Retaining walls are structures designed to retain earth and hydrostatic loadings. Retaining walls should be capable of holding retained material in place without undue movement of overturning, sliding or deflection.
Types of Retaining Wall.
There are three major types namely;
- Gravity
- Counterfort
- Cantilever
Gravity retaining wall
These types are usually constructed of mass concrete. Reinforcement is only included in the faces to limit thermal and shrinkage cracking. Gravity retaining wall relay on its self weight to hold retained material in place.
Cantilever retaining walls
These walls reinforced concrete retaining walls economically designed. They have a very large base and rely heavily on the backfilling of their base for strength.
Counterfort Retaining Walls
Counterfort retaining walls are cantilever retaining walls supported by a type of bracings called counterforts. counterforts become necessary when the design of cantilever retaining wall becomes uneconomical or when the overall height of the wall is too high.
To design retaining walls you will have to consult specialized textbooks and the relevant code of practice.