Geotechnical Earth Pressures Calculator
Calculate active, passive, and at-rest earth pressures for retaining structures
Active Pressure
Passive Pressure
At-Rest Pressure
Soil Parameters
Wall Parameters
Earth Pressure Theory
Active pressure occurs when a retaining wall moves away from the soil, passive pressure when the wall moves into the soil, and at-rest pressure when the wall doesn’t move.
Ka = (1 – sinφ) / (1 + sinφ) for active pressure
Kp = (1 + sinφ) / (1 – sinφ) for passive pressure
K0 = 1 – sinφ for at-rest pressure (Jaky’s formula)
Pressure Visualization
Earth Pressures
| Pressure Type | Coefficient | Total Force (kN/m) |
|---|---|---|
| Active (Ka) | 0.33 | 61.88 |
| Passive (Kp) | 3.00 | 562.50 |
| At-Rest (K0) | 0.50 | 112.50 |
Design Recommendations
Based on the calculated pressures:
- Factor of Safety against sliding: 2.5
- Factor of Safety against overturning: 3.2
- Maximum soil pressure: 210 kPa
Calculation Steps:
1. Ka = (1 – sin(30°)) / (1 + sin(30°)) = 0.33
2. Active force = 0.5 × Ka × γ × H² = 0.5 × 0.33 × 18 × 5² = 61.88 kN/m
3. Kp = (1 + sin(30°)) / (1 – sin(30°)) = 3.00
4. Passive force = 0.5 × Kp × γ × H² = 0.5 × 3.00 × 18 × 5² = 562.50 kN/m
Comments are closed, but trackbacks and pingbacks are open.