Eurocode 7 Master Class

Lecture 6:
Design of Retaining Structures -
Gravity Walls

Adam Pickles

Geotechnical Skills Network

 Outline

Basis of Geotechnical Design

Introduction (9.1)
Limit States for Retaining Walls (9.2)
All Walls
Actions & Geometry (9.3)
Design situations (9.3)
Design & Construction Considerations
(9.4)
Water (9.6)
Limit States, Design Situations & Basis Specific
of Design (9.7) to Gravity
Walls
Earth Pressures (9.5)
Calculation approach (9.7)
Serviceability (9.8)
EC7 Master Class 2009
Talk 6 Retaining Structures: Gravity Walls
 Basis of Geotechnical Design

A brief summary:
Limit State Design Consider ULS and SLS
Fundamental Equation:
Design Effects Ed Design Resistances Rd
Partial factors applied to characteristic actions,
characteristic material properties and characteristic
resistances. Tolerances applied to characteristic
geometries
Strength and Stability must be verified GEO and STR
Focus on Design by Calculation (section 2.4), but can
also adopt design by Prescriptive measures (section
2.5), testing (Section 2.6) or observational method
(section 2.7).
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Talk 6 Retaining Structures: Gravity Walls
 BS EN 1997 Part 1 Section 9 - Contents

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Talk 6 Retaining Structures: Gravity Walls
 Whats in Section 9?

12 pages

Section Principles Application Primary Links Secondary

Rules Links
9.1 General 2 1 EN 1991-4 -
9.2 Limit states 3 1 6.5.4
9.3 Actions and design situations 14 11 2.4.2(4) -
2.4.6.3
9.4 Design and construction 4 6 2.4.7, 2.4.8, -
considerations 5.3
9.5 Determination of earth 10 13 2.4.7.3
pressures Annex C
9.6 Water pressures 5 0 2.4.5.3, -
2.4.6.1,
9.7 Ultimate limit state design 18 9 2.4 EN 1990-1996,
1997-2, 1999,
Annex A
9.8 Serviceability limit state 10 4 6.6.4 EN 1992,
design 1996, 1999

EC7 Master Class 2009

Talk 6 Retaining Structures: Gravity Walls
 Introduction
Retaining structures are covered by section 9 of BS EN 1997 Part 1
Retaining structures defined as follows (Section 9.1):

9.1.1

Three Types of Structure are defined (see next slide)

Gravity Wall
Embedded Wall
Composite Retaining Structure

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Talk 6 Retaining Structures: Gravity Walls
 Types of Retaining Structure

EC7 Master Class 2009

Talk 6 Retaining Structures: Gravity Walls
 Introduction
Retaining structures are covered by section 9 of BS EN 1997 Part 1
Retaining structures defined as follows (Section 9.1):

9.1.1

Three Types of Structure are defined.

Gravity Wall
Embedded Wall
Composite Retaining Structure

This talk covers general considerations for retaining walls design followed
by gravity wall specifics
Embedded walls covered next week
Other types of walls not explicitly covered.
Note that for reinforced soil walls, BS8006 is still current new draft for public comment available
from 1 July (http://drafts.bsigroup.com)
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Talk 6 Retaining Structures: Gravity Walls
 Limit States for Retaining Walls (section 9.2)

General limit states from Section 2:

Strength - GEO, STR
Stability - EQU, UPL, HYD
9.2 Limit States

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Talk 6 Retaining Structures: Gravity Walls
 Ultimate Limit States for Retaining Walls (Section 9.2)

Extracts from Decoding Eurocode 7

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Talk 6 Retaining Structures: Gravity Walls
 Actions (Section 9.3)

Basic actions are listed in Section 2.4.2 (4)

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Talk 6 Retaining Structures: Gravity Walls
 Actions (Section 9.3)

Specific details are provided for the following actions:

9.3.1.2 Weight of backfill material verify during construction

9.3.1.3 Surcharges buildings, vehicles, construction phase.
Beware cyclic loads causing ratcheting
9.3.1.4 Weight of water relate density to chemistry!
9.3.1.5 Wave and ice forces where applicable
9.3.1.6 Seepage forces think about flow around the wall
9.3.1.7 Collision forces consider increased stiffness
9.3.1.8 Temperature effects particularly important for prop
design

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Talk 6 Retaining Structures: Gravity Walls
 Geometrical Data (Section 9.3)
Basic data based on the principles in 2.4.6.3

Where the ground in front of a

structure contributes to stability, an
allowance for unplanned excavation
is required on ground surface level.
Extract from Decoding
Eurocode 7

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Talk 6 Retaining Structures: Gravity Walls
 Unplanned Excavation

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 Design situations (Section 9.3)

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Talk 6 Retaining Structures: Gravity Walls
 Design Situations (Section 9.3)

Principles specific to retaining structures:

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Talk 6 Retaining Structures: Gravity Walls
 Design & Construction Considerations (Section 9.4)

9.4 also provides details of other design and

construction considerations, in particular:
Avoiding brittle failure
Avoiding damage to adjacent structures
Account for construction effects
Water tightness

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Talk 6 Retaining Structures: Gravity Walls
 Water Levels (Section 9.6)

From section 2:

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 Water Pressures

From section 2:

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 Water Pressures

From section 9:

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Talk 6 Retaining Structures: Gravity Walls
 Water pressures - summary

Design water pressures may be derived from either:

Applying partial factors to characteristic water pressures
Applying margin of safety to characteristic water levels

For ULS, design water pressures are the most

unfavourable that could occur during the life of the
structure (CIRIA 580 extreme or accidental)

For SLS, design water pressures are the most

unfavourable that could occur during normal conditions

How is this applied in practice?

