I am calculating the maximum bending moment in cantilever sheet pile wall with the method present in the book by B M Das. The maximum bending moment is less in dense sand than in loose sand. What may be the reason?
Dense sands due to dilation exhibit larger internal friction angle comparing loos sands. It leads to lower coefficient of horizontal stress in sand, Ka, and therefore the driving force will be lower in dense sands. However in denser sands, the density is higher comparing loose sands, but this effect does not compensate with the decrease in Ka due to increase in phi.
In fact using coarse and compacted granular materials as back fill is to decrease the applied driving force to walls besides having good drainage condition to omit residual water pressure behind wall.
Dense sands due to dilation exhibit larger internal friction angle comparing loos sands. It leads to lower coefficient of horizontal stress in sand, Ka, and therefore the driving force will be lower in dense sands. However in denser sands, the density is higher comparing loose sands, but this effect does not compensate with the decrease in Ka due to increase in phi.
In fact using coarse and compacted granular materials as back fill is to decrease the applied driving force to walls besides having good drainage condition to omit residual water pressure behind wall.