Category: Retaining Wall

What Is A Retaining Wall?

Leonard Green Retaining Wall

A retaining wall is a structure that prevents a mass of matter, usually earth or rock on a slope, from precipitating or collapsing.

Some constructions require removing soil or cutting segments of a mountain, leaving voids or very vertical faces that can crumble and collapse. In these cases, it is necessary to include retaining walls in the planning of the work.

What Types Of Retaining Walls Are There

Depending on the characteristics of the terrain, the shape, and the needs of each work, different retaining walls will be built. These might be:

  • Rigid: made of masonry or concrete, they create immovable structures.
  • Flexible: made with less rigid structures and materials, they can yield a little to the load to which they are subjected without breaking.

Depending on their construction and operation, retaining walls can be of different types, some of them are:

  • Anchored: they have bolts anchored to the vertical ground that support soil loads and water erosion. 
  • Gravity: their dimensions allow them to counteract, with their weight, the pressure exerted by the soil to be contained.
  • Gravity reinforced: manufactured in an inverted T shape or L shape. They are made with reinforced concrete. The base or foot of these walls is driven under the ground.
  • Driven: they are embedded in the ground at great depth using specialized machinery.
  • Reinforced soil: they are built with thin layers of natural material (earth and gravel) that are compacted and superimposed. This material is contained in some metal armor. 
  • Reinforced earth: they are similar to reinforced soil retaining walls, but geotextile is used as reinforcement. Geotextile is a synthetic and absorbent fabric that separates grounds of different granulometries (making them more stable) and protects and reinforces them.
  • Prefabricated: they are assembled with blocks or pieces and are used for quick solutions with few technical demands.

What Should Be Taken Into Account When Building A Retaining Wall?

When planning and calculating retaining wall structures, it is essential to consider many factors. For this, the Finite Element Method (FEM ) is used.

The FEM is used to solve problems in mathematical and engineering physics models that work with differential equations. Some fields of application of the method are structure analysis, heat transfer, or electromagnetic potential, among others. For its application, there are different software today.

In the case of retaining walls, the Finite Element Method allows the calculation of load stresses, ground displacements, and deformations of the structure, thus ensuring that the walls can support loads efficiently, permanently, and safely.

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Advantages Of Retaining Walls In Terms Of Security

Below, we present the main security advantages that retaining walls offer :

They Prevent Soil Erosion

The retaining walls prevent soil erosion and avoid landslides during the rainy season. They are also helpful in preventing the accelerated decay of fertile lands and economic losses.

They Protect From Floods

They are usually used in river beds to balance the channel and protect crops and populations from flooding.

They Counteract The Pressure Of The Terrain In Urban Works

They are also used to prevent earth thrusts that could damage other works, causing landslides that endanger the safety of a community.

More Excellent Safety In Seismic Soils

Seismic soils are unstable, have little load capacity, and can easily give way at the slightest movement, causing accidents. In these cases, retaining walls can offer more excellent protection than conventional alternatives.

They Resist High Loads

They are designed to withstand large loads such as those of roads, bridges, and streets, stabilizing ground pressure and supporting the earth so that it does not sink.

They Protect Private Areas

Retaining walls are also used to delimit a private area, such as a residential area, to provide its inhabitants with greater security and protection.

These retaining walls are usually reinforced concrete and protected with a perimeter infiltration system, providing excellent resistance and durability.

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What Is The Use Of A Retaining Wall?

Leonard Green Retaining Wall

Generally found on sloping land, the retaining wall is a solid structure that retains all kinds of materials from the earth. Whatever its nature, it prevents materials from eroding or slipping. It, therefore, resists the different material pressures of the materials it retains. To learn more about the usefulness of this solid structure, please read this article.

The retaining wall slows soil erosion.

Whatever its nature, the retaining wall plays several roles. First, it exists in different forms, and the best known are:

  •     free-standing retaining walls;
  •     “weight” retaining walls;
  •     gabion retaining walls;
  •     dry stone retaining walls.

Today, heavy downpours, violent winds, and melting snow are all natural phenomena that contribute to soil erosion. Indeed, the decline cannot only strip your landscaped environment but can also be very problematic for land in flood-prone or humid areas.

Generally built by public works companies such as Sud Enrobe; a retaining wall can reduce erosion risk. Furthermore, this solid structure keeps your lawn in excellent condition. Also, it serves to keep the plants in place.

The retaining wall makes the materials much more durable.

When it comes to landscaping, rubble stone is a significant investment. Not only does it prevent your space from remaining subject to soil erosion, but it also makes the materials much more durable.

