Retaining Walls — Worked Examples

These examples use explicit earth-pressure and stability assumptions and keep the retained height, footing geometry, weights, lever arms, and resultants consistent from start to finish.

Cantilever retaining wall scenario explorer

Concept and model scope

Service actions per metre. Rankine is level and smooth; the Coulomb mode models dry unsurcharged sloped backfill at a vertical wall with downward wall-friction component. Sufficient wall movement is needed for active pressure.

Groundwater uses total saturated weight 18 kN/m³ and submerged effective weight 18 − 9.81 kN/m³. Hydrostatic thrust is separate. Uplift, seepage, front water, compaction, passive resistance, global stability and seismic effects are outside this model.

Traditional service FS targets are illustrative. Stem, heel and toe values are signed service actions; factored RC strength, shear, anchorage and geotechnical capacity require separate checks.

Retained height H4.5 m
Base width B3.0 m
Backfill friction φ30 °
Base friction μ0.5
Uniform surcharge0 kPa
Water height0.0 m
Toe → B 3.0 m; resultant 1.29 m
Kₐ
0.333
Soil thrust
60.8 kN/m
Surcharge thrust
0.0 kN/m
Water thrust
0.0 kN/m
Horizontal thrust
60.8 kN/m
Downward wall friction
0.0 kN/m
FS overturning
3.22 (lesson target 2.0)
FS sliding
1.72 (lesson target 1.5)
Eccentricity
0.209 m
Contact
full
Toe / heel pressure
98.8 / 40.4 kPa

Maximum compressive contact 98.8 kPa. Partial contact uses a no-tension triangular distribution; outside contact has no valid base equilibrium. Bearing resistance and settlement remain separate geotechnical checks.

Signed service root actions (not factored RC design)
Stem M / V
91.1 kN·m/m / 60.8 kN/m
Heel M / V
54.0 kN·m/m / 59.2 kN/m
Toe M / V
40.1 kN·m/m / 77.0 kN/m

No seismic mode: site coefficients, pressure distribution and displacement compatibility require a separate project basis. Reinforcement and wall dimensions shown are conceptual.

Example 1: Complete Service Stability Check with One Consistent Geometry

Problem: A cantilever retaining wall has a retained height H=4.5 mH=4.5\text{ m} measured from the top of its 0.5 m0.5\text{ m} footing to the top of backfill, so the overall concrete system is 5.0 m5.0\text{ m} from footing bottom to wall top. The base width is B=3.0 mB=3.0\text{ m}, consisting of a 1.0 m1.0\text{ m} toe, 0.4 m0.4\text{ m} stem, and 1.6 m1.6\text{ m} heel. Use γs=18 kN/m3\gamma_s=18\text{ kN/m}^3, ϕ=30∘\phi=30^\circ, γc=24 kN/m3\gamma_c=24\text{ kN/m}^3, and base friction coefficient μ=0.50\mu=0.50.

Use the lesson's simplified Rankine model: level homogeneous cohesionless drained backfill, smooth vertical wall, no surcharge, no water pressure, no seismic action, and no credited passive resistance. Check overturning, sliding, resultant location, and full-contact bearing. Bearing capacity is not given, so do not claim a bearing-capacity pass.

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Example 2: Overturning from an Equivalent-Fluid Static Pressure

Problem: A 6.0 m6.0\text{ m} retained height is represented directly by a triangular equivalent-fluid lateral-pressure distribution with coefficient weq=5.5 kN/m3w_{eq}=5.5\text{ kN/m}^3. The base of this pressure diagram coincides with the overturning reference elevation. If ∑MR=750 kN⋅m/m\sum M_R=750\text{ kN}\cdot\text{m/m}, calculate the service overturning factor of safety. Ignore passive resistance and other lateral actions.

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Example 3: Eccentricity and Full-Contact Bearing Pressure

Problem: A service vertical resultant Rv=300 kN/mR_v=300\text{ kN/m} acts with eccentricity e=0.60 me=0.60\text{ m} toward the toe of a B=4.0 mB=4.0\text{ m} base. Determine whether the middle-third condition is satisfied and calculate the toe and heel contact pressures if full contact applies.

