Lateral force and centroid location caused by horizontal and vertical surcharge strip loads on a cross‐anisotropic backfill

This work presents analytical solutions for determining lateral force (force per unit length) and centroid location caused by horizontal and vertical surcharge surface loads acting on a cross‐anisotropic backfill. The surcharge loading types are point load, line load, uniform strip load, upward linear‐varying strip load, upward nonlinear‐varying strip load, downward linear‐varying strip load, and downward nonlinear‐varying strip load. The planes of cross‐anisotropy are assumed parallel to the backfill ground surface. The proposed solutions, derived by integrating the lateral stress solutions (Int. J. Numer. Anal. Meth. Geomech. 2005; 29 :1341–1361), do not exist in literature. Clearly, the type and degree of material anisotropy, loading distance from the retaining wall, and loading types markedly impact the proposed solutions. Two examples are utilized to illustrate the type and degree of soil anisotropy, and the loading types on the lateral force and centroid location in the isotropic/cross‐anisotropic backfills generated by the horizontal and vertical uniform, upward linear‐varying and upward nonlinear‐varying strip loads. The parametric study results demonstrate that the lateral force and centroid location accounting for soil anisotropy, loading distance from the retaining wall, dimension of the loading strip, and loading directions and types differ significantly from those estimated using existing isotropic solutions. The derived solutions can be added to other lateral pressures, such as earth pressure or water pressure, required for stability and structural analysis of a retaining wall. Additionally, they can simulate realistically actual surcharge loading problems in geotechnical engineering when backfill materials are cross‐anisotropic. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.