What are Retaining Walls?
Table of Contents
Granular material, such as rocks and soil, generate horizontal pressure that increase linearly with depth. These materials can move down a slope due to gravity and the horizontal pressures.
Retaining walls are design in a way where they push back on the horizontal pressure to keep the granular material in place preventing erosion from happening and creating a level area landscape
Characteristics of Retaining walls
Externally stabilized walls
- Which use heavy material on the outside to keep the soil in place
Internally stabilized walls
- Which makes use of the artificial reinforcements placed in the soil movement to carry tensile loads and carry out soil mass
Key Terminology
Angle of repose
- It is the maximum slope, measured from the horizontal in degrees, at which granular material (soil) will remain in place without sliding.
- The wall has to support this angle
Surcharge
- It is any load above the soil line upon earth that the retaining wall is supporting
Rear face
- Side of the retaining wall that is facing the soil
Front face
- Side of the retaining wall that is facing the atmosphere, it is in the opposite direction of the soil
Stem
- The inner part of the wall
Battered face
- It is the sloped face of the retaining wall
Retained earth
- The part of the earth that is being retained by the wall
Straight or vertical face
- It is the most outer part of the wall
Drainage hole
- The hole that allows the wall to drain the water
Base
- It is placed in a whole in the ground to help with fighting the erosion of the soil
Heel
- Acts as a horizontal cantilever under the combined action weight of the retained earth from the top and
Toe
- Acts as a cantilever under the action of the soil pressure acting upwards
Still need to add some terminology
Types of Retaining Walls (Page Link)
Retaining Walls Use Cases
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Gravity Wall Pilling Wall Cantilever Wall Anchored Wall |
References
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