Analysis of Earth Pressure Variation for Partial Displacement of Retaining Wall

Parts of the retaining wall might produce displacement under different load conditions. The moveable wall could impact the adjacent fixed wall, mainly reflecting on the variation of earth pressure and formation of the soil arching effect. This paper conducted the horizontal trap-door test to explore the variation of active earth pressure caused by partial displacement of the retaining wall. Different trap-door width and three displacement modes were addressed as the influence factors. The results indicated that the horizontal soil arching effect was generated after the active displacement of the trap-door and the soil pressure was redistributed. The distribution of lateral soil pressure was approximately an “inverted bell” curve. For trap-door widths of 20 cm, 30 cm, and 40 cm, a secondary soil arching effect appeared in the test. The relationship between lateral earth pressure and displacement was different with the traditional limited theory due to the influence of the soil arching effect. The variation curve of earth pressure corresponding to displacement could be divided into three stages. In addition, the distribution of earth pressure along the trap-door height was non-linear. Trap-door width can significantly influence the maximum earth pressure on the fixed wall and the range where pressure changes. Finally, the effect of load sharing was explored and found to be related with displacement and width of trap-door as well as the displacement mode.