MMBC VII

-Soumya P S
Asst Prof. KSSA

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Topics.
1. Earth Retaining Structures

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Why retaining walls?
Retaining wall is a
structure that are
designed and
constructed to
withstand lateral
pressure of soil or
hold back soil
materials.
The lateral pressure
could be also due to
earth filling, liquid
pressure, sand, and
other granular
materials behind the
retaining wall
structure.
Earth Retaining Structure

● Selection and Design

● Construction of Retaining structures
including gravity, Cantilever, Sheet pile
and anchored earth and mechanically
stabilized earth(reinforced earth) walls

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Earth Retaining Structure
● Retaining structures are engineered to
retain soil and/or rock.
● They are commonly used to
accommodate changes in grade, provide
increases in right-of-way and buttress the
toe of slopes.
● There are several types of retaining
structures, including gravity, sheet pile,
cantilever, and anchored earth/
mechanically stabilized earth (reinforced
earth) walls and slopes.

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Selection of Retaining Wall

For a decision to be made, the following factors are considered;

1. Ground and groundwater conditions, environmental issues, ground
contamination.
2. External loads, required retained height.
3. Cost, temporary works, method of construction.
4. Project specific requirements: wall displacement criteria, impact
assessment for surrounding structures, appearance.
5. Time/speed of construction, space available for construction equipment
and materials, other site restrictions.
6. Durability of wall materials, availability.

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Types of Retaining Walls
1. Gravity Retaining Wall
2. Crib Retaining Wall
3.Gabion Retaining Walls
4. Cantilever Retaining Wall
5. Counter-fort / Buttressed Retaining Wall
6. Piled Retaining Wall
7. Anchored retaining wall
8. Soil Nailing
9. Mechanically Stabilized Earth (MSE) Retaining wall
10. Hybrid Systems
 Gravity Retaining Wall
• Gravity walls depend on their mass (stone,
concrete or other heavy material) to resist lateral
pressure from behind and may have a 'batter'
setback to improve stability by leaning back
toward the retained soil.
• For short landscaping walls, they are often made
from mortarless stone or segmental concrete
units
• Commonly, gravity retaining wall is massive
because it requires significant gravity load to
counter act soil pressure.
• Sliding, overturning, and bearing forces shall be
taken into consideration while this type of
retaining wall structure is designed.
• It can be constructed from different materials
such as concrete, stone, and masonry units.
• It is economical for a height up to 3m.
• Crib retaining wall, gabions, and bin retaining
wall are also type of gravity retaining walls 13
2.Crib Retaining Wall

• Crib retaining walls are a form of gravity

wall.
•They are constructed of interlocking
individual boxes made from timber or pre-
cast concrete.
•Then, the boxes are filled with crushed
stone or other coarse granular materials to
create a free draining structure.
•Basic types of crib retaining walls include
reinforced precast, and timber retaining
walls.
•It is suited to support planter areas,
but it is not recommended for
support of slopes or structures.
3.Gabion Retaining Walls
• Gabion retaining walls are multi-celled, rectangular wire mesh boxes,
which are filled with rocks or other suitable materials.
• It is employed for construction of erosion control structures.
• It is also used to stabilize steep slopes.
Gravity Retaining Wall

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4.Cantilever Retaining Wall
• Cantilever retaining wall composed of stem and base
slab
•It is constructed from reinforced concrete, precast
concrete, or pre stressed concrete.
• Cantilever retaining wall is the most common type used
as retaining walls.
•Cantilever retaining wall is either constructed on site or
prefabricated offsite i.e. precast.
•The portion of the base slab beneath backfill material is
termed as heel, and the other part is called toe.
• Cantilever retaining wall is economical up to height of
10m.
•It requires smaller quantity of concrete compare with
gravity wall but its design and construction shall be
executed carefully.
•Similar to gravity wall, sliding, overturning, and bearing
pressure shall be taken into consideration during its
design.
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5.Counter-fort / Buttressed Retaining Wall
•It is a cantilever retaining wall but strengthened with counter forts monolithic with
the back of the wall slab and base slab.
•Counter fort spacing is equal or slightly larger than half of the counter-fort height.
•Counter-fort wall height ranges from 8-12m.
Piled Retaining Wall
● Pile retaining wall are constructed by driving
reinforced concrete piles adjacent to
● each other as shown in the Fig.
● Piles are forced into a depth that is sufficient to
counter the force which tries to push over the
wall.
● It is employed in both temporary and permanent
works.
● Piled walls offer high stiffness retaining elements
which are able to hold lateral pressure in large
excavation depths with almost no disturbance to
surrounding structures or properties.
● Sheet pile walls are built using steel sheets into a
slope or excavations up to a required depth, but it
cannot withstand very high pressure
● Sheet pile retaining wall economical till height of
6m
Sheet Pile Wall

