EARTH STRUCTURES LECTURES

For M. Sc. Course – CE5302

Asst. Prof. Dr. Mohammed Shaker Al Shakerchy

Ph.D. in Geotechnical Engineering
Faculty of Engineering / University of Kufa

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EARTH STRUCTURES LECTURES by Dr. Mohammed Sh. M. Al Shakerchy
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Introduction to Design

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TYPES OF RETAINING WALLS
Conventional Retaining Walls
Rigid Retaining Walls

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TYPES OF RETAINING WALLS
Conventional Retaining Walls
Rigid Retaining Walls

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TYPES OF RETAINING WALLS
Conventional Retaining Walls Rigid Retaining Walls
 Gravity retaining walls are constructed with plain concrete or stone masonry. They
depend for stability on their own weight and any soil resting on the masonry. This
type of construction is not economical for high walls.
 A small amount of steel may be used for the construction of gravity
walls, thereby minimizing the size of wall sections. Such walls are generally referred
to as semigravity walls
 Cantilever retaining walls are made of reinforced concrete that consists of a thin
stem and a base slab. This type of wall is economical to a height of about
8 m.
 Counterfort retaining walls are similar to cantilever walls. At regular
intervals, however, they have thin vertical concrete slabs known as counterforts that tie
the wall and the base slab together. The purpose of the counterforts is to reduce the
shear and the bending moments.
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CONVENTIONAL RETAINING WALLS Rigid Retaining Walls
Proportioning Retaining Walls (Geometry Sizing)
 Note that the top of the stem
of any retaining wall should
not be less than about 0.3 m
for proper placement of
concrete. The depth, D, to
the bottom of the base slab
should be a minimum of
However, the bottom of the
base slab should be
positioned below the
seasonal frost line.
 If the stability checks yield
undesirable results, the
sections can be changed and
6 rechecked. 5/3/2019
EARTH STRUCTURES LECTURES by Dr. Mohammed Sh. M. Al Shakerchy
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CONVENTIONAL RETAINING WALLS Rigid Retaining Walls
Proportioning Retaining Walls (Geometry Sizing)
 For counterfort retaining
walls, the general
proportion of the stem and
the base slab is the same as
for cantilever walls.
However, the counterfort
slabs may be about 0.3 m
thick and spaced at center-
to-center distances of 0.3H
to 0.7H.

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CONVENTIONAL RETAINING WALLS Rigid Retaining Walls
Seepage and Retaining Walls

 Seepage-induced failure
is avoided in rigid
retaining walls by
providing adequate
drainage systems.

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TYPES OF RETAINING WALLS
Sheet Pile Flexible Retaining Walls
 Flexible retaining walls consist of long,
slender members of either steel or
concrete or wood or plastic and rely on
passive soil resistance and anchor for
stability.

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TYPES OF RETAINING WALLS
Mechanically Stabilized Earth Walls (MSE Walls)
Reinforced earth is a construction material made from soil that has been strengthened
by tensile elements such as metal rods or strips, nonbiodegradable fabrics (geotextiles),
geogrids.

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TYPES OF RETAINING WALLS
Chemically Stabilized Earth Walls (CSE Walls)
CSE walls are in situ soils mixed with chemical grouts such as lime or lime-
cement mixtures to form columns of overlapping soils. Sometimes
reinforcements are added to the soil-grout mixtures before they harden.
CSE walls can retain soils up to great depths. They are also used in seepage
control.

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MODES OF FAILURE IN RETAINING WALLS
Conventional Retaining Walls Rigid Retaining Walls
 When a weak soil layer is
located at a shallow depth—
that is, within a depth of 1.5
times the width of the base
slab of the retaining wall—
the possibility of excessive
settlement should be
considered. In some cases, the
use of lightweight backfill
material behind the retaining
wall may solve the problem.
 Deep shear failure can occur along a cylindrical surface as a result of the existence of a weak layer of
soil underneath the wall at a depth of about 1.5 times the width of the base slab of the retaining wall.
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MODES OF FAILURE IN RETAINING WALLS
Sheet Pile Flexible Retaining Walls

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STABILITY OF RETAINING WALLS
Conventional Retaining Walls Rigid Retaining Walls
Retaining walls must be externally stable. Thus, utilizing basic statics

i.e. Fv FH M 

Factors of Safety are obtain with respect to:

 Overturning Failure,
 Sliding Failure,
 Bearing Capacity Failure, and
 Excessive Settlement

 The stability of sheet pile walls (Flexible Retaining Walls) must satisfy
all the criteria for rigid retaining walls.
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TYPES OF ANALYSES
 Limit Equilibrium Analysis
Traditional hand calculations with the wall assumed to be at failure, so that
moment or force equilibrium can be used to compare actions (applied forces)
with reactions (resisting forces).

 Computer Analysis
Many computer programs are either based on Winkler spring models (
elastic beam) or use continuum analysis methods. More complex analyses
are using finite element or finite difference computer codes.

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NEEDED SOIL PROPERTIES

To design retaining walls properly, an engineer must know the basic parameters-the
unit weight, angle of friction, and cohesion of the soil retained behind the wall and the
soil below the base slab. Knowing the properties of the soil behind the wall enables the
engineer to determine the lateral pressure distribution that has to be designed for.

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NEEDED SOIL PROPERTIES

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NEEDED SOIL PROPERTIES

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Question?

Any further information

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Online Quiz and Homework

E-learning system (Moodle)
Web Site of Faculty of Engineering
http://elearning.uokufa.edu.iq/moodle/eng/

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