So your construction is likely to last for a very long time. Moreover, a retaining wall is perfect for:

  •     Public or private gardens;
  •     The parks ;
  •     landscaping of commercial buildings;
  •     landscaping of public establishments.

A retaining wall is very resistant to weather conditions, allowing your entire construction to remain intact. Furthermore, it only requires a little maintenance.

The retaining wall improves landscaping.

Above all, the retaining wall is a structure that allows you to achieve successful landscaping. Just like the design of a building, its construction can be made from different materials. You can opt for paving stones, wood, concrete, bricks, or even natural stones.

Furthermore, you can choose between mosaics applied to walls or stone veneers. Thanks to these options, you can easily personalize your retaining wall. It can fit in with the rest of the aesthetics of your home, making it more attractive.

The retaining wall adds space to your yard.

By creating retaining walls, you will undoubtedly bring a lot of functional space to your yard. Then, you can use this space for a plantation. Furthermore, you can add earthworks to create an attractive and imposing facade for your yard.

It is also an opportunity to highlight gardens and patios. However, the materials used to construct the retaining wall must be of good quality to be excellent.

To complete a retaining wall construction project, you must first and foremost do good planning. In this regard, you can:

  •     choose a good product or material;
  •     choose a good supplier;
  •     select your budget based on the expenses to be made.

When well prepared, call on a better professional for your retaining wall construction project. Do not hesitate to ask for advice to make a better choice.

What is a retaining wall used for?

A retaining wall is a wall that allows pressure to be contained, in principle, at an earth height of at least two meters to prevent landslides. Such a wall aims to have Earth in a defined and reduced space. For an individual, building a retaining wall in their garden allows them to create additional space, often dedicated to planting flowers and trees. For this type of wall to be effective, you must ensure that humidity does not enter and, above all, does not stagnate. A retaining wall should typically not exceed four meters in height and should not be built on land with a slope greater than 10°.…

How To Build A Retaining Wall?

Leonard Green Retaining Wall

The retaining wall is one of the most challenging masonry structures to construct. It must contain extreme loads, and its construction must be meticulous to guarantee solidity.

Preparing the site

Before starting the construction of your retaining wall, check with the technical services of your town hall that pipes or cables stay in your basement.

  1. First, precisely mark out the location of your retaining wall using stakes and a rope.
  2. Dig a trench, a little wider than the concrete blocks you will use, all along the route you drew with the rope. Allow a depth of 2.5 cm per 20 cm of planned wall height.
  3. Pack the soil from the bottom of the trench, preferably with a soil compactor, to level the earth.
  4. Place a layer of 10 to 15 cm of large gravel at the bottom of the trench and distribute it well using a rake.
  5. Check that the layer is flat with a spirit level and compact again.

Laying the foundation

Then, move on to laying the foundation of the retaining wall, which comprises concrete blocks, most often 20 cm solid concrete blocks. This step must be carried out with caution. The quality of the entire fence depends on it. The elements that make up the foundation must be stable, solid, and well-connected. Lay the first row of concrete blocks at the bottom of the trench on the base layer. Hit them with a rubber mallet to position them correctly. Finally, to finish the foundation, backfill the row of concrete blocks with crushed stone to prevent it from sagging over time.

The construction of the retaining wall itself

You will now add a second row of concrete blocks on top of the first by staggering them from each other and ensuring they are well-laid. To do this, apply the mortar, ensuring that it is not too wet, to the concrete block below and place it on top, pressing firmly to ensure its solidity. You must repeat the operation until you obtain the desired retaining wall height. To finish the wall, you can, for example, lay slabs above the last row of concrete blocks.

Varieties of retaining walls

A retaining wall is a structure constructed of masonry. Generally, it is made with concrete blocks. But it can also be made of steel, reinforced concrete, bricks, dry or cut stone, rubble, wood, or even plastic. There are several types:

  • The self-stable retaining wall made of reinforced concrete or concrete blocks, which uses the weight of the earth it contains to stabilize itself,
  • the “weight” retaining wall which opposes its significant weight to the thrust of the earth it holds,
  • The retaining wall is made of gabions, a sort of iron cage filled with stones, which has the advantage of allowing running water to pass through,
  • The dry stone retaining wall, composed mainly of stones as its name suggests, facilitates drainage.

How much does a retaining wall cost?

If we consider a retaining wall made of concrete blocks, the most common, we must count, on average, a cost of 100 euros per square meter.

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