Analytical Solution for the Additional Active Pressures of a Rotating Rigid Retaining Wall Subjected to Surcharge Loads and Displacement

An evaluation of the additional active earth pressures of backfill, on which surcharge loads act, is generally conducted using the elastic theory or Coulomb’s approach. In this study, a rigid retaining wall problem was assumed to be a quarter-plane problem. Then, an analytical solution was obtained by calculating the additional active earth pressures using a complex variable approach. Furthermore, the additional active earth pressures of backfill were determined in the presence of both surcharge loads and displacement. Finally, the effects of Poisson’s ratio, the width of the surcharge loads, the distance from the retaining wall, and the magnitude of the superimposed loads relative to the additional active earth pressure were investigated through the model tests. It was shown that the changes in the displacement could not be ignored when the additional active earth pressures were studied in consideration of the surcharge load.