Experimental Study on a Three-Dimensional Passive Earth Pressure Coefficient in Cohesionless Soil

Estimation of the passive earth pressure is a crucial aspect in several geotechnical design problems. Several authors presented two-dimensional models for its evaluation while three-dimensional (3D) approaches have received less attention. It has been recognized that in many geotechnical systems, such as anchor blocks or plates or everywhere the width of the load area is limited if compared to its height, the three-dimensional passive earth pressure is quite different from the two-dimensional one and, due to side effects, is generally larger. This paper is concerned with an experimental and numerical study of 3D passive earth pressure encountered by a rigid plate of limited width in a cohesionless soil. The obtained results allowed the evaluation of a three-dimensional passive earth pressure coefficient which is not only dependent on the soil friction angle, as it occurs in a 2D formulation, but also on the ratio of the width to the height of the load area.