Cantilever Retaining Wall Stability (Overturning / Sliding / Bearing)
The three global-stability checks of a cast-in-place cantilever retaining wall: the restoring moments of the stem, base, and heel soil about the toe against the Rankine thrust's overturning moment, the base friction against sliding (both against the IBC 1807.2.3 minimum of 1.5), and the eccentricity-based toe / heel bearing pressures with a middle-third check. A 10 ft wall on a 6 ft base passes dry at 3.37 / 1.69 / 1,731 psf toe -- and the same wall fails sliding at 1.31 under a 300 psf surcharge, the case that most often governs. Internal member design, passive toe credit, and seismic pressure are separate. A design aid, not a substitute for a licensed engineer's design.
Formula and source
FS_ot = Mr / Mo; FS_sl = mu x sum(V) / Pa; e = B/2 - (Mr - Mo)/sum(V); q_max,min = (sum(V)/B) x (1 +/- 6e/B); Rankine Pa = 0.5 Ka gamma H^2 + Ka q H.
The standard cantilever-retaining-wall global-stability checks as compiled in Das, Principles of Foundation Engineering, and NAVFAC DM-7.02, against the IBC 1807.2.3 minimum factor of safety of 1.5 for sliding and overturning, by name.
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