Retaining Walls

By
Dr. Ashraf Kamal Hussein
Professor of Geotechnical Engineering and Foundations
Faculty of Engineering - Cairo University

2012
 1. Introduction

Retaining wall:
- a structure which retains from failure a soil mass or other materials (grains,
liquids, etc.).
- located between two different ground levels; upper level and lower level.
- constructed in various fields of engineering such as highways, bridges,
canals, hydraulic structures, etc.
- constructed in situ.

Backfill:
- the material behind R.W. at the upper elevation.
- exerting lateral earth pressure on the wall.

Faculty of Engineering Retaining Walls

Cairo University
 2. Types of Retaining Walls
● Gravity
● Cantilever
● Counterfort

Gravity Wall

Cantilever Wall
Counterfort Wall

Faculty of Engineering Retaining Walls

Cairo University
 2. Types of Retaining Walls

Steps of Design:

1- Selection of wall dimensions.

2- Determining forces acting on wall.
3- Checking overall stability.
4- Checking structural stability.

Faculty of Engineering Retaining Walls

Cairo University
 3. Gravity Walls
Materials:
● Masonry
● Bricks
● Plain concrete
0.5m to H/12
Stability:
- from its own massive weight.
H
D/2 to D
Dimensions: D = H/8 to H/6
0.5 to 0.8H
- tentatively !!

Faculty of Engineering Retaining Walls

Cairo University
 3. Gravity Walls
Forces:
- active earth pressure Ea (Rankine or Coulomb).
- weight of wall (Wc).
- weight of soil (Ws) in case of Rankine.
- water pressure (Ew). Ws

- uplift (U). Ea
Wc
- passive earth pressure (Ep)!!! Ew1
Ep Ew2

Faculty of Engineering Retaining Walls

Cairo University
 3. Gravity Walls
Overall Stability:
1- Check of Sliding:

Resisting Forces
FS =
Sliding Forces

- Resisting Forces = ΣV µ + cwB + Ep !!!! Ws

Ea
as ΣV = ΣW + Eav – U Wc
µ = coefficient of friction Ew1
cw = soil adhesion Ep Ew2
B = wall breadth
O

- Sliding Forces = Eah + Ew1 – Ew2

U

Faculty of Engineering Retaining Walls

Cairo University
 3. Gravity Walls
Overall Stability:
2- Check of Overturning: Ws
Ea
- must be safe against rotation about toe (point O) Wc
Ew1
Ep Ew2

O
Resisting Moments (M r )
FS =
Overturning Moments (M OT )
U

- Mr = ΣWi xi + Eav xE – U xU + Ep yp !!!

- MOT = Eah yE + Ew1 yw1 – Ew2yw2

Faculty of Engineering Retaining Walls

Cairo University
 3. Gravity Walls
Overall Stability:
Factor of Safety

FS = 1.5 in case of cohesionless soils

= 2.0 in case of cohesive soils
= 2.0 in case of cohesionless soils with passive
= 2.5 in case of cohesive soils with passive

Faculty of Engineering Retaining Walls

Cairo University
 3. Gravity Walls
Overall Stability:
3- Check of Stresses:
M O = Μ r − Μ ΟΤ
MO
C=
∑V
B
e = −C
2
Β ∑ V  6 e σmin
if e ≤ σ = 1± < qall
B 

max σmax
6 min B 
ΣV
Β 2∑V

σ max = C
if e >
6 3C
Β
C≥ to avoid excessive tilt σmax
6

Faculty of Engineering Retaining Walls

Cairo University
 3. Gravity Walls
Structural Stability:

- for critical sections check: 1 1

● compressive stresses 2 2

● tensile stresses 3 3

● shear stresses

Faculty of Engineering Retaining Walls

Cairo University
 4. Cantilever Walls

-H<7m
0.2 to 0.3 m
Materials:
- Reinforced concrete
H
Stability: B/3

D D = H/12 to H/10
- from weight of soil above base.
B = 0.4 to 0.7H

Dimensions:
- tentatively !!

Faculty of Engineering Retaining Walls

Cairo University
 4. Cantilever Walls
Forces:
- active earth pressure Ea (Rankine only).
Ws
- weight of wall (Wc). Wc
Ea
- weight of soil (Ws).
Ew1
- water pressure (Ew). Ep Ew2

- uplift (U). O

- passive earth pressure (Ep)!!!

U

Faculty of Engineering Retaining Walls

Cairo University
 4. Cantilever Walls
Overall Stability:

- check of sliding if unsafe
increase heel or use key

- check of overturning if unsafe
increase toe

stem
- check of stresses if unsafe
increase toe
toe heel

key

Faculty of Engineering Retaining Walls

Cairo University
 4. Cantilever Walls
Structural Stability:

- Design of critical sections:

● Stem
● Heel stem
● Toe
3 2
1 1
toe
3 2 heel

Faculty of Engineering Retaining Walls

Cairo University
 4. Cantilever Walls
Structural Stability:
Wc

Design of Stem Ea

Design of Heel
M1

Design of Toe Ws + Wc Ws + Wc
M2

M3
σ3
σmax σmin
σ2

Faculty of Engineering Retaining Walls

Cairo University
 5. Backfill and Drainage
Construction Remarks:

- Backfill is preferably well graded cohesionless material for good drainage.

- Proper compaction behind the wall should be made.

- Heavy compaction equipment should be avoided.

- Drainage is necessary to eliminate excess hydrostatic pressure due to rains.

Faculty of Engineering Retaining Walls

Cairo University
 5. Backfill and Drainage
- Position of filter behind wall affects excess hydrostatic pressure on wall.
- If filter is directly behind wall
excess pressure is max.

- If filter is constructed to get horizontal equipotential lines
No excess pressure.

Rains Rains

H
E 2/3H
w

impervious stratum impervious stratum

Faculty of Engineering Retaining Walls

Cairo University
 5. Backfill and Drainage
- Weep holes (10 cm in diameter and adequately spaced) or longitudinal
perforated pipe.
- Coarse grained filters or geotextiles should be placed around entrance of weep
holes or drain pipe in order not to be clogged with leached out material.

filter material

weep hole filter material perforated pipe

Faculty of Engineering Retaining Walls

Cairo University
 5. Backfill and Drainage

- Filter should satisfy following conditions:

● D15(filter)/D85(soil) < 5
● D15(filter)/D15(soil) > 5

● for Slots: D85(filter)/Slot width > 1.2

● for Circular Holes: D85(filter)/Hole diameter > 1.0

Faculty of Engineering Retaining Walls

Cairo University
 6. Joints
- Construction Joints:

● vertical or horizontal joints.

● keys or roughened surface.

● between two successive pours of concrete.

● increasing shear resistance between successive layers.

● reinforcement is continuous through joints.

Faculty of Engineering Retaining Walls

Cairo University
 6. Joints

- Contraction Joints:

● vertical grooves on wall face (8 to 12 m)
weakened planes

location of failure is predetermined.

● grooves 6 to 8 mm wide and 12 to 16 mm deep.

● cracks due to shrinkage tensile stresses occur across joint.

● reinforcement is continuous through joints.

Faculty of Engineering Retaining Walls

Cairo University
 6. Joints

- Expansion Joints:

● vertical joints: complete separation between two portions of

wall.

● spacing of 25 to 35 m.

● allow for expansion of concrete due to temperature changes.

● reinforcement may run across joints but bars are unbonded on

one side.

Faculty of Engineering Retaining Walls

Cairo University