What is a Retaining Wall?
Retaining walls hold back dirt or rocks from buildings, sidewalks, or roads. You see them often at the base of a hill before it hits streets. They prevent landslides or erosion. Retaining walls are usually made of masonry, stone, brick, concrete, vinyl, steel, or wood. Segmental retaining walls are more popular than poured-in-place concrete walls or treated-timber walls because they are more economical, easier to install and better for the environment. There are many types of retaining walls: Gravity walls depend on the weight of the material (stone, concrete or other heavy material) to stop pressures from behind and improve stability by leaning back into the retained soil. For short landscaping walls, they are often made from dry-stacked stone or segmental concrete units. Dry-stacked gravity walls are somewhat flexible and do not require a rigid footing. Sheet pile walls are often used in soft soils and tight spaces. Sheet pile walls are made out of steel, vinyl, fiberglass or plastic
A retaining wall is a structure that holds back earth. Retaining walls stabilize soil and rock from down slope movement or erosion and provide support for vertical grade changes. Retaining walls are generally made of masonry, stone, brick, concrete, steel or timber. There are three common types of retaining walls: (1) gravity, (2) cantilevered and (3) sheet piling. Gravity walls are made from stone, concrete or composite material. Gravity walls depend on the size and weight of the wall mass to resist pressures from behind. Gravity walls tend to have a slight setback, or batter, to improve wall stability by leaning back into the retained soil. Cantilevered walls are made from steel-reinforced, cast-in-place concrete or mortared masonry. These walls cantilever loads, like a beam, to a large, structural footing. They convert horizontal pressures from behind the wall to vertical pressures on the ground below. Cantilevered walls are buttressed on the front, or include a counter-fort on the
A retaining wall is a stabilizing structure used to hold sloping ground in place and to prevent the erosion and the movement of soil. A retaining wall must be substantial and sturdy in structure in order to accommodate and redistribute lateral pressure caused by sloping. It is normally designed with seepage holes, which allow collected ground water to escape. This releases the additional pressure created by accumulated water and helps keep the retaining wall stable. Several different materials can be used to construct a retaining wall. Stone and concrete are often used, and there are special retaining wall blocks crafted from aggregate materials and light concrete which are designed for this purpose. Some styles interlock, making assembly simpler, less costly and less time consuming, because each block fits securely with the next. Because the fit of these blocks is secure, they do not require the addition of mortar. A retaining wall can be a series of “steps” or tiers, which allows for
