Enhancing Stability of Earth Retaining Structure with Vertical Plate Anchors

This study uses finite element simulation to assess the potential effectiveness of a vertical plate anchor in improving the stability of the retaining wall against surcharge loading on the backfill surface. The current investigation utilized shear strength reduction analysis and limit analysis methods to determine the factor of safety (FOS) and the surcharge carrying capacity of the wall, respectively. According to the findings of the present study, the use of a vertical plate anchor can significantly decrease the required cross-sectional dimensions of a retaining wall by as much as 68%. This reduction in necessary material can be observed when the normalized depth of the bottom of the vertical plate, h/H = 0.45, and the normalized length of the tie-rod from the wall stem, L/H = 1. The assessment of potential failure patterns of the backfill soil indicates the generation of two distinct failure planes and a reduction in failure plane inclination from horizontal. A design equation for the FOS and the ratio of surcharge carrying capacity is developed using non-linear regression. The accuracy of the equation is confirmed by a coefficient of determination of 0.996 and 0.997, respectively, for the FOS and the ratio of surcharge carrying capacity.