● Sheet pile walls typically consist of steel

sheet piles that are driven into the ground to
support earth pressures.
● Depending on the nature of construction
and subsurface material, they can be
installed by an impact hammer, vibratory
equipment, or they can simply be pushed
into the ground if ground conditions permit.
● Sheet piles may be removed but are
commonly sacrificial, meaning that they are
left in place after completion of
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construction activities
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Steel sheet pile sections
Pre cast concrete sheet pile sections
Anchored Earth Wall

● Anchored and reinforced earth structures

(also commonly known as soil nail walls, or
tie-back walls) are constructed by the
assembly of facing units that are tied to
rods or strips that are held in place by
friction.
● The resistance of the ties to movement is
controlled by the portion of the
anchors/nails that are located behind the
theoretical active wedge (a.k.a., failure
wedge).

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M.S.E

● Mechanically stabilized earth, also called

MSE, is soil constructed with artificial
reinforcing via layered horizontal mats
(geosynthetics) fixed at their ends.
● These mats provide added internal
shear resistance beyond that of simple
gravity wall structures.
● The wall face is often of precast concrete
units. that can tolerate some differential
movement. The reinforced soil mass,
along with the facing, then acts as an
improved gravity wall.

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Potential Failure Model.

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 Imp Definitions

● Backfill: The soil placed behind a wall.

● Backfill slope: Often the backfill slopes upward from the
back face of the wall. The slope is usually expressed as a
ratio of horizontal to vertical
● Batter: The slope of the face of the stem from a vertical
plane, usually on the inside (earth) face.
● Dowels: Reinforcing steel placed in the footing and bent up
into the stem a distance at least equal to the required
development length.
● Footing (or foundation): That part of the structure below
the stem that supports and transmits vertical and
horizontal forces into the soil below.
● Footing key: A deepened portion of the footing to provide
greater sliding resistance.

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Imp Definitions
● Grade: The surface of the soil or paving; can refer to
either side of the wall.
● Heel: That portion of the footing extending behind
the wall (under the retained soil).
● Horizontal temperature/shrinkage reinforcement:
Longitudinal horizontal reinforcing usually placed in
both faces of the stem and used primarily to control
cracking from shrinkage or temperature changes.
● Keyway: A horizontal slot located at the base of the
stem and cast into the footing for greater shear
resistance.
● Principal reinforcing: Reinforcing used to resist
bending in the stem.
● Retained height: The height of the earth to be
retained, generally measured upward from the
top of the footing.
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Imp Definitions

● Stem: The vertical wall above the foundation.

● Surcharge: Any load placed in or on top of the
soil, either in front or behind the wall.
● Toe: That portion of footing which extends in front of
the front face of the stem (away from the retained
earth).
● Weep holes: Holes provided at the base of the stem
for drainage. Weep holes usually have gravel or
crushed rock behind the openings to act as a sieve and
prevent clogging. Poor drainage of weep holes is the
result of weep holes becoming clogged with weeds,
thereby increasing the lateral pressure against the
wall.

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References

1. https://reinforcedearth.com/products/retaining-walls/mechanically-stabilized-earth-mse-
retaining-walls/
2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Retaining_wall
3. https://theconstructor.org/geotechnical/retaining-wall-types-use/24566/
4. http://site.iugaza.edu.ps/ahmedagha/files/2014/10/Foundation-Ch.8.pdf
5. https://nptel.ac.in/content/storage2/courses/105101083/download/lec26.pdf
6. https://www.civilnotess.com/2019/11/design-of-cantilever-retaining-wall.html

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