PAMANTASAN NG LUNGSOD NG VALENZUELA

COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY CIVIL

ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT

LECTURES FOR RETAINING WALLS

RETAINING WALLS
A retaining wall is a structure built to prevent vertical banks of soil from collapsing. They are also
used in many design situations where there are abrupt changes in the ground slope, and other
locations such as bridge abutments, basement walls and culverts.

Types of Retaining Walls:

1. Gravity retaining wall = this type of wall depends on its weight to achieve stability.
Gravity walls are often built of plain concrete (un-reinforced) and are bulky. Although
retaining walls may give appearance of being unyielding, some wall backfill movement
is to be expected. In order that walls may undergo some forward yielding without
appearing to tip over, they are often built with an inward slope on the outer face of the
wall. This inward slope is called batter.

Materials placed behind the retaining walls are called backfill. These materials should be
a free-draining granular material such as clear sand, gravel or broken stones. Clayey soils
is not advisable material because of the excessive lateral pressure they create.
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COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY CIVIL
ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT

2. Cantilever retaining wall = this type of retaining wall is usually used in case of taller
walls where large lateral pressure tends to overturn the wall. The cantilever retaining
wall consists of the vertical wall called the stem, supported on a footing. The front and
rear edges of the footing base are termed as toe and heel respectively. The weight of
the soil directly over the heel of the foundation stabilizes the wall, where it prevents it
from sliding outward and overturning. When the lateral trust s so large, a key; which is
a short vertical cantilever is added to the base to increase its resistance to sliding. Some
designers usually avoid placing keys because the construction of the key will disturb the
soil, thus reducing its bearing strength.

The water pressure together with the soil pressure of a submerged backfill will produce
a larger lateral force against the wall, so in order to lower this force, it is advisable to
provide drains or weep holes to reduce the built up of water pressure behind the walls.
Weep holes are 150 mm to 200 mm diameter drain pipes that runs through the wall and
they are spaced 2.4 m. to 3.0 m. apart both horizontally and vertically. Water draining
through the wall tends to soften the soil under the toe, it is recommended to provide a
continuous back drain to carry the water to a drainage ditch or sewer. The weep holes
and back drain helps to reduce build-up of water pressure in backfill.
 PAMANTASAN NG LUNGSOD NG VALENZUELA
COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY CIVIL
ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT

3. Counter fort retaining wall or buttress wall = this type of retaining wall is usually
designed when it is necessary to construct retaining walls of greater heights. This is
designed by introducing cross walls on the front or back of the stem. The cross walls are
behind the stem (inside the soil and not visible). When the cross walls are on the toe
side (visible) the walls are called buttress walls. At regular intervals, they have thin
vertical concrete slabs known as counter forts that tie the wall and the base of the slab
together. The purpose of the counter forts is to reduce the shear and bending
moments.

Stability of Retaining Walls:

1. Sliding along its base.
2. Overturning about its toe.
3. Bearing Capacity Failure of soil supporting the base
 PAMANTASAN NG LUNGSOD NG VALENZUELA
COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY CIVIL
ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT

1. Factor of safety against sliding:

β = angle that the backfill makes with the horizontal

Ø = angle of friction of backfill
Ka = Rankines active pressure coefficient
μ = coefficient of friction between the base and the soil foundation
Ph = Pa cos β
Ph = Pa sin β
Rv = W1 + W2 + W3 + W4 + W5 + Pv
1
Pp = 2 γs (h2 )2 K p
1+sin Ø
KP = 1−sin Ø

Factors of safety against sliding

μ Rv +Pp
F.S. =
Pa

F.S > 1.5

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COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY CIVIL
ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT

2. Factor of safety against overturning:

Overturning moment:
h
O.M. = Ph ( )
3

R.M.
F.S = O.M.

F.S > 2.0

 PAMANTASAN NG LUNGSOD NG VALENZUELA
COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY CIVIL
ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT

3. Factor of safety against bearing capacity failure of soil supporting the base:

For a good design of retaining walls, the resultant of the vertical force should be located
within the middle of the base, to avoid tensile stresses at the base.

𝐁
e= − 𝐱̅
𝟐
Rv 6e
fmax = [1 + ] (actual max. bearing stress)
B B

Rv 6e
fmin = [1 − ]
B B

ultimate bearing capacity of the soil

F.S =
actual mas.bearing stress

F.S > 3.0

Load Factors used for the required ultimate strength:
(surcharge)

For lived load = 1.6

For dead load = 1.2
For lateral earth pressure = 1.6
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COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY CIVIL
ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT

SAMPLE PROBLEM
A retaining wall 4.60 m. high carries a surcharge of 11.97 kN/M2 on the level backfill.
Assume weight of soil = 15.71 kN/m3 and concrete to be 23.56 kN/m3. Angle of internal
friction = 32°, dx’ = 20.68 MPa, fy = 344.7 MPa
0.18 fcˈ
Use 𝜌 = steel covering = 75 mm. load factor for soil pressure and weight of soil is
fy
1.6.

1. Determine the design moment of the retaining wall.

2. Determine the thickness of the stem of the retaining wall.
3. Determine the spacing of the 25 mm Ø vertical main reinforcement for the stem of
the retaining wall.
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COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY CIVIL
ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT

Solution:
1. Design moment of the retaining wall.

1−sin 32°
Ka =
1+sin 32°

Ka = 0.307

a = 11.97 (0.307)
a = 3.67 kN/m2

b = 15.71 (0.307) (4.15)

b = 20.02 kN/m2

Considering one-meter strip wall.

(Load factor for soil pressure = 1.6)
P1 = 3.67(1) (4.15) (1.6)
P1 = 24.37 kN

20.02
P2 = (1) (4.15) (1.6)
2

P2 = 66.47 kN
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COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY CIVIL
ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT

4.15 4.15
Mu = P1 ( ) + P2 ( )
2 3

4.15 4.15
Mu = 24.37 ( ) + 66.47 ( )
2 3

Mu = 145.67 kN.m

2. Thickness of the stem of the retaining wall.

ω fc ˈ
𝜌= fy
0.18 fc ˈ
𝜌=
fy
0.18 (20.68)
𝜌=
344.7

𝜌 = 0.0108

1.4
𝜌min. = f
y

1.4
𝜌min. = 344.7

𝜌min. = 0.0041

Use 𝜌 = 0.0108

Mu = Ø fc ˈ b d2 ω (1- 0.59 ω)
151.39 x 106 = 0.90 (20.68) (1000) d2 0.18) [1 – 0.59 (0.18)]
d = 225 mm
t = d + 75
t = 225 + 75
t = 300 mm (thickness of stem)
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COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY CIVIL
ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT

3. Spacing of 25 mm Ø main vertical reinforcement of the stem:

As = 𝜌 b d
As = 0.018 (1000) (225)
As = 2430 mm2

1000 𝜋
( ) (25)2 = 2430
𝑆 4

S = 202 mm
Use S = 200 mm o.c.
 PAMANTASAN NG LUNGSOD NG VALENZUELA
COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY CIVIL
ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT

SEATWORK
A retaining wall carries a horizontal backfill with a soil having unit weight of 18.8 kN/m3.
Coefficient of active pressure Ka = 1/3. The base has a total depth of 0.5 m.
Steel covering is 75 mm. Concrete weighs 24 kN/m3. Load factor for weight of soil and soil
pressure = 1.6

fc ˈ = 20.7 MPa, fy = 414 MPa

1. Compute factor of safety against sliding if the coefficient of friction between the oil
and the base of the wall is 0.57
2. Compute the design moment for the stem
3. Compute the spacing of 25 mm Ø bars on the stem.