ACTIVE EARTH PRESSURE AND RETAINING WALLS

A study is made of the application of the active earth pressure theory developed by Professor Reimbert to the most frequent cases encountered in the design and construction of retaining walls. The study is mainly concerned with walls (rubble concrete, bulk concrete or masonry) built to preserve the road profile during construction. Three types of soil are considered in the calculations for each category of wall, and the special problems of heavy and saturated soils or soils prone to swelling are examined together with cases in which difficulties occur in the control of construction and/or installation of the drainage system. It is concluded that there exist two basic conditions, which govern the quality of a wall: careful execution of the construction work and efficient drainage. /TRRL/