Basic Earth Pressure Concepts

Earth pressure is the load that a sheet pile wall is built to resist. This chapter covers the basic concepts: the lateral earth pressure coefficient, total and effective stresses, Mohr-Coulomb shear strength, and the relationship between earth pressure and wall movement.

These ideas explain why a wall that moves away from the soil sees less pressure than one that is held in place, and why the pressure changes as water, loads, and soil conditions change.

Understanding the concepts makes the later formulas and charts easier to apply with confidence, and makes it easier to see when a calculation does not look right.