General limit equilibrium method for lateral earth force

The calculation of the lateral earth force using the limit equilibrium method of slices is an indeterminate problem. An assumption regarding the direction or the magnitude of certain forces, or the position of the line of thrust can be used to render the problem determinate.A general formulation for the lateral earth force is derived in accordance with the assumptions involved in the general limit equilibrium (GLE) method. An assumption concerning a direction of the interslice forces is utilized to solve the problem of indeterminancy. Horizontal force equilibrium conditions within a sliding mass are used to compute the magnitude of the active and passive forces. The point of application of the lateral earth force is obtained by considering moment equilibrium for each slice.The coefficient of lateral earth force obtained from the GLE method agrees closely with the results obtained from most other theories. Comparisons are made to the Coulomb theory (i.e., using a planar slip surface) and other theories usi...