A retaining wall is a structure whose main purpose is to keep a mass of soil located on slopes from sliding or collapsing. In other words, this is nothing more than a structure acting as a supporting element. That is, it does not allow various structures located on an inclined plane, and the soil under them, to collapse or collapse under the influence of the gravity of its own mass.
A retaining wall can perform the following functions:
- prevention of soil slippage;
- organization of optimal terracing;
- rationalization of land use;
- division of the territory into zones.
In suburban construction, such supporting structures are built in areas with large elevation changes. That is, on hills, steep slopes, in ravines. But retaining walls have also found application as artistic and decorative elements in landscape design. From here we can distinguish the first gradation of such structures based on their functional purpose.
- Decorative. Any retaining wall of this typeperforms the function of an architectural and decorative element. They are used in landscape design even on flat areas.
- Firming. This type of structure is used to hold the soil on various slopes. They are widely used when terracing slopes to expand the usable area. Such structures must be erected with a slope of 8%.
- Combined. This type of structure performs both decorative and strengthening functions.
A retaining wall is a fairly complex structure. Its components are:
- foundation (underground part of the wall);
- body (above-ground part of the structure);
- drainage and drainage.
Construction of retaining walls is a complex and responsible task. Particular attention is paid to design. It is at this stage that all the performance characteristics of the future design are calculated. So, the calculations take into account its own weight, the loads experienced from objects located on it, the pressure of the soil on the body and foundation of the wall, water flows during showers and floods, the impact of winds, swelling of the soil during frosts.
Strength characteristics - this is a very important issue when building walls. But no less importance must be given to sustainability. For these purposes, during construction, a number of activities are carried out, calculated at the design stage:
- formation of the slope of the back face of the wall towards the backfill;
- roughening the rear end to reduce ground pressureon her;
- device drainage system;
- forming a ledge from the front of the wall.
Types of retaining walls
By construction technology:
- Monolithic.
- Team.
By depth:
- shallow (the width of the walls is comparable to or less than the depth);
- deep (the width of the walls is 1, 5 or more times less than the depth).
Height:
- low (less than 1 meter);
- medium (1-2 meters);
- high (more than 2 meters).
By massiveness:
- Massive. This type of retaining wall is material-intensive and labor-intensive. Tipping and shear stability is achieved by its own weight.
- Semi-massive. The stability of structures of this type is achieved due to the mass of the structure itself, as well as the mass of backfill soil.
- Thin-element. This type of retaining wall is usually built from reinforced concrete slabs. In this case, backfill soil is responsible for stability.
- Thin. The stability of this type of wall is ensured by pinching the base in the ground.
By location:
- integrated (associated with adjacent structures);
- stand-alone (free standing).
According to the material of manufacture:
- Concrete retaining wall. The design of this type is one of the most stable. For its construction requires the arrangement of formwork and drainageholes.
- Stone. When forming such a wall, it is necessary to equip a reinforced foundation laid below the freezing point. Also, outlet holes should be provided in the body of the finished structure to reduce water pressure.
- Wooden. When constructing such a retaining wall, a drainage system must be provided. All wooden structural elements must be treated with an antiseptic.
- Brick. The construction technology is similar to that for the construction of stone retaining walls.
- Metal. This type of retaining wall is only suitable for stable soils. When erecting it, a concrete foundation should be formed to strengthen the structure.
- Retaining wall made of building blocks. The construction technology is the same as in the case of stone structures.
- Geogrid retaining wall. This type of structure can be equipped on vertical slopes. Geogrid modules are interconnected using conventional brackets.
- Gabion retaining wall. This material has a solid weight, which allows you to create a fairly stable structure. The construction of walls using gabions can be performed year-round. Also in this case, there is no need for preliminary preparation of the foundation or foundation.
- Concrete block retaining wall. The construction of the structure is quite easy. The arrangement of the wall involves preliminary tamping of the base and backfilling of crushed stone.
