A New Method for Evaluating the Stability of Retaining Walls

The existing stability analysis of Coulomb retaining walls is derived on the basis of four assumptions, and there is no clear description of the interaction mechanism among wedge-shaped bodies, retaining walls, and the two. This article proposes a new method for calculating the stability of Coulomb retaining walls. For soil wedges and retaining walls, numerical theoretical solutions for the stress distribution in soil wedges and retaining walls were obtained on the basis of stress balance differential equations, coordination equations, force boundary conditions, and macroscopic equilibrium. The boundary condition between the soil wedge and the retaining wall is that the resultant force and moment between the two are continuous. Assuming that the soil wedge and retaining wall satisfy the Duncan–Zhang model and the linear elastic Hooke constitutive model, respectively, the strain solutions of the soil wedge and retaining wall are obtained. Assuming that both the peak strength criteria for the soil wedges and the concrete retaining walls satisfy the Mohr–Coulomb criterion, the location of the first point of failure for the soil wedges and retaining walls is determined. Taking the garbage transfer station in Lvcongpo Town, Badong County, as an example, the analysis of the force and displacement of the retaining wall and years of operation show that the proposed method for calculating the stress and strain of the retaining wall and the new method for evaluating the stability of the retaining wall based on the point strength criterion are feasible.