Numerical evaluation of 3D passive earth pressure coefficients for retaining wall subjected to translation

The 2D passive earth pressures acting on rigid retaining walls problem has been widely treated in the literature using different approaches (limit equilibrium, limit analysis, slip line and numerical computation), however, the 3D passive earth pressures problem has received less attention. This paper is concerned with the numerical study of 3D passive earth pressures induced by the translation of a rigid rough retaining wall for associative soils. Using the explicit finite difference code FLAC3D (Fast Lagrangian Analyses of Continua), the increase of the passive earth pressures due to the decrease of the wall breadth is investigated. The results given by the present numerical analysis are compared with other investigations using limit equilibrium method, upper-bound method in limit analysis as well as experimental measures. These are presented in a form of design tables relating the geometrical parameters, soil properties, and 3D passive earth pressure coefficients Kpγ(3D), Kpq(3D) and Kpc(3D) representing the effects of soil weight, surcharge loading and soil cohesion, respectively.