Advance Retaining Walls for High Embankments

There are manyconstruction like underground tanks, Approaches of  Bridge structures and other high embankments , in which specific walls are used to support Soil Embankments , these specific walls are known as RETAINING WALLS. According to features these are classified as –

·        Gravity retaining walls

·         Cantilever

·         Sheet pilling

·         Counterfort

·        Anchored etc.

Retaining walls face two problems :-
(a)    Overturning
(b)   Slipping

These problems occur  in CANTILEVER and COUNTERFORT retaining walls.

                                Normally up to 5m height , cantilever retaining walls are proposed for construction . Above this counterfort retaining walls are economical . But after  10 m height counterfort retaining walls also become uneconomical . So it becomes problematic  to retain these high embankments , in such cases instead of constructing two separate counterfort retaining walls , it would be economical to construct  RCC BOX type retaining walls. In this two counterfort retaining walls will be connected together to form a RCC  BOX by connecting vertical walls and transverse walls , these transverse walls will restrain the vertical walls from deflecting outside . Such RCC  BOX retaining walls will be very economical to the high embankments like approaches of bridges . The bottom raft will be one piece so it will provide relief to the bearing capacity of the soil also. 

By providing RCC BOX type retaining walls these problems are automatically solved . Since the RCC  BOX is one piece so overturning does not occur . The RCC BOX resting on raft , so the area is increased as such the slipping problems is also solved.   

Prepared By : Prof. J S Kushwah (HOD - CIVIL)