Hiroshi Matsuzawa

Wall displacement modes dependent active earth pressure analyses using smeared shear band method with two bands

Abstract A new numerical method, based on a smeared shear band technique, has been proposed for the analysis of earth pressure that incorporates two shear bands for a localized element. The method, which is valid for plane strain condition, is applied to explain the generation of the active earth pressure against a rigid retaining wall for different modes of the displacement that the wall is likely to undergo. It exposes the deficiency of the conventional methods of analysis based on continuity of stress throughout the entire deformation process of the backfill. The proposed methodology can adequately capture the progressive deformation characteristics of the backfill. The wall displacement modes are seen to govern the progressive failure pattern. As a result, depending on the modes of displacement, the active state distribution of the earth pressure and the related parameters at the active state differ in magnitudes.