Combined active and passive rotational failure of a retaining wall in sand

A cantilever wall fails by rotation about an axis close to the toe of the wall with an active zone in the soil above the axis of rotation and a passive zone below. This combined active and passive mode of failure is briefly studied theoretically, and detailed experimental data are reported from model tests. The model retaining wall is stiff, relatively smooth and retains a bed of dry sand. The conditions simulate those of plane strain. Observations are made of the magnitude and distribution of the shear and normal stresses on the wall and of the displacements and strains in the sand adjacent to the wall. Different mechanisms of failure are observed for different positions of the axis of rotation, though the distribution of stress on the wall is similar for each. Un mur de soutenement cantilever se rompt par rotation autour d'un axe pres du pied du mur avec une zone active dans le sol au-dessus de l'axe de rotation et une zone passive en-dessous. Cette combinaison du mode de rupture actif et passif est etu...