Abstract:
IN A SEMI-INFINITE EARTH MASS THE BASIC CONDITIONS OF EQUILIBRIUM ARE SATISFIED. IF, HOWEVER, THE MASS IS CUT BY A VERTICAL PLANE FORMING A BANK, UNBALANCED HORIZONTAL PRESSURES AND UNBALANCED MOMENTS APPEAR. THE FORMER ARE TAKEN CARE OF BY HORIZONTAL SHEARING STRESSES, WHEREAS VERTICAL SHEARING STRESSES CREATE COUPLES CAUSING OVERLOADING OF THE MASS NEXT TO THE SLOPE AND RELIEF IN WEIGHT OF THE REST OF THE MASS. THE MOMENT THUS CREATED IS BALANCED BY THAT PRODUCED BY THE LATERAL PRESSURE. IN ITS TURN, THE COUPLE FORMED BY THE OVERLOADING AND RELIEVING FORCES IS BALANCED BY A COUPLE CAUSING TENSION AND FISSURING IN THE UPPER PART OF THE MASS AND ADDITIONAL COMPRESSION AT ITS LOWER PART. THE VALUE OF THE LATERAL PRESSURE IS ZERO AT THE VERTICAL SLOPE AND GRADUALLY INCREASES IN THE DIRECTION AWAY FROM THE SLOPE; AND IT IS BELIEVED THAT THE PRESSURE ON A TRANSLATING RETAINING WALL SHOULD DECREASE DURING THE PROCESS OF TRANSLATION. STRESS DISTRIBUTION AT THE FOOT OF THE SLOPE IS A COMPLICATED ONE; AND IN THIS CONNECTION SPECIAL ATTENTION SHOULD BE PAID TO A PROPER INTERPRETATION OF TEST RESULTS ON SLOPE MODELS. /AUTHOR/
Supplemental Notes:
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