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Reducing earth pressures below active state by controlled yielding
Date Issued
2003
Author(s)
Rajagopal, K
Purnanandam, K
Abstract
The lateral earth pressures exerted by heavily compacted backfills on rigid retaining walls will be much higher than the at-rest pressures because of locked in stresses and the limited lateral deformation of these walls. The controlled yielding method, in which vertical layers of compressible medium are introduced between the retaining wall and the backfill soil, is an ideal technique to reduce the lateral earth pressures in such cases. The compressible medium is much softer than the backfill soil and hence will allow the soil to expand into it as the compressible layer compresses. Because of the resulting lateral deformations and local arching, the earth pressures in the soil will either reach active state or below active state. The introduction of horizontal layers of reinforcement will further reduce the lateral earth pressures while increasing the stiffness of the backfill soil. This paper presents some results from laboratory and field tests on controlled yielding technique:For reducing the lateral earth pressures.