CMU RETAINING WALL
CMU RETAINING WALL
(OP)
I designed a retaining wall with #7 bars vertical , but contractor used # 5 bars. The bottom of wall (about 16") is over stressed. Instead of demolishing the wall, I was thinking of adding 2 courses of 8" blocks at the base making the wall 16" at the base and vertical dowel into the footing and horizontal dowels into wall with epoxy. Foundation is OK. Any suggestions






RE: CMU RETAINING WALL
RE: CMU RETAINING WALL
RE: CMU RETAINING WALL
RE: CMU RETAINING WALL
RE: CMU RETAINING WALL
#7 bars in an 8" CMU wall seems a bit much. I try to restrict it to #6's or go to a thicker wall. Must be a high wall, and/or highly loaded.
At this point, I think, depending on the horizontal steel used in the wall, adding interior pilasters would be the cheapest alternative. These do not necessarily have to be CMU. They could be steel.
Mike McCann
MMC Engineering
Motto: KISS
Motivation: Don't ask
RE: CMU RETAINING WALL
Dick
Engineer and international traveler interested in construction techniques, problems and proper design.
RE: CMU RETAINING WALL
RE: CMU RETAINING WALL
But you are proposing to add blocks to the interior face (tension face) where the effective depth of the existing bars will be unchanged.
I may not be interpreting your description accurately. Could you provide a cross section showing the proposed remedial measures?
BA
RE: CMU RETAINING WALL
The vertical steel in the reinforcing wall should have been inspected prior to grouting. This not only ensures that the correct reinforcing has been used but that it is located on the correct face for a cantilevered retaining wall (earth retaining face).
I have detailed a 16" x 16" pilaster doweled into the cmu wall before.
RE: CMU RETAINING WALL
RE: CMU RETAINING WALL
Grout in CMU wall is not filled yet. I may suggest him to add CMU pilaster for additional support. Contractor can dowel in to slab, however do you have suggestions how he can connect pilaster to CMU blocks which are already in place.
Thanks again
RE: CMU RETAINING WALL
RE: CMU RETAINING WALL
Possibly, a closer look at the loads and assumptions would be be a an alternate to determine what is controlling, since the designed wall may really be acceptable with the materials used.
Dick
Engineer and international traveler interested in construction techniques, problems and proper design.
RE: CMU RETAINING WALL
RE: CMU RETAINING WALL
RE: CMU RETAINING WALL
BA
RE: CMU RETAINING WALL
However, you can still get water between the fill and the wall and you may have to drain this unless your wall can take the hydraulic pressure.
Bob G.
RE: CMU RETAINING WALL
I interpreted interior to be compression side, but I guess the OP never made that clear. I wouldn't depend on drilled in bars on the tension face to make it work.
Bobber1,
Your solution doesn't eliminate lateral pressure, it just tends to make the wall act as a gravity wall rather than as a cantilever wall.