Analysis Of Active Earth Pressure Nonlinear Distribution Based On Wedge Element Method

The classicCoulombearth pressure theory,whose research object was non-cohesiveearth, assumed a sliding wedge was formed in the backfill under limit state, thenobtained its pressure force its static equilibrium conditions, assuming its lineardistribution.However, theoretical and experimental researches throughout the worldhave proved that active earth pressure should be virtually non-linear distributed, and thesliding surface of the backfill should actually be curved rather than flat.In this paper, therigid retaining walls under panning mode is the research object,its active earth pressuredistribution under general conditions is analyzed.On the basis of the Coulomb theoryand the wedge element method,the researcher adopts its assumption of a planar slipsurface,derivesanalytical solutions of active earth pressure non-linear distribution undergeneral conditions, andproposes the theoretical formula of the earth pressure strengthcoefficient and the acting point of earth pressure resultant force.This research derivesnon-linear earth pressure distribution under the assumption of a planar sliding surface, istruly an extension and supplement to the classic Coulomb theory. This paper presents agenetic algorithm for the calculation of active earth pressure based on the wedgeelement method and its analytical solutions,proposes calculation method for active earthpressure strength, active earth pressure coefficient, earth pressure resultant force and itsacting point.This method can be used to solve active earth pressure distribution whenassuming any curved surface as the sliding surface. When assuming cubic functioncurve and quadratic surface curve as the sliding surface, active earth pressure thatobtained using the methods proposed in this paper shows a non-linear distribution. Thisis consistent with the experimental data and model test results.By conductingcomparative analysis of the active earth pressure distributions determined using thismethod under different-shaped sliding surface assumptions, obtained the conclusion thatquadratic function curve is more similar to the actual sliding surface.Throughcomparative analysis of the active earth pressure distributions of different parametersand different sliding surface solved by the method proposed in this paper, the influenceof the parameters on active earth pressure coefficient, nonlinear distribution of activeearth pressure intensity, active earth pressure resultant force and its acting point location as well as sliding surface of the backfill, parameters including internal friction angle ofthe earth φ, friction angle between the wall back and the soil δ, the inclination of thewall back α, inclination ofbackfill surface β and uniformly applied load on the backfillsurface.