Lec.

7
Chapter 2. Cont.

Design of Retaining Walls

Check of Sliding- Check of Overturning- check of Stresses

Dr. Rehab El Badawy

 Design of Retaining Walls
‫تصميم الحوائط الساندة‬

Retaining Structures
Structures Constructed to retain soil, water or any materials beneath temperately or
permenantely beneath these structures in order not to have soil collapse
‫حجز التربة أو المياه او الحبوب خلفها أو سند جوانب الحفر أو لتدعيم‬g ‫المنشأت الساندة هي منشأت تستخدم‬
‫التربة وقد تكون مؤقتة أو دائمة‬

Retaining Walls are structures that are constructed to retain soil which is unable to
stand vertically by itself. They are also provided to maintain the grounds at two
different levels.
‫الحوائط الساندة هي حوائط تستخدم لمنع التربة خلفها من االنهيار أو إلبقاء سطح األرض في منسوبين مختلفين‬
‫دون حدوث انهيار‬
 Design of Retaining Walls
‫تصميم الحوائط الساندة‬

Types of Retaining Walls

1. Gravity Retaining Structures (Massive) ‫حوائط تثاقلية‬

2. Semi-gravity Retaining Structures
3. Cantilever Retaining Walls ‫الحوائط الكابولية‬
4. Counterfort/Buttressed Retaining walls ‫الحوائط الساندة ذات‬
‫التدعيم األمامي والخلفي‬
5. Crib Walls
 Design of Retaining Walls
/‫تصميم الحوائط الساندة‬
Types of Retaining walls
1- Gravity Retaining Structures
Stability depends on the self weight of the wall, Not economical for design
(bricks-Stones – Plain concrete)
2- Semi-gravity Retaining Structures
Minimum amount of reinforcement may be used in the wall to reduce the size of wall (at
back of wall)
3- Cantilever Retaining Walls
Reinforced concrete is used in wall design with thin stem and slab base, Relatively economical
for design
 Design of Retaining Walls
‫تصميم الحوائط الساندة‬

Cantilever Retaining Walls

 Design of Retaining Walls
‫تصميم الحوائط الساندة‬

Counterfort Walls Cantilever Walls

 Design of Retaining Walls
‫تصميم الحوائط الساندة‬
4- Counterfort/Buttressed Retaining walls
Similar to Cantilever retaining walls, but thin slab stems may be used at some interval
to tie the base slab and stem in order to reduce the shear force and bending moment for
more economical design
‫إضافة بالطات على امتداد عرض الحائط لتقليل العزوم وقوى القص على الحائط أي إضافة دعامة للحائط‬

In back wall side In Face wall side

 Design of Retaining Walls
‫تصميم الحوائط الساندة‬

5- Crib Walls
Hollow crib formwork of precast concrete or wood filled with soil
Provide good drainage& allow plant growth.
 Design of Retaining Walls
‫تصميم الحوائط الساندة‬
Retaining Wall Design: Proportioning
Backfill
0.3 m min 0.3 m min

20 mm 20 mm Back of wall
min min
Face of 1m Stem H
1m
Wall
H

D (0.1 H) (0.1 H D (0.12-0.17) H

not less not less
than 0.6 m than 0.6 m (0.12-0.17) H
(0.1 H
Toe Heel
(B=0.5-0.7 )H (B=0.5-0.7 )H

Cantilever Wall Gravity Wall

 Design of Retaining Walls
‫تصميم الحوائط الساندة‬

Counterfort walls
have the similar
dimensions of
cantilever.
 Design of Retaining Walls
‫تصميم الحوائط الساندة‬

Modes of Failure

1- 2-
5- Also there is structural failure
(in parts of the wall)

3- 4-

Weak soil under wall, tends Weak bearing capacity of soil

to rotate soil backfill under loads
 Design of Retaining Walls
‫تصميم الحوائط الساندة‬

Design Steps of Retaining Walls

1. Select the suitable type of wall
2. Proportioning the dimensions of wall(assume dimensions of wall)
3. Calculation of the earth pressure, and Earth thrust
4. Calculation of the gravity weights
5. Check of stability of walls
1. Safety against overturning
2. Safety against sliding
3. Safety against bearing capacity failure
6. If unsafe, Dimensions of sections are modified
 Design of Retaining Walls
‫تصميم الحوائط الساندة‬

