Retaining wall with soil on both sides?
Retaining wall with soil on both sides?
(OP)
Due to various reasons I have to drop the bottom of a retaining wall (top of footing) well below grade so the end condition will have soil on both sides of the wall. The top of the wall is 36 feet above the top of the footing but the top of the footing will be 14' below finished grade. So I'm really only retaining 22' of soil. I was wondering what other people do in situations like this when it comes to the design of the wall? Obviously, sequence of construction matters for this case. Do people design for the worst case where the GC pours the wall and then backfills the 36' before placing the 12' of soil over the air side of the retaining wall (thus the wall has to retain 36') or do you just design for the 22' of net retaining or do you design for the 36' of retaining with the 14' of soil on the air side counteracting the soil side forces? Just curious because a retaining wall for 36' will get quite large. I can't have the GC temporarily brace the wall due to various reasons as well.






RE: Retaining wall with soil on both sides?
On the project I have in mind (an underground stormwater detention system), the savings resulting from retaining the inspectors was substantial.
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RE: Retaining wall with soil on both sides?
If the client sees how large the footing would become for the 36-ft condition, simply to resist overturning and sliding, that might motivate them pretty fast to elect the "inspection agency 22-ft" condition. You might be able to convince them easily, even prior to doing any in-depth reinforcing bar calculations.
RE: Retaining wall with soil on both sides?
RE: Retaining wall with soil on both sides?
RE: Retaining wall with soil on both sides?
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RE: Retaining wall with soil on both sides?
RE: Retaining wall with soil on both sides?
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RE: Retaining wall with soil on both sides?
The moment will continue to increase (maybe all the way down to the footing); it just will be somewhat balanced by the fill on the other side. At some point the passive pressure may be enough to reduce the increase from the active pressure, but you will need to think about how that passive pressure activates. Maybe your slab at the lower level can be a constraint.
Be careful about the hydrostatic pressures as well. They can be very large.
RE: Retaining wall with soil on both sides?
RE: Retaining wall with soil on both sides?
We are designing the apartments so the site is a blank canvas to start with the retaining walls going in first.
RE: Retaining wall with soil on both sides?
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