Seismic Lateral Earth Pressures

for Basement Walls

8th PICE Regional XIII Technical Conference

“Achieving Smart, Safe, and
Sustainable Infrastructure”

Engr. Rajiv Eldon E. Abdullah, M.Eng.

Hotel Oazis, Butuan City

15-16 May 2019
Outline
A. Seismicity
B. Static Lateral Earth Pressure
C. Pseudostatic Method
D. Remarks

8th PICE Regional XIII Technical Conference

“Achieving Smart, Safe and Sustainable Infrastructure”
SEISMICITY
SEISMICITY
SEISMICITY
SEISMICITY
SEISMICITY
LATERAL EARTH PRESSURE
How does
LATERAL EARTH PRESSURE
work?
• STATIC
• SEISMIC
STATIC
LATERAL EARTH PRESSURE
GENERAL ANALYSIS FOR RETAINING WALLS
SOURCE: DAY, R. W. 2002. GEOTECHNICAL EARTHQUAKE ENGINEERING
HANDBOOK. MCGRAW-HILL
SOURCE: DAY, R. W. 2002. GEOTECHNICAL EARTHQUAKE ENGINEERING
HANDBOOK. MCGRAW-HILL
SOURCE: DAY, R. W. 2002. GEOTECHNICAL EARTHQUAKE ENGINEERING
HANDBOOK. MCGRAW-HILL
 Active
wedge

SOURCE: DAY, R. W. 2002. GEOTECHNICAL EARTHQUAKE ENGINEERING

HANDBOOK. MCGRAW-HILL
SOURCE: DAY, R. W. 2002. GEOTECHNICAL EARTHQUAKE ENGINEERING
HANDBOOK. MCGRAW-HILL
 Rankine ACTIVE EARTH PRESSURE: COHESIONLESS

SOURCE: DAS, B. FUNDAMENTALS OF GEOTECHNICAL ENGINEERING.

 Rankine PASSIVE EARTH PRESSURE: COHESIONLESS

SOURCE: DAS, B. FUNDAMENTALS OF GEOTECHNICAL ENGINEERING.

 Rankine ACTIVE EARTH PRESSURE: COHESIONLESS
with SURCHARGE AND GROUNDWATER TABLE

SOURCE: DAS, B. FUNDAMENTALS OF GEOTECHNICAL ENGINEERING.

 Rankine ACTIVE EARTH PRESSURE: COHESIONLESS
with SURCHARGE AND GROUNDWATER TABLE

SOURCE: DAS, B. FUNDAMENTALS OF GEOTECHNICAL ENGINEERING.

 Rankine PASSIVE EARTH PRESSURE: COHESIONLESS
with SURCHARGE AND GROUNDWATER TABLE

SOURCE: DAS, B. FUNDAMENTALS OF GEOTECHNICAL ENGINEERING.

 Rankine PASSIVE EARTH PRESSURE: COHESIONLESS
with SURCHARGE AND GROUNDWATER TABLE

SOURCE: DAS, B. FUNDAMENTALS OF GEOTECHNICAL ENGINEERING.

 Rankine ACTIVE EARTH PRESSURE: COHESIVE
*tension cracks up to depth z0

SOURCE: DAS, B. FUNDAMENTALS OF GEOTECHNICAL ENGINEERING.

 Rankine ACTIVE EARTH PRESSURE: COHESIVE
*tension cracks up to depth z0

SOURCE: DAS, B. FUNDAMENTALS OF GEOTECHNICAL ENGINEERING.

 Rankine PASSIVE EARTH PRESSURE: COHESIVE

SOURCE: DAS, B. FUNDAMENTALS OF GEOTECHNICAL ENGINEERING.

 COMMENTS on Rankine EARTH PRESSURES
• Walls are assumed to be frictionless.

• Soils can only be COHESIONLESS (granular material)

OR
COHESIVE (clayey material).

• Walls must exhibit movement (tilt) to assume plastic

equilibrium (Rankine state).
Coulumb
ACTIVE
EARTH
PRESSURE
δ: soil-wall friction angle
δ = 0° (frictionless)
δ ≈ ¾Φ (granular to concrete)
δ ≈ 20° (granular to steel)

SOURCE: DAY, R. W. 2002. GEOTECHNICAL EARTHQUAKE ENGINEERING

HANDBOOK. MCGRAW-HILL
How does
LATERAL EARTH PRESSURE
work?
 STATIC
• SEISMIC
SEISMIC LATERAL EARTH PRESSURE

SOURCE: DAY, R. W. 2002. GEOTECHNICAL EARTHQUAKE ENGINEERING

HANDBOOK. MCGRAW-HILL
SEISMIC LATERAL EARTH PRESSURE

SOURCE: DAY, R. W. 2002. GEOTECHNICAL EARTHQUAKE ENGINEERING

HANDBOOK. MCGRAW-HILL
How does
LATERAL EARTH PRESSURE
work?
 STATIC
• SEISMIC 
How does
LATERAL EARTH PRESSURE
work?
 STATIC
• SEISMIC  PSEUDOSTATIC
 TOO COMPLEX!

