡𝑡𝑡𝑡𝑡 = 𝛾𝛾 ′ 𝐻𝐻2 𝐾𝐾𝑎𝑎 + 𝛾𝛾𝑤𝑤 𝐻𝐻2
2 2

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Drainage and water control

A well designed drainage system is fundamental!

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Vertical drain

Rainfall

Atmospheric
pressure at the drain
Water pressure with drain is
much lower than hydrostatic
pressure!

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Sub-horizontal drain

P=0

drain

H
Flux lines 𝑃𝑃𝑤𝑤 = 0
P=0 Atmospheric pressure
1
𝛾𝛾𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠 𝐻𝐻2 𝐾𝐾𝑎𝑎
in the drain 2

No drainage
1 1 1 1
𝑃𝑃𝑡𝑡𝑡𝑡𝑡𝑡 = 𝛾𝛾𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠 𝐻𝐻2 𝐾𝐾𝑎𝑎 = 𝛾𝛾 ′ + 𝛾𝛾𝑤𝑤 𝐻𝐻2 𝐾𝐾𝑎𝑎 < 𝛾𝛾 ′ 𝐻𝐻2 𝐾𝐾𝑎𝑎 + 𝛾𝛾𝑤𝑤 𝐻𝐻2
2 2 2 2

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Structural stability of earth retaining wall
Shear or bending
failure of a structural
element

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Geotechnical stability of earth retaining wall
Different approaches can be used to verify the
ultimate limit state of geotechnical structures:
1. Fd<Rd where Fd= design forces are amplified
and Rd= design resistance are calculated with
reduced resistance parameters. Use of partial
factors
2. F/R>FS where you check that the ratio
between actions (forces) and resistances are
greater than a global safety factor FS which
depends on the type of failure you consider
3. F’/R’>FS’ a combination of the two methods

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Geotechnical stability of earth retaining wall

• Forces acting on the structure are amplified if

in disfavor of safety and reduced if in favor of
safety
• resistances are reduced

NTC08 EQU Check national standards!

Load type favour disfavour
Permanent 0.9 1.1
Variable 0 1.5

Parameter Redicing coefficient Fd < Rd

tan(φ) 1.25
c’ 1.25
su 1.4

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Geotechnical stability of earth retaining wall
Global safety factor

ULS FS
Sliding 1.3
Toppling 1.5
Bearing capacity 2
Overall global stability 1.3

Check national standards!

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Sliding

What are the forces relevant for sliding?

1. Earth pressure Pa
2. Friction at the base of the wall T

W Pa

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Sliding
Suppose δ the friction angle at the base (concrete-soil), the
horizontal component of reaction is:
T = W tanδ

T
Global Equilibrium: FS = ≥ 1.3
Pa

Eurocode: Td ≥ Pa ,d

Td & Pa,d was the design Resistance and Forces T e Pa calculated by the
partial safety coefficient, with the different approach suggested on EC
code

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Toppling

What are the forces relevant for toppling?

1. Earth pressure Pa
2. Self weight of the wall W

𝑀𝑀𝑑𝑑𝑑𝑑𝑑𝑑𝑑𝑑𝑑𝑑𝑑𝑑,𝑑𝑑 < 𝑀𝑀𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠,𝑑𝑑

or
𝑀𝑀𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠
> 𝐹𝐹𝐹𝐹
𝑀𝑀𝑑𝑑𝑑𝑑𝑑𝑑𝑑𝑑𝑑𝑑𝑑𝑑 W Pa

𝑊𝑊𝑎𝑎𝑤𝑤 aP=1/3H
> 𝐹𝐹𝐹𝐹
𝑃𝑃𝑎𝑎 𝑎𝑎𝑝𝑝 A

aw

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 Flexible structures

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Flexible earth retaining structures

Deformation of the element due Earht Pressure

to the total pressure Diagramm

Free Lenght H
Active
Forces

Passive
Forces
Depth D

Passive Active
Forces Forces

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Flexible earth retaining structures

 Diaphragm Wall … in
concrete …

DIAPHRAGM

 Sheet Wall … in Steel …

SECANT PILE

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Flexible earth retaining structures

 Cantilevel or free earth support …

 Fixed earth support

 Braced supported Wall

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Cantilever sheet pile wall

• Assume that the

rotaion occurs
around a point O
close to the base of
the wall, at depth d
• Active pressure in
front of the wall
• Passive pressure
behind the wall
• Approximate the net
pressure below O
with a force R
applied in O

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Cantilever sheet pile wall

Write the equilibrium at rotation around O:

Granular Homogeneus Soil, no water. The rotational equilibrium can be write as:

M destab = M stab
Pa × ba = Pp × bp

γK a (h + d ) × (h + d ) = γK p d × d
1 2 1 1 2 1
2 3 2 3
(h + d )3 = K p
d3 Ka

Find d iteratively.
The total reaction R can be calculate respect the sliding equilibrium. In function of R we
can calculate the extra depth insertion (generally equal to 0.20 d).

