Abstract
This paper presents an analytical method for determination of earth pressures on retaining wall with inclined backfill. The analytical method deals with a combination of two failure straight lines and the optimum failure line is obtained by the procedure of trial and error technique applied using failure equations developed in the study. The results of the present study are compared to available rigorous active and passive earth pressures of other accepted methods in both cohesionless and cohesive soils. In cohesionless soil, it is observed that the passive earth pressure coefficient obtained from the present method is less than Coulomb's theory in all cases but greater than the logarithmic spiral method when soil friction angle is greater than 30°. The variation of earth pressures with changes of cohesion of soil by the present method shows the same trend as of the Coulomb's theory. It is also observed that the decreasing rate of active earth pressure is higher in more cohesive soil. It is concluded that the earth pressures determined by the method developed here in is less than the Coulomb's solutions but greater than other methods such as Caquot & Kerisel solutions and slice method.
