What are the modes of failure for a retaining wall?

In addition to the three types of failures i.e. sliding, overturning and bearing failure, a retaining wall may fail in the following two modes if the soil underneath is weak. Shallow Shear Failure: This type of failure occurs along a cylindrical passing through the heel of the retaining wall.

What is the difference between counterfort and buttress type retaining walls?

The structural action of the stem is the same as in a counterfort retaining wall. Buttresses are subjected to compression due to lateral earth pressure of the backfill on the stem and that due to upward soil pressure on the toe slab.

What is sliding failure in retaining wall?

 The failure takes place because of excessive shear stresses along the cylindrical surface within the soil mass.  The FOS against horizontal sliding is lower than that for shallow shear failure.  However, FOS against sliding is greater than 1.5, shallow shear failure is not likely to occur.

What is counterfort type retaining wall?

A counterfort retaining wall is a cantilever wall with counterforts, or buttresses, attached to the inside face of the wall to further resist lateral thrust. Some common materials used for retaining walls are treated lumber, concrete block systems, poured concrete, stone, and brick.

What are the types of retaining wall?

Types of retaining walls

Gravity wall.
Reinforced Retaining Wall.
Concrete Cantilever retaining wall.
Counter-fort / Buttressed retaining wall.
Cantilevered wall.
Reinforced Soil Retaining Wall.
Soil nailed wall.
Anchored wall.

Which retaining wall is more economical?

Counterfort retaining walls are more economical than cantilever walls for heights above 25 ft.

What are the basic elements of retaining wall?

A typical retaining wall has four main components: the Stem is the vertical member holding the backfill, the Toe is the portion of the footing at the front of the wall, the Heel is the portion of the footing at the backfill side, and the Shear Key projects down under the footing.

How long do retaining walls last?

between 50 and 100 years
How long will my retaining wall last? For a permanent wall structure, the general lifespan is generally between 50 and 100 years. This does, however, depend on the conditions of the soil and groundwater at your site.

What is the cheapest retaining wall block?

What is the cheapest retaining wall material?

Sandstone can be ground and reconstituted to look like natural sandstone to make it easier to work with.
Natural stone can be relatively inexpensive or very expensive.
Interlocking concrete blocks can resemble natural stone but have a more regular appearance.

What is the cheapest type of retaining wall?

The cheapest types of retaining walls are wood and concrete blocks, followed by concrete and stones or bricks. Each material has benefits and drawbacks, including strength, longevity, and attractiveness. For those who are planning on building their own retaining wall, it is vital to plan and research.

What is the strongest type of retaining wall?

Poured concrete is the strongest and most durable choice for retaining walls. It may also be carved and formed to look like mortared stone depending on your taste.

What makes a retaining wall a counterfort wall?

Counterfort retaining wall is those retaining wall which withstands all the lateral forces by its flexural action rather than its weight. So such wall has a broad base foundation, vertical stem reinforced with bar and supported by thin transverse slabs called Counterfort placed at regular intervals.

What is overturning failure of a retaining wall?

11.  Overturning failure is rotation of wall about its toe due to exceeding of moment caused due to overturning forces to resisting forces. The Factor of safety against overturning is given by, < 1.5 – 2.0where, = sum of resisting moment about toe = sum of overturning moment about toe

How is the base of a retaining wall tied together?

COUNTERFORT RETAINING WALL Gandhinagar Institute of Technology : Department of Civil Engineering 6 • In the counterfort retaining wall, the stem and the base and the base slab are tied together by counterforts, at suitable intervals.

Which is more efficient a buttress wall or a counterfort wall?

Buttress walls are structurally more efficient than the counterfort walls because of the fact that buttresses are designed for compression forces as against to the counterforts, where the forces are tensile in nature. Although buttress walls are more economical than counterforts, the counterfort walls are widely preferred.

What kind of wall is a counterfort wall?

Counterfort Retaining Wall The counterfort retaining wall is a type of retaining wall with counterforts attached to the inside face of the wall to further resist lateral thrust and materials used for retaining walls are treated lumber, concrete block systems, stone, brick, and poured concrete.

The stem and the base and also base slab are tied together by counterforts at suitable intervals in the counterfort retaining wall and the vertical stem, as well as the hell slab, acts as a continuous slab because of the provision of counterforts.