Tutorial 1: Cantilevered Retaining Wall

Example 17.1 - Principles of Foundation Engineering. Braja Das.

Calculate the safety factors for overturning, sliding, and bearing capacity of the retaining wall shown in the photo.

1. Whether you’re in My Workspace or at a project work location, go to the App.

2. In the left panel, locate the Models list and click the New Model button to open the menu. Next, select Retaining Wall and choose the Cantilever Wall template.

1. In the right-hand panel, locate the Analysis Type section and make sure the Block by Block option is disabled.

1. In the Soil Foundation section, activate the Include passive soil thrust (for sliding only) option. Next, enter the values for Cohesion, Fraction Angle, Unit Weight, and Foundation Depth.

1. In the Fill section, enter the values for Surface Angle and Water Table Level.
2. Expand Layer 1 by clicking on it, then enter the values for Cohesion, Angle of friction, Unit weight, Saturated unit weight, and Thickness. Choose a Color for the floor and click the button to save the changes.

1. In the Structure section, enter the unit weight of the structure material (e.g., concrete).

2. No additional structural elements are needed. Expand Element 1 by clicking on it, select Trapezoid as the Geometry, and enter the values for Major Base, Minor Base, Height, Internal Wall Angle, and Offset. Click the button to save the changes. Repeat the process for Element 2, which is a rectangle.

1. Once all parameters have been set, verify that the structure looks as expected.

2. Click the icon at the top of the right panel to run the model.

3. The Results tab will be activated and will display the results of the analysis.

Below is a summary of the key variables and their expected versus obtained values.

The difference in the Safety Factor for Bearing Capacity is due to the fact that the book calculates $F_{cd}$ with $B'$ instead of $B$, which is not recommended according to its own judgment expressed in chapter 6.11.

• Das, B. M., & Sivakugan, N. (2018). Principles of Foundation Engineering.