SOURCE: WAGNER, N. B. 2016. DISSERTATION. SEISMIC EARTH PRESSURE ON

BASEMENT WALLS WITH COHESIONLESS BACKFILL. UC-BERKELEY
PSEUDOSTATIC METHOD

SOURCE: DAY, R. W. 2002. GEOTECHNICAL EARTHQUAKE ENGINEERING

HANDBOOK. MCGRAW-HILL
PSEUDOSTATIC METHOD Peak Ground Acceleration (PGA)

SOURCE: DAY, R. W. 2002. GEOTECHNICAL EARTHQUAKE ENGINEERING

HANDBOOK. MCGRAW-HILL
PSEUDOSTATIC METHOD Peak Ground Acceleration (PGA)

SOURCE: DAY, R. W. 2002. GEOTECHNICAL EARTHQUAKE ENGINEERING

HANDBOOK. MCGRAW-HILL
 PE

(2/3)H

PE at (2/3)H from base

SOURCE: DAY, R. W. 2002. GEOTECHNICAL EARTHQUAKE ENGINEERING
HANDBOOK. MCGRAW-HILL
SOURCE: DAY, R. W. 2002. GEOTECHNICAL EARTHQUAKE ENGINEERING
HANDBOOK. MCGRAW-HILL
SOURCE: DAY, R. W. 2002. GEOTECHNICAL EARTHQUAKE ENGINEERING
HANDBOOK. MCGRAW-HILL
Mononobe-Okabe
PSEUDOSTATIC
EARTHQUAKE
FORCE

δ: soil-wall friction angle

δ = 0° (frictionless)
δ ≈ ¾Φ (granular to concrete)
δ ≈ 20° (granular to steel)

SOURCE: DAY, R. W. 2002. GEOTECHNICAL EARTHQUAKE ENGINEERING

HANDBOOK. MCGRAW-HILL
EXAMPLE: STATIC ANALYSIS

SOURCE: DAY, R. W. 2002. GEOTECHNICAL EARTHQUAKE ENGINEERING

HANDBOOK. MCGRAW-HILL
EXAMPLE: STATIC ANALYSIS
W1=(1ft)(20ft)(150pcf)
=3000lb/ft
W2=(1/2)(6ft)(20ft)(150pcf)
=9000lb/ft
PA = (1/2)kA(y)H2
kA =?
*Use Coulumb Equation

SOURCE: DAY, R. W. 2002. GEOTECHNICAL EARTHQUAKE ENGINEERING

HANDBOOK. MCGRAW-HILL
Coulumb ACTIVE EARTH PRESSURE`

Given:
β = 0°
θ = 0°
δ = φwall = 30°
φsoil = 30°
= 0.297

SOURCE: DAY, R. W. 2002. GEOTECHNICAL EARTHQUAKE ENGINEERING

HANDBOOK. MCGRAW-HILL
EXAMPLE: STATIC ANALYSIS W1=(1ft)(20ft)(150pcf)
=3000lb/ft
W2=(1/2)(6ft)(20ft)(150pcf)
=9000lb/ft
PA = (1/2)kA(y)H2
kA =0.297
PA = (1/2)0.297(110)(20)2
= 6534lb/ft ≈ 6540lb/ft
PA sin30=3270lb/ft
PA cos30=5663lb/ft ≈ 5660lb/ft

SOURCE: DAY, R. W. 2002. GEOTECHNICAL EARTHQUAKE ENGINEERING

HANDBOOK. MCGRAW-HILL
EXAMPLE: STATIC ANALYSIS N=3000+9000+3270
=15270 lb/ft
Check Overturning; ∑M about TOE
Overturning Moment, OM:
OM = 5660(6.7) = 37922lb/ft
Resisting Moment, RM:
RM = 3270(7)+3000(6.5)
+9000(4) = 78390lb/ft
FSoverturning = 78390/37922
= 2.07 > 2 (OK)
SOURCE: DAY, R. W. 2002. GEOTECHNICAL EARTHQUAKE ENGINEERING
HANDBOOK. MCGRAW-HILL
EXAMPLE: STATIC ANALYSIS (by Varignon’s Theorem)
N(xbar)=(∑MOMENTS about TOE)
15270(xbar)=(78390-37922)
xbar=2.65ft (from TOE)

Check Sliding; ∑F along horizontal

PP= (1/2)kP(y)H2
kP =?

