A retaining wall is one of the most important types of retaining structures. It is
extensively used in variety of locations such as LS crusher area, Truck tippler area
etc. The requirement of height of retaining wall varies from 4m to 15m depending
upon the process requirement. Cantilever retaining walls are suitable up to a
height of 7m. It resists lateral earth pressure by cantilever action of stem, toe slab
and heel slab.
For the large heights, in a cantilever retaining wall, the bending moments
developed in the stem, heel slab and toe slab become very large and require large
thickness, thereby making the structure uneconomical. The bending moments
(and hence the thickness of stem and slab) can be considerably reduced by
introducing transverse supports, called counterforts. These counterforts are
spaced at regular intervals of about one-third to one-half of the wall height and
interconnect the stem with the heel slab. The counterforts are concealed within the
retained earth (on the rear side of the wall). Such a retaining wall structure is called
the ‘counterfort wall’ and is economical for heights above 7m approximately.
This technical note presents the cost comparison of Cantilever Retaining wall &
Counterfort Retaining wall for a wall height of 15m.
9.1 Case Study
The height of wall considered is approximately 17m (including depth of foundation)
and SBC considered is 70 Mt/Sqm. Table-1 presents the findings & cost
comparison of both the wall system.
- RCC RETAINING WALL SYSTEM -
(COMPARISON OF COUNTERFORT & CANTILEVER RETAINING WALLS)