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Anchored sheet pile wall

1. We assume that the embedment

F depth is insufficient to produce
fixity at the lower end of the wall
2. Calculate active pressure in front
of the wall and passive pressure
behind the wall
3. Determine the embedment depth
d by equilibrium around the point
F (ancor)
4. Determine the anchor force by
solving equilibrium of forces in
horizontal direction

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Anchored sheet pile wall

 Granular homogeneous soil, no water table. Rotational equilibrium respect the

anchorage point F:

M instab = M stab
Pa × ba = Pp × b p

γK a (a + h + d ) × (2h + 2d − a ) = γK p d × (3h + 2d )
1 2 1 1 2 1
2 3 2 3
(a + h + d )2 × (2h + 2d − a ) = K p
d 2 × (3h + 2d ) Ka

Force F is given by the translational or sliding equilibrium.

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Geotechnical stability of flexible wall

How can we introduce the safety factor?

Check national standards!
1. The calculated depth is multiplied by a safety
factor Fd>1 (not recommended)
2. The global safety factor is calculated as F/R>FS
and should be higher that a certain limit. When
applying this approach in determining the
embedment depth you reduce the moments of
the passive resistances by a factor 1.5-2
(factored moment method)
3. Design parameters are used to determine the
active and passive pressure. Usually φ’d=δ’/Fφ (Fφ
=1.2-1.5) and sud=su/Fsu (Fsu=1.5-2)

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Effect of water

Permeable layer (sand) Impermeable layer (clay, rock)

Impermeable layer (clay, rock) Impermeable layer (clay, rock)

(A) (B) (C)

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Effect of water: Case A

Pw
Pw

Net water pressure is 0!

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Effect of water: case B (seepage)

𝜎𝜎′𝑧𝑧 = 𝜎𝜎 − 𝑢𝑢
𝜎𝜎′𝑥𝑥 = 𝐾𝐾𝑎𝑎/𝑝𝑝 𝜎𝜎𝜎𝑧𝑧

uA uA

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Effect of water: case b

Simplified procedure to calculate the net pore

pressure: A
1. Assume that the hydraulic load is dissipated
uniformly along the shortest seepage path a
(a+b+b)𝑖𝑖 = 𝑎𝑎/(𝑎𝑎 + 2𝑏𝑏)
2. Assume that, at the toe (point B), pressure is C
equal at the two sides of the wall 𝑃𝑃𝑤𝑤𝑤𝑤
𝑢𝑢𝐵𝐵 = 𝛾𝛾𝑤𝑤 (𝐻𝐻𝐵𝐵 + 𝑧𝑧𝐵𝐵 ) = 𝛾𝛾𝑤𝑤 𝑎𝑎 − 𝑖𝑖 ∗ 𝑎𝑎 + 𝑏𝑏 + 𝑏𝑏 𝑃𝑃𝑤𝑤𝑤𝑤 b
2𝑎𝑎𝑎𝑎 + 2𝑏𝑏2
= 𝛾𝛾𝑤𝑤
𝑎𝑎 + 2𝑏𝑏 B
Sand
𝑢𝑢𝐵𝐵 𝑏𝑏
𝑃𝑃𝑤𝑤𝑤𝑤 =
2
𝑢𝑢𝐵𝐵 (𝑎𝑎 + 𝑏𝑏)
𝑃𝑃𝑤𝑤𝑤𝑤 =
2

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Effect of water: case c

Hydrostatic conditions

a
C

𝑢𝑢𝐵𝐵,𝑙𝑙𝑙𝑙𝑙𝑙𝑙𝑙 = 𝛾𝛾𝑤𝑤 𝑏𝑏 B 𝑢𝑢𝐵𝐵,𝑟𝑟𝑟𝑟𝑟𝑟𝑟𝑟𝑟 = 𝛾𝛾𝑤𝑤 (𝑎𝑎 + 𝑏𝑏)

Impermeable layer (clay, rock)

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