GATE CE 2022 Set 1 — Question 18
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Geotechnical Engineering → Earth Pressure → Passive Earth Pressure
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Question
Let and denote the effective vertical stress and effective horizontal stress, respectively. Which one of the following conditions must be satisfied for a soil element to reach the failure state under Rankine’s passive earth pressure condition?
Correct answer
(A) σᵥ' < σₕ'
Solution
In Rankine's passive earth pressure state, the soil is compressed horizontally as a retaining structure moves towards the backfill. This causes the horizontal effective stress to increase. At the state of plastic failure, the horizontal stress becomes the major principal stress () and the vertical effective stress remains the minor principal stress (). For failure to occur, , which means or .
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