The tension crack appears at the ground surface acompanied by excavations in soils. The
development of tension crack is depended upon the horizontal earth pressure exerted on the soils. For a normally-consolidated level ground, the tension crack depth of a vertical cut can calculate according to Rankine’s active earth pressure theory. The critical height of a vertical cut can stand without lateral supports is twice as deep as the tension crack depth. However, in this paper a large tension crack depth observed for a vertical cut in fault zone. This tension crack depth and critical height of vertical cut are applied to estimate the in-situ horizontal earth pressure of fault zone at rest.
Relation:
6th International Symposium on In-situ Rock Stress, 8p.
