WHAT IS A RETAINING WALL
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RETAINING WALLS
Retaining walls are relatively rigid walls that hold or retain soil behind them. These structures are designed to restrain soil to a slope that would not naturally keep up. Retaining walls support horizontal forces from the ground and receive the vertical load of pillars and slabs that support them.
STRUCTURE OF RETAINING WALLS Most retaining walls are built in reinforced concrete, and their structure depends on their resistance parameters, material deformation parameters, constructive processes, and mechanical characteristics of the soil.
MATERIALS Over the years, many different retaining wall materials have been used to treat and adapt landscapes. Railroad ties, treated timbers, stones, natural stones, bricks, and concrete blocks are common materials to build retaining walls. Wood was an inexpensive option, but this material has a short lifespan because it decomposes over time. Stones are excellent for building stunning retaining walls, but they require expensive and labor-intensive installation methods.
Gravity walls These structures are the most basic type of reinforced retaining walls. They are made from massive concrete that prevents them from falling over by simple gravity. They are quite robust and do not suffer bending stresses. Likewise, these structures do not require reinforcing with steel. Gravity retaining walls built with mass concrete or cyclopean concrete (a form of mass concrete in which stones are placed as the concrete is poured) are heavy and counteract the thrusts with their mass. They receive the loads to their center of gravity, and they are made at a low height and with a constant section.
Cantilever Retaining Walls These structures are made from reinforced concrete and work on the principles of leverage. It means that they use the weight of the backfill soil to provide resistance to sliding. These structures contain two elements: a thin stem and a base slab.
Semi-Gravity Retaining Walls are a specialized type of gravity walls that have some tension reinforcing steel. Therefore, they are thinner than gravity walls and do not require extensive reinforcement.
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