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Example 4: Hydrostatic Pressure after Loss of Drainage

Problem: A wall was designed for drained backfill, but a drainage failure allows water to rise to Hw=4.0 mH_w=4.0\text{ m} behind the wall. Calculate the additional hydrostatic resultant using γw=9.81 kN/m3\gamma_w=9.81\text{ kN/m}^3 and explain why it must be added separately to the effective-stress earth-pressure model.

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Example 5: Coulomb Active Pressure with Sloping Backfill

Problem: A vertical wall retains H=6.0 mH=6.0\text{ m} of homogeneous cohesionless drained soil with γ=18.5 kN/m3\gamma=18.5\text{ kN/m}^3, ϕ=32∘\phi=32^\circ, backfill slope β=10∘\beta=10^\circ, and wall friction δ=20∘\delta=20^\circ. Under the angle convention used in the lesson, calculate the Coulomb active coefficient and total thrust. No surcharge, water pressure, or seismic action is included.

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Example 6: Surcharge Added to the Corrected Wall Geometry

Problem: Add a uniform surcharge q=15 kPaq=15\text{ kPa} to the drained level backfill of Example 1. Use H=4.5 mH=4.5\text{ m} and Ka=1/3K_a=1/3. For a conservative teaching check, ignore any beneficial vertical surcharge weight over the heel and add only its destabilizing lateral effect. Recalculate the overturning moment and overturning factor of safety using ∑MR=390.96 kN⋅m/m\sum M_R=390.96\text{ kN}\cdot\text{m/m}.

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Example 7: Sliding Check with Limited Passive Resistance

Problem: A wall has horizontal driving force PH=150 kN/mP_H=150\text{ kN/m} and service vertical force ∑V=240 kN/m\sum V=240\text{ kN/m}. The base friction coefficient is μ=0.40\mu=0.40. A shear-key model predicts a theoretical passive resistance of 80 kN/m80\text{ kN/m}, but the selected design basis credits only 40 kN/m40\text{ kN/m} after considering mobilization and geotechnical uncertainty. Calculate the sliding factor of safety.

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Example 8: Factored Structural Moment in a Heel Slab

Problem: A 2.0 m2.0\text{ m} heel slab is 0.50 m0.50\text{ m} thick and supports 4.0 m4.0\text{ m} of backfill with γs=18 kN/m3\gamma_s=18\text{ kN/m}^3. For this isolated teaching calculation, ignore upward bearing pressure and other loads and use the stated factored dead-load multiplier 1.21.2 only. Concrete unit weight is 24 kN/m324\text{ kN/m}^3. Determine the factored cantilever moment at the stem face.

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Example 9: Why a Static Rankine Check Is Not a Seismic Check

Problem: A wall has been verified under static Rankine active pressure for level drained backfill. The site engineer now requests earthquake stability verification. Is it acceptable to reuse the same static KaK_a and simply label the resulting force “seismic earth pressure”?

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Example 10: Coupled Surcharge Weight and Lateral Pressure

Problem: Revisit Example 1 with a uniform 15 kPa15\text{ kPa} surcharge covering the full heel and extending behind the wall. Include both the downward load over the 1.60 m1.60\text{ m} heel and the lateral KaqHK_aqH action. Retain the original level, drained geometry, μ=0.50\mu=0.50, and service basis.

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Example 11: Groundwater and No-Tension Partial Contact

Problem: In Example 1 let groundwater rise 4.0 m4.0\text{ m} above footing top. Use γsat=18 kN/m3\gamma_{\mathrm{sat}}=18\text{ kN/m}^3, γw=9.81 kN/m3\gamma_w=9.81\text{ kN/m}^3, Ka=1/3K_a=1/3, and an 18 kN/m³ total soil weight over the heel. Ignore uplift and front water only for this controlled teaching case.

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Example 12: Net Stem, Heel, and Toe Service Actions

Problem: For any selected scenario, express the three cantilever root actions per metre without assigning strength load factors.

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