TYPES OF REINFORCED CONCRETE RETAINING WALL


Retaining wall are generally used to retain earth or other material to maintain unequal levels on two faces. The material on the back face is called backfill.

Retaining walls are used in the construction of basement below ground level, wing walls of bridge and to retain slopes in hilly terrain roads.

Retaining wall can be constructed with masonry as well as reinforced concrete. In case of masonry retaining wall, the thickness of wall increases with height because masonry resists the lateral pressure by its weight. Thus it is also called gravity retaining wall. While the reinforced concrete retaining wall resists the lateral pressure by structural action such as bending and results in thinner section.

Following are the types of reinforced concrete retaining walls:

1. CANTILEVER RETAINING WALL:
Cantilever retaining walls are most commonly and widely used type of retaining wall. The following figure shows the cantilever retaining wall.


Cantilever Retaining Wall

Parts of a cantilever retaining wall and its actions:

1. Vertical stem:

Vertical stem in cantilever retaining wall resists earth pressure from backfill side and bends like a cantilever. The thickness of cantilever slab is larger at the base of stem and it decreases gradually upwards due to reduction of soil pressure with decrease in depth.

2. Base slab:

The base slab form the foundation of the retaining wall. It consists of a heel slab and the toe slab. The heel slab acts as a horizontal cantilever under the combined action of the weight of the retaining earth from the top and the soil pressure acting from the soffit. The toe slab also acts as a cantilever under the action of the soil pressure acting upward. The stability of the wall is maintained by the weight of the earth fill and on the heel slab together with the self-weight of the structural elements of the retaining wall. Cantilever type retaining walls are suitable upto 5m depth of backfill.

2. COUNTERFORT RETAINING WALL:
When the height of earth to be retaining exceeds 5m, the bending moment developed in the stem, heel and toe slabs are very large which results in large thickness of structural elements and becomes uneconomical. Thus, counterfort type retaining wall is adopted for larger heights.

Figure below shows counterfort retaining wall and its parts.


Counterfort Retaining Wall

Counterfort retaining wall consists of a stem, toe slab and heel slab as in case of cantilever retaining wall. But it also consists of counterforts are regular interval which divides the stem. The stem with combination of counterfort behaves like a tee-beam with varying width.

The stem and heel slabs are effectively fixed to counterforts so that the stem bends horizontally between the counterforts due to lateral earth pressure. Thus the thickness of stem and the heel slab is considerably reduced due to the reduction of moment due to fixity of these slabs between counterforts

Comments

  1. Crack Masters26 October 2020 at 09:01

    This is great information about Retaining Wall Construction. Thanks for sharing this valuable article with us.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Emma Jasmine12 February 2021 at 08:01

    Timber and inter-locking-concrete-block walls are great DIY retaining wall ideas. Mortared masonry and poured concrete ones are usually best left to a mason. For a permanent wall structure, the general lifespan is generally between 30 and 50 years. This does, however, depend on the conditions of the soil and groundwater at your site. Retaining walls prevent erosion. They hold back soil that is unstable and prevents the ground from being washed away. If you live in an area where the ground is not flat, then retaining the walls can do more work in your place.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Nilex Inc30 September 2021 at 07:33

    Hey, great post, Thanks for sharing this valuable information, we will get back soon to read more interesting posts, thank you. Our post is related to your post. check now

    ReplyDelete
  4. Sethjacl12 April 2022 at 08:06

    If you have a residence built near some sort of fault line, you must go for a retaining wall construction in Brisbane to provide you complete peace of mind. Many people have no idea what benefit they may get from a retaining wall along with safety and reinforcement of vulnerable areas. It can also be used to add style and design to your house. And obviously, it helps save the areas of your foundation that are risky and can be easily damaged by soil erosion. A nicely built retaining wall can also save you from unexpected landslides.
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    ReplyDelete
  5. countrywidefencingandlandscaping21 October 2022 at 17:50

    hi
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    ReplyDelete
  6. Moz Bell6 December 2022 at 11:17

    Thanks for sharing this great post. It’s very enlightening. I absolutely love to read informative stuff. Looking forward to find out more and acquire further knowledge from here! Cheers!

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    ReplyDelete

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