Abstract
IT is admitted that our knowledge of earthwork problems is far from complete, and the information given in two papers read at the Institution of Civil Engineers on February 10 forms a welcome addition. Mr. Ponsonby Moore Crosthwaite has made experiments on the horizontal pressure of sand, and finds that the angle of internal friction is much less than the angle of repose. The experiments show that the pressures on a wall, as calculated from the Rankine and Colomb theories, are much too high, especially for surcharged walls. Further experiments show that the wedge theories which take account of the friction between the wall and its backing give correct results if the wall is not surcharged, but break down for surcharged walls. By modifying the wedge theory so as to neglect the friction on the hack of the wall, and introducing the angle of internal friction instead of the angle of repose, marked agreement was found with the experiments for surcharged walls.
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Earthworks and Retaining Walls. Nature 105, 87–88 (1920). https://doi.org/10.1038/105087b0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/105087b0