Simplified Method for Calculating the Active Earth Pressure on Retaining Walls of Narrow Backfill Width Based on DEM Analysis

Spaces for backfills are often constrained and narrowed when retaining walls must be built close to existing stable walls in urban areas or near rock faces in mountainous areas. The discrete element method (DEM), using Particle Flow Code (PFC-2D) software, was employed to simulate the behavior of co...

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Main Authors: Minghui Yang, Bo Deng
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wiley 2019-01-01
Series:Advances in Civil Engineering
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2019/1507825
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author Minghui Yang
Bo Deng
author_facet Minghui Yang
Bo Deng
author_sort Minghui Yang
collection DOAJ
description Spaces for backfills are often constrained and narrowed when retaining walls must be built close to existing stable walls in urban areas or near rock faces in mountainous areas. The discrete element method (DEM), using Particle Flow Code (PFC-2D) software, was employed to simulate the behavior of cohesionless soil with narrow width behind a rigid retaining wall when the wall translation moved away from the soils. The simulations focused on the failure model of the soil when the movement of the wall reaches the value where active earth pressure occurs, and the shape of the sliding surface was captured. Then, based on the limit equilibrium method with the obtained slip surfaces in PFC-2D, a simplified analytical method is presented to obtain a solution of the active earth pressure acting on rigid retaining with narrow backfill width. The point of application of the active earth pressure is also obtained. The calculated values agree well with those from physical tests in the previous literature. Furthermore, the effects of the width of the backfill, internal friction angle of soil, and wall-soil friction angle on the distribution of active earth pressure are discussed.
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institution Kabale University
issn 1687-8086
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publishDate 2019-01-01
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spelling doaj-art-351233ccf257400c9736568aca4269402025-02-03T05:48:14ZengWileyAdvances in Civil Engineering1687-80861687-80942019-01-01201910.1155/2019/15078251507825Simplified Method for Calculating the Active Earth Pressure on Retaining Walls of Narrow Backfill Width Based on DEM AnalysisMinghui Yang0Bo Deng1Associate Professor, College of Civil Engineering, Hunan University, Changsha, Hunan 410082, ChinaPh.D. Candidate, College of Civil Engineering, Hunan University, Changsha, Hunan 410082, ChinaSpaces for backfills are often constrained and narrowed when retaining walls must be built close to existing stable walls in urban areas or near rock faces in mountainous areas. The discrete element method (DEM), using Particle Flow Code (PFC-2D) software, was employed to simulate the behavior of cohesionless soil with narrow width behind a rigid retaining wall when the wall translation moved away from the soils. The simulations focused on the failure model of the soil when the movement of the wall reaches the value where active earth pressure occurs, and the shape of the sliding surface was captured. Then, based on the limit equilibrium method with the obtained slip surfaces in PFC-2D, a simplified analytical method is presented to obtain a solution of the active earth pressure acting on rigid retaining with narrow backfill width. The point of application of the active earth pressure is also obtained. The calculated values agree well with those from physical tests in the previous literature. Furthermore, the effects of the width of the backfill, internal friction angle of soil, and wall-soil friction angle on the distribution of active earth pressure are discussed.http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2019/1507825
spellingShingle Minghui Yang
Bo Deng
Simplified Method for Calculating the Active Earth Pressure on Retaining Walls of Narrow Backfill Width Based on DEM Analysis
Advances in Civil Engineering
title Simplified Method for Calculating the Active Earth Pressure on Retaining Walls of Narrow Backfill Width Based on DEM Analysis
title_full Simplified Method for Calculating the Active Earth Pressure on Retaining Walls of Narrow Backfill Width Based on DEM Analysis
title_fullStr Simplified Method for Calculating the Active Earth Pressure on Retaining Walls of Narrow Backfill Width Based on DEM Analysis
title_full_unstemmed Simplified Method for Calculating the Active Earth Pressure on Retaining Walls of Narrow Backfill Width Based on DEM Analysis
title_short Simplified Method for Calculating the Active Earth Pressure on Retaining Walls of Narrow Backfill Width Based on DEM Analysis
title_sort simplified method for calculating the active earth pressure on retaining walls of narrow backfill width based on dem analysis
url http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2019/1507825
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AT bodeng simplifiedmethodforcalculatingtheactiveearthpressureonretainingwallsofnarrowbackfillwidthbasedondemanalysis