Use this worksheet to organize preliminary lateral earth pressure calculations for simple retaining walls, including soil pressure, surcharge, water pressure, resultant forces, and load locations.
What The File Contains
- Soil, surcharge, and water resultants
- Sliding and overturning indicators
- Load register for omitted project-specific effects
File Preview
Calculation workbook
Input or check
Value
Units
Project geometry
Editable
SI / US
Material parameters
Editable
Defined
Calculated result
Formula
Tracked
Method limitation
Review
Required
Inputs To Record
- Wall height, backfill slope, wall movement condition, and drainage condition
- Backfill unit weight, friction angle, cohesion assumption, and selected Ka, K0, or Kp
- Uniform surcharge, line loads, traffic loads, compaction effects, and nearby footings
- Water level, weep/drain details, and whether hydrostatic pressure is relieved
Calculation Checks
- Draw triangular soil pressure and rectangular surcharge pressure separately
- Locate each resultant correctly before checking overturning and sliding
- Keep passive resistance separate and justify when it can be relied on
- Check whether global stability, bearing, or structural capacity controls outside the worksheet
Engineering Notes
- Hydrostatic pressure is often the load that makes a wall behave differently than expected.
- At-rest pressure is usually more appropriate than active pressure for restrained basement walls.
- Construction compaction behind small walls can add meaningful lateral pressure.