December 28, 2020
When planning, designing and building a retaining wall, it is important to consider a variety of factors, regardless of whether it’s proposed for residential or commercial use. A similar norm of care should be applied to walls as a bridge since they are both structures. Depending on the application and your experience, you may consider what style of the wall will turn out best for the site, how deep the footing needs to be buried if it needs reinforced, or even what material is best for the region.
Before you start planning your wall and choosing the aesthetics, you need to understand the region and environmental factors that can make your wall fail. Building a retaining wall takes advanced planning and cautious layout to avoid it becoming a disaster or collapsing. Building a retaining wall takes advanced planning and cautious layout in order to avoid it becoming a disaster or collapsing. This article looks at a few factors that should be considered early in the design phase along with guidance on choosing the best type of retaining wall for your construction.
Let’s dive deeper into the types of retaining walls so you can better understand what will accommodate your construction project’s needs and How to choose
Right wall for your project.
Choosing the right wall
Gravity Retaining Walls
Gravity retaining walls incorporate concrete, rocks, and soil materials to help the structure utilize its weight to restrain earth pressures. These retaining structures provide obstruction against sliding, overturning, bearing, and seismic movement.
Another type of gravity retaining wall is a crib wall. This retaining wall interlock precast concrete elements and free-depleting materials like crushed stone. Crib walls are often used on structures such as roadways and highways. Our experts recommend installing crib retaining walls when supporting planters, as they are unable to hold back huge amounts of soil.
MSE Wall
MSE walls have gained popularity in recent years. it is another type of gravity retaining wall. The design for current MSE walls originated in the year 1960s. However, since then, many advanced fabrication techniques and technology have made the first creation stunningly better than previously. But, the fundamental idea remains the same.
MSE (Mechanically Stabilized Earth) walls are utilized to stabilize slopes and retain soil. These structures commonly incorporate precast segmental blocks, panels, or geo-cells to tolerate movement. The precast forms are then loaded up with soil to create a tough structure that can retain the soil backfill.
MSE walls provide unique advantages that standard retaining walls can’t. One of the basic attributes of an MSE wall is its flexibility. This flexibility enables MSE walls to withstand higher seismic pressure without sustaining major disaster. MSE retaining walls are easy to install and allow for a quicker
construction process.
You can find Mechanically Stabilized Earth walls functioning as retaining walls, bridge abutments, dams, sea walls, and dikes.
Gravity Block Walls
A popular choice for residential homes and commercial projects which emphasize style is gravity block walls. Gravity block walls stack massive blocks using a tongue-and-groove framework that locks the structure in place. The entire retaining structure depends on its own weight to hold back the earth behind it. One of the major advantages of using a gravity block wall is its flexible design.
It is the most ideal option for making your small piece of land feel a lot bigger, especially if your yard is on a slope. With its flexibility, gravity block walls are highly durable, easily installed, and work well for most circumstances. They are also famous for roadways and bridges because they do not impose on right-of-way areas
Read on to learn more about these retaining wall types to help you select the right retaining wall for your construction project.