Retaining Walls
I have been researching this subject as it has caused us problems and delayed the proposed house purchase in Poole, so if you would like to know a little about the subject, here goes with a few principles:
Retainer walls are used to hold back a bank of earth or similar, retainer walls are not as straightforward as simple walls, as the soil directly behind a retaining wall will exert lateral pressure upon it, the amount of pressure varies with the type of soil and its moisture content, but that earth pressure is always there, so when a retaining wall is designed, one of the principle considerations will be will this wall withstand this earth pressure?
When the wall is relatively short in height, the mass of the wall itself should be enough to counteract the loads being placed upon it.
Where this is not the case, there are two main options:
1. Improve the ability of the wall to resist the earth pressure.
This could be done by increasing the mass of the retaining wall; alternatively it could be achieved by increasing the strength of the retaining wall.
2. Control the earth pressures acting on the wall.
The characteristics of the retained soil can be 'improved', a common and proven way to do this is by adding reinforcement that modifies or changes the behaviour of the soil.
This diagram illustrates a basic retainer wall for heights up to about one metre.
The important points to note are that the foundation is laid on a solid base of clay or stable ground, that the rear of the wall in contact with the earth should be protected, and that there should be some method of draining the bank, through weep holes.
Also it is essential that the correct bricks are used. 'House bricks' are not usually suitable, frost resistant/low salt content is the key issue.
There you go –
I have been researching this subject as it has caused us problems and delayed the proposed house purchase in Poole, so if you would like to know a little about the subject, here goes with a few principles:
Retainer walls are used to hold back a bank of earth or similar, retainer walls are not as straightforward as simple walls, as the soil directly behind a retaining wall will exert lateral pressure upon it, the amount of pressure varies with the type of soil and its moisture content, but that earth pressure is always there, so when a retaining wall is designed, one of the principle considerations will be will this wall withstand this earth pressure?
When the wall is relatively short in height, the mass of the wall itself should be enough to counteract the loads being placed upon it.
Where this is not the case, there are two main options:
1. Improve the ability of the wall to resist the earth pressure.
This could be done by increasing the mass of the retaining wall; alternatively it could be achieved by increasing the strength of the retaining wall.
2. Control the earth pressures acting on the wall.
The characteristics of the retained soil can be 'improved', a common and proven way to do this is by adding reinforcement that modifies or changes the behaviour of the soil.
This diagram illustrates a basic retainer wall for heights up to about one metre.
The important points to note are that the foundation is laid on a solid base of clay or stable ground, that the rear of the wall in contact with the earth should be protected, and that there should be some method of draining the bank, through weep holes.
Also it is essential that the correct bricks are used. 'House bricks' are not usually suitable, frost resistant/low salt content is the key issue.
There you go –
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