3.

4 Bearing Stability of Gravity

Retaining Structures

3.4 - 1
 Stability of Gravity Retaining Walls
A rigid retaining wall must have an adequate factor of
safety to prevent

• excessive translation or sliding

• rotation or overturning
• bearing capacity failure
• deep-seated failure
• seepage-induced instability

soil failure

3.4 - 2
 Gravity Wall Stability – Bearing Capacity Failure

 The third and perhaps most serious mode of failure

relates to the bearing capacity of the soil on which the
wall is built.
 This type of failure occurs when the mobilized bearing
stresses σbearing or pmax due to the vertical components of
the active pressure as well as the weight of the wall and
any soil above its base exceeds
_______ the ultimate bearing
strength qult of the soil on which the wall is founded.
 Consequently, one must ensure that at no time is the
bearing capacity of the soil beneath the foundation
exceeded.
 This can be achieved by adopting an adequate factor
of safety or over-design in the design.
3.4 - 3
 Gravity Wall Stability – Bearing Capacity Failure

To study bearing capacity failure, let’s first

understand the concept of load eccentricity.

Load eccentricity occurs when the line of

action of the net resultant of the vertical
load pressing on the soil does not pass
through the centre of the wall base.

3.4 - 4
 Gravity Wall Stability – Bearing Capacity Failure

 Consider the retaining wall

subjected to the same system +β

of forces considered
xa
previously. xs
Ws
Pav
 Due to the action of all the Ho xb
Pah
forces acting on the wall, the
point of action of N will likely Ww za

not pass through the middle Toe

x Heel
of the base. xθ e
+θ b

x θ ≠ (B / cos θb )
1
B
2
 Hence, there is an eccentricity e associated with the
location of the resultant reaction force N.
3.4 - 5
 Gravity Wall Stability – Bearing Capacity Failure

To derive the eccentricity e, we need to consider

two aspects:

• The vertical stress distribution xav

acting on the soil due to the Qav
vertical forces xw
W

• Non-uniform stress Qpv Qah

distribution due to any
Qph xpv yah
moments (eccentricity
yph
of load) acting about the
Toe Heel
centre of the base F
R

3.4 - 6
 Stresses acting on wall base (bearing)
Let’s assume a non-symmetrical wall section as shown below.
For the non-symmetrical wall section, the load P (due to its weight
and other vertical force components) acts off-centre and hence
doesn’t pass through the centre of the base of the wall.
The effect of the off-centred load on the soil beneath the wall can be
replaced by that caused by a centred load together with a moment load.
This is the concept of superposition.
Off-centre Load Centred Load Moment (load
eccentricity)

≡ +
P P M

B/2 B/2 B/2 B/2 3.4 - 7

 Stresses acting on wall base (bearing)

Let’s first consider the effect of the centred

load P.
Assume P = W + Qav – Qpv
where W = weight of the wall
Qav = vertical component of active force
Qav = vertical component of passive force

Due to the centred load P, what is the

pressure distribution in the soil directly
beneath the wall?

3.4 - 8
 Soil pressure at wall base (bearing)
Under the action of the centred load P, the vertical pressure
distribution in the soil beneath the wall of width B can take the
following forms, depending on our assumptions:

P = W + Qav – Qpv

Stress distribution
for rigid wall and
P/B elastic soil

Stress distribution
for plastic soil

Assumed uniform
pressure stress distribution
σ (for simplicity)
B 3.4 - 9
 Soil pressure at wall base (bearing)
For our simplified calculations involving the centred load P,
we assume and adopt a uniform soil pressure distribution
beneath the wall, which has the magnitude P/B kN/m (per
m into paper), where
P = W + Qav – Qpv is the net vertical load acting on the wall,
and B is the width of the wall.

Q av
W
Qpv

uniform pressure P/B

where P = W + Qav – Qpv 3.4 - 10

 Soil pressure at wall base (bearing)
Next let’s consider the effect of the moment (load
eccentricity).
The pressure distribution due to the moment loading is the
linearly varying pressure distribution shown below, where the
pressure magnitude (pedge) at the two ends are equal and
opposite.
The key thing we need to do is to find the magnitude of the
pressure magnitude pedge .

Moment (load
eccentricity)

pedge (+ve) ?
? pedge (-ve)
3.4 - 11
 Soil pressure at wall base (bearing)
If we know pedge , we can then find pmax and pmin due to the off-
centred load using the principle of superposition as shown:

Off-centred Load Centred Load Moment (load

eccentricity)

P
≡ P
+
M

B/2 B/2 B/2 B/2

pmax
pedge
pmin P/B
3.4 - 12
 Soil pressure at wall base (bearing)
Note that, if the off-centred load P has an eccentricity e with respect to
the centre of the wall, then the moment M associated with the load
eccentricity is given by M = Pe (as shown below).
Hence, we need to be able to calculate the eccentricity e.
Moment (load
Off-centre Load Centred Load eccentricity)

P
≡ P
+
M
e

B/2 B/2 B/2 B/2 M = ___

Pe

pmax pedge
P/B
pmin
3.4 - 13
 Eccentricity e of load (bearing)

 To work out the eccentricity e, we use Mc = Pe

where Mc is calculated as the net moment ΣMe about
the centre of the base, and P is the net vertical force.

