DESIGN OF A GABION WALL

Height= 3m
Designed By Eng. Lakshmi Narayan 
Approved By Eng. Irfan Ahmed

Description Symbols Input ValueUnits

Backfill Slope angle above wall  β 15 °
Angle of Internal Friction  Ф 31 °
Angle of Wall Friction  δ 20 °
Inclination angle to vertical plane  ω 10 °
Back of wall angle to horizontal α 100 °
Cohension c 0 KN/m³
Surcharge q 30 KN/m²
Soil Density γs 18 KN/m³
Rock Density γr 21 KN/m³
Void percentage in Gabion v 20 %
Densityof Gabion wall  γg 16.8 KN/m³
Actual Height of the Wall(Ht. of soil  H 4m
retained +Embedment  depth)
Embedment d 1m
Width of the base B 3m
Allowable soil bearing capacity  qa 120 KN/m²
 Offset 
Row # Width Height from toe Area X Moment Y Moment
m m m m² m m³ m m³

4 1 1 1 1 1.5 1.5 3.5 3.5

3 1.5 1 0.75 1.5 1.5 2.25 2.5 3.75
2 2 1 0.5 2 1.5 3 1.5 3
1 3 1 0 3 1.5 4.5 0.5 1.5
ƩA ƩMx ƩMy
SUMMATION ( Ʃ) 7.5 11.25 11.75

Mean Value X 1.5 Y 1.566667

1. COULOMB'S THEORY 
BACK

0.56959 0.96985 0.98481 0.77715 0.27564

0.98481 0.90631
0.4899
2.2198
Coefficient of Active Pressure Ka = 0.268653

Active soil thrust Ps = 0.5 x Ka  x γs x H²
38.68602 KN/m‐run

Active surcharge thrust Pq = Sin α
 Ka q H
Sin (α+β)

0.98481 32.2384
0.90631

Pq = 35.03068

Horizontal Active soil thrust Phs = Ps  Cos(δ ‐ ω )

38.09829 KN/m‐run

Horizontal Active surcharge thrus Phq = Pq  Cos(δ ‐ ω )

34.49848 KN/m‐run

Vertical Active soil thrust Pvs = Ps  Sin(δ ‐ ω )

6.717757 KN/m‐run

Vertical Active  surcharge thrust Pvq = Pq  Sin(δ ‐ ω )

6.083014 KN/m‐run

FRONT

Inclination angle to vertical plane  ωp 0° For wall with straight back (no offsets)
Front face angle to horizontal αp 90 ° 90+ωp
Backfill Slope angle above wall  βp 0°   <   Ф
Angle of Wall friction  δp 0
Angle of Internal Friction  Ф 31
 0.73474
1 1 0.51504 0.51504
0.85717 0.85717

0.159312
Kp     = 4.611923

Passive soil Thrust Pp = 0.5 xKp x γs x d²
41.50731 KN/m‐run

2 Check for Overturning

Vertical  distance to Phs Yhs = H/3‐Bsinω = 0.812389 m

Vertical  distance to Phq Yhq = H/2‐Bsinω = 1.479055 m

Overturning Moment  ƩMo = YhsPhs + YhqPhq

= 81.9758 KNm/m‐run

Weight of Gabion Wg = ƩA γg
= 126 KN/m

Horizontal distace to Wg Xg = Ysinω + X sinω
= 1.74926 m

Horizontal distace to Pvs Xvs = B/Cosω + (H/3 ‐ Bsinω)Tanω

= 3.189526 m

Horizontal Distance to Pvq Xvq = B/Cosω + (H/3 ‐ Bsinω)Tanω

= 3.307077 m

Vertical Distance to Pp Ypp = d/3

= 0.333333 m

Resisting Moment ƩMr = Wg Xg  + PvsXvs + PvqXvq+PpYpp

= 275.786 KNm/m‐run

Factor of Safety FOS ƩMr

ƩMo

3.364237 ≥ 2 OK
Check for Sliding

Total Normal Forces  ƩW = WgCosω  + PsSinδ ‐Pp Sin ω 
= 130.1095
Frictional force
Ff = ƩW TanФ = 78.17768 KN/m

Total Resisting Forces  ƩFr = Ff + cosω Pp 

= 119.0544 KN/m

Total Driving Force at the base 
ƩFd PsCosδ +PqCosδ‐Wg Sin ω
= 47.39137

Sliding Factor of Safety SFs = ƩFr

ƩFd

= 2.512154 ≥ 1.5 OK

Check the Eccentricity of the Resultant Force
( Resultant is in middle one third) 

Eccentricity e = 0.5B‐ (ƩMr‐Ʃmo) / ƩW
‐B/6 ≤ 0.010407 ≤ +B/6
‐0.5 ≤ 0.010407 ≤ 0.5
OK OK

Check for Bearing

Applied bearing pressure  P = ƩW (1+‐ 6e/B)
B 0.020814

Minimum Base Pressu= 44.27252 KN/m² ≥ 0 OK No tension

Maximum Base Pressure 42.46716 KN/m² ≤ 120 OK