Stability of Retaining Walls against

• Sliding over base ‫دراسة اتزان الحائط ضد االنزالق‬
• Overturning about toe ‫اتزان الحائط ضد االنقالب‬
• Bearing capacity failure of supporting base
‫التأكد من االجهادات المتولدة أسفل الحائط ال تتعدى قدرة تحمل التربة‬
(Stresses under wall must be compression and not exceed the
bearing capacity of soil)
 Design of Retaining Walls
‫تصميم الحوائط الساندة‬
Mresisting
Mot
1- Check of Overturning
• Forces to cause overturning : Active Force
• Forces resisting overturning: Weight of wall X4
Weight of backfill
Moments Ea
Mot= Ea* H/3
Mresisting= 𝑾𝟏 ∗ 𝒙𝟏 + 𝑾𝟐 ∗ 𝒙𝟐 + 𝑾𝟑 ∗ 𝒙𝟑 + 𝑾𝟒 ∗ 𝒙𝟒
X2
𝑴𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈
𝑭. 𝑶. 𝑺 = ≥ 𝟐. 𝟎
𝑴𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈
Note: passive earth pressure
If 𝑭. 𝑶. 𝑺 < 2.0 would cause resisting moment
• Increasing width of Base (B)- in case if it is clear that this soil
• Densifying the soil- would not be left, and no
• increasing the vertical loads excavation would occur.
 Design of Retaining Walls
‫تصميم الحوائط الساندة‬
2- Check of sliding along base
Forces to cause sliding : Active Thrust 𝑬
Forces resisting sliding: (𝑽𝒍 𝑳𝒐𝒂𝒅𝒔 ∗ 𝐭𝐚𝐧 𝜹) + 𝑪𝒃 𝑩
𝑽𝒍 = Vertical loads (Weight, and vertical
𝑳𝒐𝒂𝒅𝒔 component of active force) X4
𝜹 = Angle of friction between soil and wall
base =2/3 Φ
Ea
𝒄𝒃 = Adhesion between soil and wall base =
2/3 c
𝑭𝑹𝒆𝒔𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈
𝑭. 𝑶. 𝑺 = ≥ 𝟏. 𝟓
𝑭𝑺𝒍𝒊𝒅𝒊𝒏𝒈 X2
If 𝑭. 𝑶. 𝑺 < 𝟏. 𝟓
Increasing width of Base (B) - Densifying the soil
increasing the vertical loads - using Key to produce passive earth pressure
Again
Passive earth pressure would be resisting force in case if it is clear that this soil would
not be left, and no excavation would occur. (𝑽𝒍 𝑳𝒐𝒂𝒅𝒔 ∗ 𝐭𝐚𝐧 𝜹) + 𝑪𝒃 𝑩 + 𝑬𝒑
 Design of Retaining Walls
‫تصميم الحوائط الساندة‬
3-Check of Bearing Capacity Failure
Base pressure at toe must not exceed the
allowable bearing capacity of soil
Let the resultant R due to W and Ea lies at a distance x
from the toe.
Ea
𝑴𝒏𝒆𝒕 = 𝑴𝑹𝒆𝒔𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 − 𝑴𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈
𝑴𝒏𝒆𝒕
𝐱=
𝑽𝒍. 𝑳𝒐𝒂𝒅𝒔
𝑩
𝒆𝒄𝒄𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒓𝒊𝒄𝒊𝒕𝒚 𝒐𝒇𝒍𝒐𝒂𝒅 𝒆 = − 𝒙
𝟐
(𝑽𝑳) 𝟔𝒆 𝒒𝒎𝒂𝒙, 𝒒𝒎𝒊𝒏
𝒒𝒎𝒂𝒙,𝒎𝒊𝒏 = 𝟏±
𝑩 𝑩
𝒒𝒎𝒊𝒏 should not be less than zero to avoid tension at the base.
From this e=b/6, resultant should cut the base within the middle third. Otherwise the wall tends to separate from the
base due to tension
𝒒𝒎𝒂𝒙, should not be greater than BC of soil to avoid the subsidence of wall
 Design of Retaining Walls
‫تصميم الحوائط الساندة‬
To keep base pressure (qmax, and qmin compression along the Width B, R must act
the middle third of Base
𝐵
And 𝑒 𝑠ℎ𝑜𝑢𝑙𝑑 𝑏𝑒 < 6
𝑞𝑚𝑎𝑥 𝑚𝑢𝑠𝑡 𝑏𝑒 𝑙𝑒𝑠𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑛 𝐵. 𝐶 𝑜𝑓 𝑆𝑜𝑖𝑙
𝒒𝒖𝒍𝒕.
𝑭. 𝑶. 𝑺 = > 𝟑. 𝟎
𝒒𝒎𝒂𝒙
𝐵
𝐼𝑓 𝑒 > 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑛 𝑞𝑚𝑖𝑛 𝑤𝑖𝑙𝑙 𝑏𝑒 𝑛𝑒𝑔𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑣𝑒
6