Abstract: This study focused on the influence of wall inclination and roughness on passive earth pressure for the retaining wall. Firstly, considering the friction between retaining wall and sliding wedge surface under passive state, the principal stress transfer law of a sliding soil wedge is described by the circular major principal stress trajectory. Subsequently, the method for determining the geometric parameters of the major principal stress trajectory is proposed. Then, the sliding soil wedge behind the retaining wall is divided into several circular thin-layer along the major principal stress trajectory. The new method of passive earth pressure is established by force analysis of the thin-layer element according to the static equilibrium condition. The method reflects the influence of wall-soil friction and wall inclination on the distribution of passive earth pressure. The problem that the complex stress of the element cannot be accurately considered by the linear thin-layer element method, commonly used in the current earth pressure analysis, can be avoided in the proposed method with more reasonable passive earth pressure calculations. Finally, comparison and analysis of distribution of passive earth pressure among the existing similar methods and the experimental results indicate the proposed method is reasonable and superior. Also, the influence of wall inclination and roughness on the distribution of passive earth pressure and the height of application of resultant force is discussed.

Key words: passive earth pressure, wall-soil friction, inclined retaining wall, circular curved thin-layer element, major principal stress trajectory