By extending and modifying the method of critical slip field

a new numerical procedure based on triangular slices is proposed for constructing active and passive slip field behind retaining structures

resulting in the distribution of active and passive earth pressure.First

the soil mass is divided into a series of triangular slices

the limit equilibrium equations are established with introduced inter-slice force function.Then a series of critical slip surfaces

which do not intersect each other

are obtained by the optimal theory.The critical slip surface through the foot of a wall is selected.According to the scheme for solving such equations

the parameters of the inter-slice forces function are continuously adjusted to meet the force and moment equilibrium conditions.At last

the earth pressure distribution on the wall is obtained by the finite difference method.Results of numerical calculation indicate that the present method is suitable for calculating inclined backfills and retaining structures with high accuracy.The results agree well with the existing analytical solution and can be used for engineering calculations.