Retaining Walls

Prepared by:
Engr. Kenny B. Cantila
 Retaining Walls

Retaining walls are structures placed at the toe of an over-steepened slope to

stabilize the slope and reduce erosion. Retaining walls can provide a flatter
slope above the retaining wall that can promote re-vegetation and can trap
sediment dislodged upslope.

Retaining walls are used to retain earth (or other material) in a vertical
position at locations where an abrupt change in ground level occurs.

Wall therefore prevents the retained earth from assuming its natural angle of
repose.
 Uses of Retaining Walls

(a) Embankment (b) Cut

(c) Bridge abutment (d) Water storage

 Uses of Retaining Walls (cont’d)

(e) Flood Walls (f) Sheet pile wall

 Photos on Retaining Wall Failure

http://www.thephuketnews.com/wall-collapse-closes-phuket-road-58222.php

http://waterwaynews.blogspot.com/2008/03/another-macclesfield-wall-collapse.html http://www.roanoke.com/news/local/roanoke/wall-at-south-peak-falls-snarls-
traffic/article_8c62f12e-7aff-11e3-b31a-001a4bcf6878.html
 Types of Retaining Walls

Toe Heel
Slab Slab

Gravity retaining wall Cantilever retaining wall

Gravity
Reactive forces
Earth pressure
Piling Wall Anchored Wall
 Types of Retaining Walls ( cont’d)

Gravity Walls- These retaining walls depend on their mass to resist pressure
from the slope and may have a setback to assure stability by leaning towards
the higher slope.

Piling Walls- These retaining walls are typically built in soft soils and small
spaces. Piling walls are usually made out of steel, vinyl or wood planks being
planted into the ground.

Anchored Wall- These walls are not normally used for residential
landscaping. This wall uses cables embedded in rock to help reinforce the
wall.

Cantilevered Wall- As you can see in the diagram above, these walls have a
footer that cuts back into the slope. This footer is usually made from concrete
for extra stability
 Types of Retaining Wall (cont’d)

Gravity retaining wall

• The gravity wall resists the earth pressure

exerted by backfill by its self-weight.

• It is usually built in stone masonry, and

occasionally in plain concrete.

• It provides stability by its own weight, and Gravity retaining wall

therefore, is rather massive in size.

http://www.aboutcivil.org/retaining-wall-definition-types-uses-retaining-walls.html
 Types of Retaining Wall (cont’d)

• The thickness of the wall is also governed by need to eliminate or limit

the resulting tensile stress to its permissible limit.

• The plain concrete gravity walls are not used for heights exceeding
about 3 m, for obvious economic reasons.

• Stress develop is very low.

• These walls are also so proportioned that no tension is developed

anywhere and the resultant of forces remain within the middle third of
the base.
 Types of Retaining Wall (cont’d)

Counterfort Wall

• Stem and heel slab are strengthened by

providing counterforts at some intervals.

• The stability of the wall is maintained

essentially by the weight of the earth on
the heel slab plus the weight of structure.

• For large heights, in a cantilever retaining

wall, the bending moments developed in
the stem, heel slab and toe slab become Counterfort Wall
very large and require large thickness.

• Moments can be reduced by adding

transverse supports called counterforts.
 Types of Retaining Wall (cont’d)

• Counterfort walls are placed at regular intervals of about 1/3 to 1/2 of the
wall height, interconnecting the stem with the heel slab.

• The counterforts are concealed within the retained earth on the rear side of
the wall.

• This wall is economical for heights above (approximately) 7m.

• The counterforts subdivide the vertical slab (stem) into rectangular panels
and sides (super-style), and themselves behave essentially as vertical
cantilever beams of T-section and varying depth.
 Types of Retaining Wall (cont’d)

Buttress Wall

• It is similar to a counterfort wall,

except that the transverse stem
supports, called buttress, are located
in the front side, interconnecting the
stem with the toe slab.

• Though the buttresses are structurally

more efficient (more economical)
counterforts, the counterfort wall is
generally preferred to the buttress wall Buttress Wall
as it provides free usable space (and
better aesthetics) in front of the wall.
 Types of Retaining Wall (cont’d)

Cantilever Wall

• A type of retaining structure and is generally

economical for heights up to about 8m.
Heel
• The structure consists of vertical stem, and a Toe
Slab
Slab
base slab, made up of two distinct regions, a
T-Shaped
heel slab and toe slab.

• It resists the horizontal earth pressure as

well as vertical pressure by way of bending
of various components acting as cantilevers.

• It can be T-shaped or L-shaped.

Reverse L-Shaped L-Shaped
Parts of the Retaining Wall
 Parts of the Retaining Wall (cont’d)
• Stem- acts as a vertical cantilever
under the lateral earth pressure
• Heel slab- acts as a horizontal
cantilever under the action of
weight of the retained earth
(minus soil pressure)
• Toe slab – acts as a cantilever
under the action of resulting soil
pressure acting upward.
• The material retained or supported
by a retaining wall is called
backfill. Backfill may have its top
surface horizontal or inclined.
• The position of backfill lying
above the horizontal plane at the
elevation of the top wall is called
surcharge & its inclination to the
horizontal is called as surcharge
angle.
Drainage of the Backfill
 References

http://www.anchoragedeckandfence.com/retaining-wall/

http://teacher.buet.ac.bd/sid/download/CE341/Lecture15_4on1.pdf

http://www.slideshare.net/rahulagrawal05/retaining-walls-21085895

http://www.aboutcivil.org/retaining-wall-definition-types-uses-retaining-walls.html

http://www.slideshare.net/penchalavineeth/retaining-wall-36905472?next_slideshow=2