Abstract
The behavior of an earth-retaining structure is affected to a great degree by the magnitude of the earth pressure behind the wall. In other words, determining the above earth pressure is of particular importance in the design of the earth-retaining structure. Generally, the earth pressure is closely related to the displacement of the wall surfase. In the case of an earth-retaining structure, however, the earth presssure acting on the earth-retaining wall has been difficult to determine because of the characteristics of the above wall, for example, the relatively small wall displacement and its curved shape.
This paper analyzes the earth pressure determined from calculations by using the finite-element method which simulates the excavation work for clayey soil and proposes a new design approach for modeling the earth pressure behind the wall. The accuracy of this method is also verified by comparing the estimated earth pressure and the measured value obtained in the field.