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Talk 6 Retaining Structures: Gravity Walls
 Water pressures in practice

Select 2 water levels: Highest Normal and Highest

Possible
For DA1-1 use highest normal and factor the effects
with G (1.35)
For DA1-2 use highest possible with G=1

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Talk 6 Retaining Structures: Gravity Walls
 Gravity Wall Design

Limit States
Design Situations & Basis of Design
Design Approaches
Actions
Verification of Stability
Verification of Strength

Closely related to spread

foundations. Principles of
section 6 should be
applied.

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Talk 6 Retaining Structures: Gravity Walls
 Gravity Wall Limit States

ULS

Extract from Decoding Eurocode 7

SLS
Limit Settlement and Rotation

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Talk 6 Retaining Structures: Gravity Walls
 Design Situations & Basis of Design

Unplanned Excavation 10% retained height (max

0.5m) for normal site controls. Passive resistance in
front of wall often omitted.
Water Levels At ground surface (or surface of fine
grained) if no reliable drainage, otherwise at level of
drainage.

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Talk 6 Retaining Structures: Gravity Walls
 Design Approaches

In the UK, Design

Approach 1 has been
adopted.
In combination 1,
factors applied to
actions (or effects of
actions)
In combination 2,
factors applied to
material properties and
variable actions.

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Talk 6 Retaining Structures: Gravity Walls
 Earth Pressures

Typical reinforced concrete gravity wall

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 Determination of Earth Pressures (Section 9.5)

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Talk 6 Retaining Structures: Gravity Walls
 Determination of Earth Pressures (Section 9.5)

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 Friction on Virtual Back

For Rankine theory, 2 active wedges are assumed to

form, so no friction is mobilised on virtual back. To
account for sloping ground, direction of Active force is
assumed to be parallel to slope.
For inclined wall/virtual back, may be mobilised.

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Talk 6 Retaining Structures: Gravity Walls
 Earth Pressures

Earth pressure coefficients can be taken from the charts

or the equations in Annex C.
Appropriate limiting value of earth pressure, or an
intermediate value needs to relate to the limit state
being considered (and the movement associated with
that limit state), refer to Appendix C.
Compaction pressures must be considered (CIRIA 516).
Consider which actions are favourable and
unfavourable will depend on the limit state being
considered. E.g. Soil weight on heel
Apply single source principle where appropriate. E.g.
Water pressures, components of load on inclined back
of wall / virtual plane.
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Talk 6 Retaining Structures: Gravity Walls
 ULS Calculation Approach
Determine (assume?) design geometry
Calculate characteristic actions (imposed loads, surcharges, wall
weight, soil weight).
Calculate design soil parameters for chosen design approach
combination
Calculate design actions for each limit state
Verify each limit state, based on design actions (i.e. vertical loads,
horizontal loads, moments) for chosen design approach combination:
Sliding (GEO)
Bearing (GEO)
Overturning (GEO)
Strength of wall stem/base (STR)
Overall Stability
Bearing resistance follows shallow foundation principles (refer to
earlier talk by Stuart Pennington)
Overall stability also needs verifying (refer to earlier talk by Anna
Pearson)

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Talk 6 Retaining Structures: Gravity Walls
 Serviceability

Agree the limit (with other parties)

Need to verify that serviceability limit state is avoided.
Annex F presents some options for estimating settlement, but
informative only.
Section 6.6.2 states:

i.e. if traditional factor of safety > 3, then settlement may not need
to be explicitly checked. This is stated for conventional structures
founded on clays, but also seems reasonable for sand.

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Talk 6 Retaining Structures: Gravity Walls
 Serviceability

The code does not necessarily require a settlement

calculation to be undertaken:

9.8.2 Displacements

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Talk 6 Retaining Structures: Gravity Walls
 References and Useful Documents

C641, EC7 - implications for UK practice: Eurocode 7,

2008.
Bond, A. & Harris, A., Decoding Eurocode 7, 2008.
BR344, Simpson, B. & Driscoll, R., Eurocode 7 - a
commentary, 1998.
06 BD 04021 (d), A designers simple guide to BS EN
1997, Dept. for Communities and Local Government:
London, 2007 Decoding Eurocode 7
C516,Modular Gravity Retaining Walls
PD6694-1, Recommendations for the design of
structures subject to traffic loading to BS EN 1997-1

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Talk 6 Retaining Structures: Gravity Walls
 Summary

This presentation has

Briefly reviewed the limit state approach to geotechnical design
Identified the limit states applicable to retaining walls
Discussed the design situations and actions applicable to
retaining wall design
Outlined design and construction considerations
Explained the approach for assessing design water pressures
Considered the above in relation to gravity walls
Outlined the calculation procedure for gravity walls.
Workshop

Worked practical to go through an example gravity wall

design.
From 5:30pm today.
EC7 Master Class 2009
Talk 6 Retaining Structures: Gravity Walls