SOURCE: DAY, R. W. 2002. GEOTECHNICAL EARTHQUAKE ENGINEERING

HANDBOOK. MCGRAW-HILL
 Rankine PASSIVE EARTH PRESSURE: COHESIONLESS
= tan2(45+(1/2)*30) = 3

SOURCE: DAS, B. FUNDAMENTALS OF GEOTECHNICAL ENGINEERING.

EXAMPLE: STATIC ANALYSIS (by Varignon’s Theorem)
N(xbar)=(∑MOMENTS about TOE)
15270(xbar)=(78390-37922)
xbar=2.65ft (from TOE)

Check Sliding; horizontal forces

PP= (1/2)kP(y)H2
kP =3
PP= (1/2)(3)(110)(3)2
=1485 lb/ft ≈ 1500 lb/ft

SOURCE: DAY, R. W. 2002. GEOTECHNICAL EARTHQUAKE ENGINEERING

HANDBOOK. MCGRAW-HILL
EXAMPLE: STATIC ANALYSIS Check Sliding; horizontal forces
PP ≈ 1500 lb/ft
reduce by 2:
PP/F =1500/2 = 750 lb/ft

Sliding Forces=5660 lb/ft

Resisting Forces =Ntan30+PP/F
=15270tan(30)+750
= 9566 lb/ft
FSsliding =9566/5660
=1.69 >1.5 (OK)

SOURCE: DAY, R. W. 2002. GEOTECHNICAL EARTHQUAKE ENGINEERING

HANDBOOK. MCGRAW-HILL
EXAMPLE: PSEUDOSTATIC ANALYSIS
PE =(1/2)kA(1/2)(amax/g)(y)(H2)
neglecting wall friction:
PE kA=tan2(45-(1/2)*30)=0.333

PGA=0.2g = amax
kh= amax/g=0.2g/g=0.2
(2/3)H
PE
=(1/2)(0.333)(1/2)(0.2)(110)(202)
=2540 lb/ft

SOURCE: DAY, R. W. 2002. GEOTECHNICAL EARTHQUAKE ENGINEERING

HANDBOOK. MCGRAW-HILL
EXAMPLE: PSEUDOSTATIC ANALYSIS
RECheck Overturning; ∑M about TOE
Overturning Moment, OM:
PE OM = 5660(6.7)+2540(13.33)
= 71780 lb/ft
Resisting Moment, RM:
RM = 3270(7)+3000(6.5)
(2/3)H +9000(4) = 78390lb/ft
FSoverturning = 78390/71780
= 1.09
(marginally stable)
SOURCE: DAY, R. W. 2002. GEOTECHNICAL EARTHQUAKE ENGINEERING
HANDBOOK. MCGRAW-HILL
EXAMPLE: PSEUDOSTATIC ANALYSIS
RECheck Sliding; horizontal forces
Sliding Forces=5660+2540
PE = 8200 lb/ft
Resisting Forces =Ntan30+PP/F
=15270tan(30)+750
= 9566 lb/ft
(2/3)H
FSsliding =9566/8200
=1.17
(marginally stable)

SOURCE: DAY, R. W. 2002. GEOTECHNICAL EARTHQUAKE ENGINEERING

HANDBOOK. MCGRAW-HILL
• Sufficient movement of the wall (wall yielding) to develop
active wedge. If walls are rigid or are anchored in non-
yielding rock, PE is to be adjusted to PER.
PER = PE(k0/kA)
• When retained soil is liquefiable (e.g. ports, wharves,
seawalls), adjustments to soil properties is necessary.
• FS for overturning and sliding for EQ conditions are in the
range of 1.1 to 1.2.

REMARKS
 GENERAL ANALYSIS FOR RETAINING WALLS

REMARKS
 GENERAL ANALYSIS FOR RETAINING WALLS
with SEISMIC CONSIDERATION

REMARKS
 Thank you for your attention.

ENGR. RAJIV ELDON E. ABDULLAH, M.ENG.

[GEOTECHNICAL SERVICES] [RESEARCH & ACADEME]

rajiv.abdullah@pgatech.com.ph reabdullah@ust.edu.ph

END OF PRESENTATION
SISTER FOUNDATION WALL
ANCHOR/TIEBACK