Types of Retaining Walls and their uses.

What is Retaining Wall

Retaining wall is used for retain the earth or some other materials, retaining wall is a vertical member which we construct nearly at he location of those materials which we want to retain.

Types of Retaining Wall

1: Gravity wall

2: Cantilever  Wall

3: Counterfort wall

4: Butress wall

5: Key stone wall

6: Tie back wall

Gravity wall

Depends entirely on its own weight to provide necessary stability

• Usually constructed of plain concrete or stone masonry
• Plain concrete gravity wall – height 3 m
• In designing this wall, must keep the thrust line within the middle third of the base width – no tensile stress
to be developed

Cantilever Wall

• Economical for height of up to 8 m.
• Structure consist of a vertical cantilever spanning from a large rigid base slab
• Stability is maintained essentially by the weight of the soil on the base slab + self weight of structure.

Counterfort Wall

• When the overall height of the wall is too large to be constructed economically as a cantilever

• Wall & base are tied together at intervals by counterfort or bracing walls
• Bracing in tension
• Economical for high wall usuallyabove 6 – 7 m of backfill.