Investigation of the accuracy of earth pressure values obtained using rankne theorem.

Abstract EN

The application of Rankine theorem to calculate the earth pressure forces on earth retaining structures is widely used due to its simplicity.

In this work, the theorem results are tested for a cantilever retaining wall in pure dry sandy soil.

The tests included the comparison with a more sophisticated numerical model as well as with results of centrifuge simulation works.

The study included the investigation of the effect of retaining wall dimensions on wall and soil behavior.

Bending moments as calculated using the Rankine’s theory are tested against the other methods.

Rankine’s theory provided generally low straining action values as compared with the finite element and the centrifuge testing results.