INVESTIGATION OF ACTIVE FAILURE SURFACES OCCURRING BEHIND THE T TYPE CANTILEVER RETAINING WALL

Authors : Hakan Alper Kamiloğlu, Fatih Yilmaz, Erol Şadoğlu

Pages : 18-31

View : 20 | Download : 15

Publication Date : 2021-06-30

Article Type : Research

Abstract :Determination of lateral earth pressure plays a vital role in retaining wall design. Failure surfaces are very effective in active lateral earth pressure acting on cantilever retaining walls. Calculations of lateral earth thrusts vary for two different cases, namely short heel or long heel, based on the intersection of T type cantilever wall and failure surface. In this study, the effect of heel length on an active failure mechanism was examined with numerical simulation based on FEM. The results of the numerical analyses were compared with the results of small-scale model tests and an analytical method. In comparison, the inclination angle of active failure surfaces was taken into account. An earth thrust maximization code suggested in the literature was used to determine failure surface inclination angles analytically. In order to determine failure inclination experimentally, results of small scale tests were used. In the tests, failure surfaces were determined using particle image velocimetry technique (PIV). Numerical analysis was performed using commercially available finite element program Plaxis 2D. The same material properties are used in all numerical models. As a result of the study short heel-long heel cases and effective parameters on the inclination angles of the failure surfaces are explained elaborately.
Keywords : Inverted T cantilever retaining wall, Failure surface, Short heel, Long heel