Abstract: The classical earth pressure theory is based on the assumption of semi-infinite space. However, the dimension of soil behind the retaining wall is limited, so that this theory is no longer suitable for calculating the earth pressure. The aim of this study is to develop the earth pressures for the limited cohesionless soil under complex conditions. The new solution for the active earth pressure is developed using the thin-layer element method. It is shown that the Ranking and Coulomb’s earth pressure theories are the particular cases of the proposed model. It is also shown that the limit rupture angle is not constant and it varies with the calculation parameters. The new solution approaches to Coulomb’s active earth pressure when the soil is infinite. When there are limited soils, the new solution tends to be consistent with the simulation solution, proving the reasonability of the new solution. In this case, it is significantly different from Coulomb’s solution.

Key words: limited soil, active earth pressure, cohesionless soil, limit rupture angle