Book excerpt: Effectively Calculate the Pressures of Soil When it comes to designing and constructing retaining structures that are safe and durable, understanding the interaction between soil and structure is at the foundation of it all. Laying down the groundwork for the non-specialists looking to gain an understanding of the background and issues surrounding geotechnical engineering, Earth Pressure and Earth-Retaining Structures, Third Edition introduces the mechanisms of earth pressure, and explains the design requirements for retaining structures. This text makes clear the uncertainty of parameter and partial factor issues that underpin recent codes. It then goes on to explain the principles of the geotechnical design of gravity walls, embedded walls, and composite structures. What’s New in the Third Edition: The first half of the book brings together and describes possible interactions between the ground and a retaining wall. It also includes materials that factor in available software packages dealing with seepage and slope instability, therefore providing a greater understanding of design issues and allowing readers to readily check computer output. The second part of the book begins by describing the background of Eurocode 7, and ends with detailed information about gravity walls, embedded walls, and composite walls. It also includes recent material on propped and braced excavations as well as work on soil nailing, anchored walls, and cofferdams. Previous chapters on the development of earth pressure theory and on graphical techniques have been moved to an appendix. Earth Pressure and Earth-Retaining Structures, Third Edition is written for practicing geotechnical, civil, and structural engineers and forms a reference for engineering geologists, geotechnical researchers, and undergraduate civil engineering students.