An experimental study of the behaviour of embedded lengths of cantilever walls

Laboratory-based l-g experiments are described which model the embedded len gth of cantilever walls in sand, and in which the shear and normal stresses between the soil and the wall were measured, together with wall displaceme nts, as the load on the wall was progressively increased to failure. The re sults show that comparatively large earth pressures, associated with high e ffective angles of wall friction, are mobilized just below the soil surface in front of the wall. Earth pressures on the retained side, below the cent re of rotation of the wall, were smaller than Rankine passive values, confi rming Krey's original views on the downwards direction of wall friction at this location. The results fit well within the relatively small available d ata set for free embedded cantilever walls, and show the trend of increasin g bending moment with depth of embedment, given a constant effective angle of friction.