Small Concrete Retaining Wall Design
An overview of concrete retaining walls and how to give them a decorative face replicating stone or masonry by jeff girard structural engineer.
Small concrete retaining wall design. Sketches of the retaining wall forces should be considered to properly distinguish the different forces acting on our retaining wall as tackled in the previous article retaining wall. Many contractors shy away from poured concrete preferring to use cmu block with a plastered face. Another option is to choose concrete planters which also come in different colors and add decorative value to the supporting structure. Particularly retaining walls can assist you on keeping the soil on one side of the structure enabling a lower floor level on the other side of the wall.
Soil bearing and stability 8. Design procedure overview 3. Perhaps the finest examples of poured concrete walls can be seen every day along freeways where these structures are constructed on a massive scale. They retain soil which would otherwise collapse into a more natural shape.
Concrete retaining wall design. Of compacted base 1 in. Earthquake seismic design 7. Forces on retaining walls 6.
May 1 2017 explore reese jones s board concrete retaining walls on pinterest. This simple retaining wall utilizes a beautiful travertine stone cap upgrade. See more ideas about front yard landscaping yard landscaping backyard landscaping. Cross section of a retaining wall a cinder block retaining wall is only as straight and solid as the base it s built on.
A retaining wall must provide a way to release the water that builds up in the slope behind it. Soil mechanics simplified 4. May 2 2019 explore jenn williams s board small retaining wall on pinterest. In the past years people frequently used concrete for inexpensive retaining wall ideas since it functions well solid and dependable.
See more ideas about backyard landscaping concrete retaining walls modern garden. Based on our example in figure a 1 we have the forces due to soil pressure due to water and surcharge load to consider. Block retaining walls are generally the same as freestanding block walls but with a few important differences. Without a pressure relief system the weight of the water in the soil would crack or even buckle the wall.
The risk of cracking in poured walls and the difficulty in repairing them makes block and plaster a more forgiving choice. How to build a concrete wall figure a. When using concrete homeowners can opt for pre cast concrete blocks which are especially designed for retaining wall construction. Retaining walls provide lateral support to vertical slopes of soil.
Building codes and retaining walls 5.