 Moment about centre of base ΣMc :

ΣMc = Resisting moments ΣMR – Overturning moments ΣMO

ΣMc
 Hence, the eccentricity e = ____
P

3.4 - 14
 Eccentricity e of load (bearing)
 For retaining walls, it is often more convenient to
calculate the eccentricity e by taking the net moment
about the toe of the wall:
i.e. ΣMtoe about the toe = Ms – MD
where Ms and MD are calculated about the toe as in
the section on overturning stability
 In this case,
ΣMtoe = Pl
where l is the distance between the toe and the line of
action of the net vertical force P (see next slide for l )

 Hence, l = ΣMtoe /P

 Accordingly, e =
B B
− = −
∑M toe

2 2 P
3.4 - 15
 How to find pedge due to eccentric loading?
Now that we can calculate eccentricity e from the net moment
about the toe Mtoe , B and P, how do we work out pedge ?
Moment (load
Off-centre Load Centred Load eccentricity)

P
≡ P
+
l M
e

B/2 B/2 B/2 B/2 M = ___

Pe
pmax
P/B pedge
pmin
??
3.4 - 16
 How to find pedge due to eccentric loading?
 Note that the moment Mc about the centre of the base
gives rise to a linearly varying pressure distribution
with the edge pressure pedge = ∆p as shown:
where
B 2 ∆p ΣMce
ΣM
ΣMc =
6
______
Also ΣMc = Pe ∆p B/2
∆p

B 2 ∆p
Hence = Pe
6 ∆p
6Pe
⇒ ∆p =
B2
Hence, if e, P and B are known, the edge pressure ∆p can
be calculated as: 6Pe
∆p =
B2 3.4 - 17
 Pressure distribution due to combined loading:
middle third rule
Now that pedge = ∆p is known, the pressure distribution to the off-centred
loading can be obtained by superposition as follows:
Moment (load
Off-centre Load Centred Load eccentricity)

P
≡ P
+
l M
e

B/2 B/2 B/2 B/2

M = ___
Pe
pmax
∆p
pmin P/B 6Pe
=
B2

P 6Pe P  6e  P 6Pe P  6e 
 pmax = + 2 = 1+   pmin = − 2 = 1− 
B B B B B B B B
3.4 - 18
 Pressure distribution due to combined loading:
middle third rule
 Hence, the maximum and minimum pressures caused by the
off-centred or eccentric loading can be obtained as:

P 6Pe P  6e 
pmax = + 2 = 1+ 
B B B B
P 6Pe P  6e 
pmin = − 2 = 1− 
B B B B
 Note that pmax should not exceed the ultimate bearing capacity of
the soil. This is the key check for the bearing stability.
 If e > ____,
B/6 pmin < 0 and part of the base goes into tension.
For design purposes, it is prudent to ignore the tensile
portion of the bearing pressure profile, leaving a triangular
pressure profile.
 To ensure that the base pressure remains compressive over the
entire base, the force P must act within the middle ____ 1/3 of the
e ≤ B/6
base width, i.e the eccentricity ______.
3.4 - 19
 Check for bearing capacity failure
 It is important to remember that the linear pressure distribution
shown on the previous slide is only an approximation of the actual
pressure distribution observed in the field.
 Once the maximum pressure pmax is calculated, it is compared with
the ultimate bearing capacity of the soil qult.
 For conventional stability checks before Eurocode 7, in which
qult and pmax are calculated based on unfactored loads and
material parameters, it is usual to consider a minimum factor
3 against a bearing capacity failure:
of safety of __
qult
(FS)B = ≥3
pmax

 Using Eurocode 7, in which qult and pmax are based on factored

loads and material parameters, the bearing stability check is
qult
Over-design factor = ≥1
pmax
3.4 - 20
 Brief Recap of Bearing Capacity Theory

The following few slides provide some key

information on bearing capacity theory.

It provides the minimum information necessary

for you to estimate the ultimate bearing capacity
of a soil.

For more information, you can search online and

download some useful related materials.

3.4 - 21
 Brief Recap of Bearing Capacity Theory
The bearing capacity theory seeks to solve the following
problem for a footing with width B and base at depth z:

footing
qu z

B
soil unit weight = γ
soil friction angle = φ’
soil cohesion = c’

What value of qu will cause a collapse mechanism to

develop in the soil beneath the footing?
3.4 - 22
 Brief Recap of Bearing Capacity Theory

Following Meyerhof (1963), the general equation for the

ultimate bearing capacity is

qu = cNc + γz Nq + 0.5γBNγ (basic form)

or

qu = cNcScIcDc + γz NqSqIqDq + 0.5γBNγSγIγDγ

where
Nc , Nq and Nγ are the bearing capacity factors
Sc , Sq and Sγ are shape factors
Ic , Iq and Iγ are inclination factors
Dc , Dq and Dγ are depth factors
3.4 - 23
 Brief Recap of Bearing Capacity Theory
The values of Nc and Nq may be calculated using

( )
Nc = Nq − 1 cot φ
 φ  π tan φ
Nq = tan  45° +  e
2

 2
For Nγ
( )
Nγ = Nq − 1 tan 1.4 φ Meyerhof (1963)

(
Nγ = 1.5 Nq − 1 tan φ ) Hansen (1970)

(
Nγ = 2 Nq + 1 tan φ ) Vesic (1970)

3.4 - 24
 Brief Recap of Bearing Capacity Theory
Shape factors
B Nq B B
Sc = 1 + Sq = 1 + tan φ S q = 1 − 0 .4
L Nc L L

Depth factors
z/B ≤ 1.0 z/B > 1.0
Dc 1 + 0.4(z/B) 1 + 0.4 tan-1 (z/B)

Dq 1 + 2 tanφ (1- sin φ)2 (z/B) 1 + 2 tanφ (1- sin φ)2 tan-1 (z/B)

Dγ 1.0 1.0

Note: the tan-1 values must be expressed in radians

3.4 - 25