TABLE OF CONTENTS Over the years, theorists have used many methods to analyze retaining walls and their effect on the adjacent soil mass, or to analyze the soil mass and its effect on the retaining wall. Today, almost all wall designs are based on one of three methods of analysis. These are:
Earth pressure theory advanced by Coulomb and Rankine
Apparent earth pressure advanced by Terzaghi and Peck
Limit equilibrium developed from analysis work on the stability of earth slopes
Currently, many designers work seamlessly between these three theories, changing from one to another in mid-analysis almost without acknowledgement. As a result, a body of work exists to design walls which is largely based on experience and relies on successful previous case histories.
Other than to acquaint the reader with some of the differences in the various methods, no attempt will be made here to rigorously explain their intricacies. The bibliography of this text offers reading which can provide the reader with added information on these design methods.
Many designers have experienced difficulties with walls they have designed because they have simply focused on the wall as a lateral load resisting element. For the designer to focus only on the lateral loading indicated in these various design methods without examining the entire loading regime which may exist in a wall can lead to problems if not outright failures.
In order to design a shored wall, all the forces acting on the wall must be understood. Generally, the designer...
