EXPERIMENTAL INVESTIGATION ON THE INFLUENCE OF LATERAL EARTH PRESSURES ON RETAINING WALLS

Abstract

Despite continual advancement in retaining wall technology, failures of these structures still frequently make national news. In tropical countries like Malaysia, rainfall-induced landslides are a primary cause of these failures. Bridging the gaps in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of Sustainable Cities and Communities (SDG11), this study offers valuable insights to the importance of lateral earth pressure and its effects on retaining walls, therefore fostering the development of resilient infrastructure for the future. By focusing on prototype development and software simulations, this study investigates the failure mechanisms of an L-shaped cantilever retaining wall influenced by different groundwater table profiles, with a constant surcharge atop the backfill soil. The results indicate that the higher water tables correlate with lower factor of safety (FOS) and increased wall deformation. The results obtained using both software and prototype modelling shows FOS of sliding, overturning, and bearing capacity failure did not satisfy the requirement set by authorities due to the overloading and insufficient design of the geometry of the wall. These findings provide practical implications and are consistent with existing literature. Thus, this study provides an easy yet solid methodology to research on lateral earth pressures for future endeavours.