Expansion of Terzaghi Arching Formula to Consider an Arbitrarily Inclined Sliding Surface and Examination of its Effect

This study expanded Terzaghi arching formula, which assumed a vertical surface as a sliding surface, to consider an arbitrarily inclined surface as a sliding surface and examined the effect of a sliding surface. This study firstly developed a formula to expand the existing Terzaghi arching formula to consider an inclined surface as well as a vertical surface as a sliding surface under the downward movement of a trap door. Using the expanded formula, the effect of excavation, ground, and surcharge conditions on a vertical stress was examined and the results were compared with them from Terzaghi arching formula. The comparison indicated that the induced vertical stress was highly affected by the angle of an inclined sliding surface and the degree of influence depended on the excavation, ground, and surcharge conditions. It is expected that the results from this study would provide a better understanding of various arching phenomenon in the future.