There are three main types of retaining walls: gravity retaining walls, which rely completely on their own weight for stability and are used for walls up to 10-12 feet high; semi-gravity retaining walls, which rely on their own weight and some soil weight for stability with some light reinforcement and are between gravity and cantilever walls; and cantilever retaining walls, which are the most common type used for heights of 10-25 feet but require introducing vertical cross walls for stability at heights over 20-25 feet.
There are three main types of retaining walls: gravity retaining walls, which rely completely on their own weight for stability and are used for walls up to 10-12 feet high; semi-gravity retaining walls, which rely on their own weight and some soil weight for stability with some light reinforcement and are between gravity and cantilever walls; and cantilever retaining walls, which are the most common type used for heights of 10-25 feet but require introducing vertical cross walls for stability at heights over 20-25 feet.
There are three main types of retaining walls: gravity retaining walls, which rely completely on their own weight for stability and are used for walls up to 10-12 feet high; semi-gravity retaining walls, which rely on their own weight and some soil weight for stability with some light reinforcement and are between gravity and cantilever walls; and cantilever retaining walls, which are the most common type used for heights of 10-25 feet but require introducing vertical cross walls for stability at heights over 20-25 feet.
Gravity Retaining Walls- is used for walls of up to about 10ft to 12ft in height. It is usually constructed with plain concrete and depends completely on its own weight for stability against sliding and overturning. It is usually massive that is unreinforced. Gravity walls may also be constructed with stone or block masonry. Semi Gravity Retaining Walls- it falls between gravity and cantilever types retaining walls. They depend on their own weights plus the weight of some soil behind the wall to provide stability and usually have some light reinforcement. Cantilever Retaining Walls- or one of its variations is the most type of retaining walls. Such walls are generally used for heights from 10ft to 25ft. When it is necessary to construct retaining walls of greater heights than approximately 20ft to 25ft, the bending moments at the junction of the stem and footing become so large that the designer will, from economic necessity, have to consider other types of walls to handle the moments. This can be done by introducing vertical cross walls on the front or back of the stem. If the cross walls are behind the stem (i,e, inside the soil) and not visible, the retaining wall are called counterfort walls. Should the cross walls be visible(on the toe side), the walls are called buttress walls.