×
INTELLIGENT WORK FORUMS
FOR ENGINEERING PROFESSIONALS

Log In

Come Join Us!

Are you an
Engineering professional?
Join Eng-Tips Forums!
  • Talk With Other Members
  • Be Notified Of Responses
    To Your Posts
  • Keyword Search
  • One-Click Access To Your
    Favorite Forums
  • Automated Signatures
    On Your Posts
  • Best Of All, It's Free!
  • Students Click Here

*Eng-Tips's functionality depends on members receiving e-mail. By joining you are opting in to receive e-mail.

Posting Guidelines

Promoting, selling, recruiting, coursework and thesis posting is forbidden.

Students Click Here

Jobs

Lateral forces on retaining wall from wheel loads
3

Lateral forces on retaining wall from wheel loads

Lateral forces on retaining wall from wheel loads

(OP)
I am designing a retaining wall which could potentially have HS20-44 wheel loads surcharging the earth on the back of the wall.

Using a variation of the Boussinesq equation and for a wheel load of 32 kips, I am getting a maximum pressure of 830 pounds at 1 ft below grade decreasing to zero at about 6.5 ft when the wheel load is 2 ft from the wall.

When the wheel load is 5ft from the wall, the maximum pressure is 135 pounds at around 3ft below grade decreasing to zero at around 12ft.

As the distance of the wheel load from the wall will vary, I propose to obtain a load envelope for the possible variations.

Has anyone done a similar design and do the pressures above seem reasonable?

Thanks

RE: Lateral forces on retaining wall from wheel loads

I've never ran any numbers, but I always have been happy using the traditional two foot of additional surcharge to simulate a wheel load.  Apply the resulting lateral component over the entire depth of the wall.
When you start placing wheels very close to a wall, you do get some very high local loads.  But in real life, it is not normal for someone to pull a fully loaded 18 wheeler so close to a retaining wall.  

RE: Lateral forces on retaining wall from wheel loads

Do you need to include a barrier impact load also? This can have major implications.

csd

RE: Lateral forces on retaining wall from wheel loads

AASHTO stipulates a two foot additional soil load to account for this.  It makes it easier but always works.  Impact forces must be accounted for, however.  

Red Flag This Post

Please let us know here why this post is inappropriate. Reasons such as off-topic, duplicates, flames, illegal, vulgar, or students posting their homework.

Red Flag Submitted

Thank you for helping keep Eng-Tips Forums free from inappropriate posts.
The Eng-Tips staff will check this out and take appropriate action.

Reply To This Thread

Posting in the Eng-Tips forums is a member-only feature.

Click Here to join Eng-Tips and talk with other members!


Resources