Displacement-Dependent Active Earth Pressure on Retaining Wall in Cohesive Soil: DEM Simulation and Theoretical Analysis

Accurately assessing active earth pressure is crucial for the design and stability analysis of retaining structures in geotechnical engineering. This study investigates the displacement-dependent active earth pressure on retaining walls in cohesive soil under three modes of motion, including translation, rotation around the wall bottom, and rotation around the wall top, using the discrete element method (DEM) and theoretical analysis. The resultant force on the retaining wall, the mobilized wall-soil friction angle, and the principal stress direction are analyzed using DEM. Based on the DEM numerical results of this study, the displacement-dependent active earth pressure of cohesive soil in three movement modes is calculated using the horizontal flat-element method and the arched differential element method. The proposed solutions accurately capture the distribution of displacement-dependent active earth pressure of the three movement modes. Furthermore, the analytical solutions show good agreement with the DEM simulation results under different movement modes. The validity of the proposed solution has been confirmed through comparisons with experimental data and alternative solutions, providing a valuable reference for retaining wall design.