VERTICAL SHEAR LOADS ON NONMOVING WALLS .2. APPLICATIONS

Massive concrete walls constructed on rock foundations, as well as oth er nonmoving retaining walls, are customarily designed for at-rest ear th pressures. Vertical shear loads applied by the backfill are usually not considered in design of nonmoving walls, even though many field a nd laboratory measurements have shown that such loads exist. Vertical shear loads can be very beneficial for stability of retaining walls, b ecause they provide restoring moments to counteract overturning moment s from lateral earth loads. In this paper, model test results and case history data are reviewed, the results of finite-element calculations are presented, and a simple design procedure is developed. It is show n that significant economies can result from consideration of vertical shear forces in design of nonmoving retaining walls.