4/23/2016

What One Should Know About Retaining Wall

By Helen Russell


Retailing walls are the kind of walls that are constructed to restrain soils to non-natural slopes. The main reason for constructing a retaining wall is to use it to bind soils between different elevations. They are constructed in a number of areas. Some of the places are where the land-scape needs shaping and engineering severely for specific functions such as roadway overpasses or hillside farming. Another area where they are constructed are where the slope undesirable.

There are many types of these walls. Some of the examples are gravity, piling, cantilever, and anchored walls. They are meant to support a wedge of soil. The design and construction is done in a way as to counteract the tendency of retained material to shift downslope as a result of gravity. Gravity creates lateral earth pressure on the back of the wall. The pressure depends on the angle of friction and cohesive strength of the material retained.

The mass of gravity walls play a major role in their ability to resist pressure they get exposed to. They are made heavy using concrete and stones. Incorporation of batter setback helps to improve stability. They may be constructed in a way as to lean towards the load they support. Dry-stacked varieties are made flexible with flexible footings when they are made in frost prone region.

In the earlier years of the 20th century, tall retaining walls were of the gravity type. They were made from large masses of stone or concrete. Modern-day walls get made from composite material. Some common materials they are made from include crib walls, gabions, and soil-nailed walls. Gabions are composed of stacked steel wire baskets that are filled with rocks.

The making of cantilevered retaining walls involves the use of internal stems of steel-reinforced, cast-in-place concrete, and mortared masonry. In some circumstances, buttressing is done to the front side. More strength for supporting heavier loads is achieved through the addition of counterfort. Fronts may also be buttressed. Buttresses resemble wing walls and their installation is done perpendicularly to main walls. It takes less construction material to make cantilevered walls in comparison to gravity walls.

Tight spaces and soils that are soft are suitable with sheet pile retaining walls. This variety is made from various materials including vinyl, wood planks, and steel, which are driven underground. About two thirds of the material stands above the ground while a third is driven underground. The measurement of material driven underground and the one remaining above may be varied depending on the situation.

Bored pile varieties of these walls get made by assembling sequences of bored piles. This is preceded by excess soil in the site being excavated. Some of the materials that may be included in the construction are soil enhancement operations, shotcrete reinforcement layer, reinforcing beams, and earth anchors. Bored pile walls are built in situations where sheet piling walls can be built but vibration and noise levels are unacceptable.

Styles of construction have evolved a lot. In the same way, methods of reinforcing the walls are many and diverse. Some common methods of retaining include cellular confinement, soil nailing, soil-strengthening, and gabion meshes.




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