The field data that serves as a foundation for the K-Stiffness formula, deemed as a comprehensive basis for solutions, was very likely for situations where soil matrix suction rendered apparent cohesion.

Seasoned engineers would and should be skeptical about the feasibility of such statistical shortcuts. Thus, the method ignores the vital inclusion of statics in design for the sake of rendering less conservative reinforcement tensile forces that are scientifically unsubstantiated over the long-term. The approach empirically links stiffness, spacing of the reinforcement layers, facing properties, batter, and shear strength of the soil using little more than statistical correlations. The formulation is not based in physics or statics, but in statistics, ignoring long term design stability essential to the safe function of a structure. The reasoning behind this conclusion is the formulation of the K-Stiffness method, which is a statistical analysis based on a compilation of field data of retaining walls from various, unrelated researchers.

Although such implementation in the framework of MSEW is simple, we do not plan to perform the task since the current method appears to be invalid, very possibly rendering unsafe results. A few customers have requested implementation of the K-stiffness Method in program MSEW.

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