‫ﺑﺴﻢ ﷲ اﻟﺮﺣﻤﻦ اﻟﺮﺣﯿﻢ‬

REINFORCED CONCRETE - II
(An Elective Course)

LECTURE #18
Estimating the Sizes of Cantilever Retaining Walls

By

CE 470 (RC - II) : Dr. Nadeem A. Siddiqui May 28, 2017

 Contents
2

 Objectives of the Present Lecture

 Height of wall
 Stem thickness
 Base thickness
 Base length
 Summary of trial sizes
 Problem

CE 470 (RC - II) : Dr. Nadeem A. Siddiqui May 28, 2017

 Objectives of the Present Lecture
3

 To illustrate how to approximate preliminary size

of the retaining wall based on certain thumb rules
with an approximate use of statics.

CE 470 (RC - II) : Dr. Nadeem A. Siddiqui May 28, 2017

 Height of Wall
4

 Minimum depth of Earth Surface

foundation below ground greater than
level should be greater the depth for
than the depth for which which there is
there is a seasonal change a seasonal
change in Soil
in volume (generally taken volume
GL h
about 1 m).
 Therefore , the total height
Soil
of retaining wall is equal to
the desired difference in
elevation plus depth below b
the ground level (GL).

CE 470 (RC - II) : Dr. Nadeem A. Siddiqui May 28, 2017

 Stem thickness
200 mm absolute
 Stems are theoretically thickest minimum
at their bases because the shears (250 mm is preferable
and moments are greatest there. minimum minimum)
batter 7.5
 They will ordinarily have total
mm/m
thicknesses somewhere in the
range of 7% to 12% of the overall
heights of the retaining walls.
 The shears and moments in the
Soil
stem decreases from the bottom h
to the top; as a result, thicknesses
and reinforcements can be 0.07 h to 0.12 h
reduced proportionately.
Soil
 Stems are normally tapered. The
minimum thickness at the top of
the stem is 200 mm, with 250
mm preferable. b

CE 470 (RC - II) : Dr. Nadeem A. Siddiqui 5 May 28, 2017

 Stem thickness (Contd.)
200 mm absolute
 For heights up to about 4 m, the minimum
stems of cantilever retaining walls (250 mm is preferable
are normally made of constant minimum
thickness because the extra cost of minimum)
batter 7.5
setting the tapered formwork is
usually not offset by the savings in mm/m
concrete.
 Above 4 m heights, concrete savings
are usually sufficiently large to make
tapering economical.
Soil
 Actually, the sloping face of the wall
can be either the front or the back, h
but if the outside face is tapered it 0.07 h to 0.12 h
will tend to counteract somewhat the
deflection and tilting of the wall due Soil
to lateral pressures.
 A taper of 7.5 mm per meter of
height is often recommended to
offset deflection or the forward tilting
of the wall. b

CE 470 (RC - II) : Dr. Nadeem A. Siddiqui 6 May 28, 2017

 Base thickness

 The final thickness of the

base will be determined on
the basis of shears and Soil
moments. b/3 h

 For estimating, however, 0.07 h to 0.12 h

its total thickness will
probably fall somewhere
between 7% and 10% of the
overall wall height.
 Minimum thickness of at b = 0.4 h to 0.6 h
least 250 mm to 300 mm 0.07 h to 0.10 h
(250 to 300 mm
are used.
minimum)

CE 470 (RC - II) : Dr. Nadeem A. Siddiqui 7 May 28, 2017

 Base Length
8
The base length can be taken to be
about 40% to 60% of the overall wall
height.

Another Method:
W is assumed to be equal the weight
of all the material within area abcd.
This area contains both concrete and
soil, but it is assumed here that it is
all soil.

Apply  M a  0  x  known
3
b  x
2

CE 470 (RC - II) : Dr. Nadeem A. Siddiqui May 28, 2017

 Summary of Trial sizes
200 mm absolute minimum
(250 mm is preferable minimum)
minimum batter 7.5 mm/m

greater than
the depth for
which there is
a seasonal
change in Soil
b/3 h
volume GL
0.07 h to 0.12 h

Soil

b = 0.4 h to 0.6 h
0.07 h to 0.10 h
(250 to 300 mm
minimum)
CE 470 (RC - II) : Dr. Nadeem A. Siddiqui 9 May 28, 2017
 Problem-1
10
Using the approximate rules,
estimate the sizes of the parts Surcharge
of the retaining wall shown
here. The soil weighs 16
kN/m3, and a surcharge of
15 kN/m2 is present. Assume
ka = 0.32 Backfill
6.3 m

CE 470 (RC - II) : Dr. Nadeem A. Siddiqui May 28, 2017

 Solution
11
Stem Thickness
Top Thickness : Assume 300 mm
Bottom Thickness  0.07 h  0.07  6300  441 mm Say 450 mm

Base Thickness
t  7% to 10% of overall wall height
 t  0.07  6300  441 mm Say 450 mm

Height of Stem
Height of stem  h - Base thickness
 Height of stem  6300 - 450  5850 mm
 Height of stem  5.85 m

CE 470 (RC - II) : Dr. Nadeem A. Siddiqui May 28, 2017

 Base length and Position of Stem

Surcharge heq
300 mm

Backfill

6.3 m H2
W H1

A x 32.3 kN/m2
3 Effect of Effect of
b x
2 level backfill 4.8 kN/m2 surcharge

CE 470 (RC - II) : Dr. Nadeem A. Siddiqui 12 May 28, 2017

 Solution (Contd.)
Base length and Position of Stem
Backfill soil pressure :
At the base : pa  k a wh  0.32  16  6.3  32.3 kN/m 2
1 1
Total Pressure : H1  k a wh 2   0.32 16  6.32  101.6 kN
2 2
Surcharge pressure :
surcharge weight 15
heq    0.94 m
w 16
Surcharge pressure  k a wheq  0.32  16  0.94  4.8 kN/m 2
Total Surcharge Pressure :
H 2  (k a wheq )  h  4.8  6.3  30.3 kN

CE 470 (RC - II) : Dr. Nadeem A. Siddiqui 13 May 28, 2017

 Solution (Contd.)
W  x(6.3  0.94) 16  115.84 x kN
6.3 6.3 x
CCW ( ) M A  0  H1   H2  W   0
3 2 2
6.3 6.3 x2
 101.6   30.3   115.84  0  x  2.31 m  2.4 m
3 2 2
3 3
 b  x   2.4  3.6 m  b  3.6 m
2 2

CE 470 (RC - II) : Dr. Nadeem A. Siddiqui 14 May 28, 2017

 Retaining wall dimensions

Surcharge = 15 kN/m2
0.3 m

Backfill

6.3 m
5.85 m H2
W H1
3.15 m
2.1 m

0.45 m A
1.2 m 1.95 m 32.3 kN/m2
0.45 m
3.6 m 4.8 kN/m2

CE 470 (RC - II) : Dr. Nadeem A. Siddiqui 15 May 28, 2017

 Further Reading
16

Read more about the design of cantilever retaining

walls from:

Design of Reinforced Concrete by Jack C. McCormac

and Russell H. Brown, Eighth Edition, John Wiley &
Sons.

CE 470 (RC - II) : Dr. Nadeem A. Siddiqui May 28, 2017

 Thank You
17

CE 470 (RC - II) : Dr. Nadeem A. Siddiqui May 28, 2017