Passive Pressure During Seismic Loading

The results of a parametric study (based on a Mononobe-Okabe analysis) of passive earth pressure resistance of cohesionless soils under dynamic loading are presented. Since passive resistance decreases with increasing ground acceleration while the failure zone increases in size, retaining structures designed for static loading conditions may prove to be inadequate under seismic loading. The mathematical equivalence of the active and passive earth pressure problems is demonstrated and a number of ambiguities (surrounding the passive earth pressure problem) in the literature are resolved.