RETAINING WALL

By: Reymart B. Cabajes

The practical use of gravity retaining wall is controlled by
height limitations. Thus, the required wall cross section
increases significantly with tall heights due to the effect
of the triangular soil pressure distributed behind the
retaining wall.
If the ground water level rises into the backfill behind a
retaining wall because of either changing ground water
condition or percolating water surface, the lateral
pressure against the wall is also changed.
To avoid the rise of
water building up
behind the
retaining wall, a
weep hole or
collector drainage
system or both are
provided as part of
the design of the
construction.
Drainage methods to
prevent development of
water pressure behind
the retaining wall
A good retaining wall design must conform to the following
requirements:
• The base and stem of the retaining wall must be
capable of resisting the interval shear and bending
moments developing as a result of soil and other
loading.
• The wall must be safe against overturning.
• The wall structure must be safe against sliding.
• The bearing capacity of the foundation material
supporting the wall must not be exceeded.
Item 504 Rip Rap
and Grouted Rip
Rap
This item includes furnishing and
placing of riprap with or without
grout; with or without filter
backing. Stones for riprap shall
consist of rocks as nearly
rectangular in section as is
practical except that riprap of
class A may consist of round
natural stones.
Class of Stone for Ripraping
CLASS A – Stone ranging from 15 to 25 kg. with at least 50%
of the stones weighing more than 20 kilograms.
CLASS B – Stone ranging from 30 to 70 kg. with at least 50%
of the stones weighing more than 50 kilograms.
CLASS C – Stones ranging from 60 to 100 kg. with at least
50% of the stone weighing more than 80 kilograms.
CLASS D – Stones weighing from 100 to 200 kg. with at least
50% of the stones weighing more than 150 kg.
Excavation and
Placing
The bed for riprap is excavated
down the required depth
properly compacted, trimmed
and shaped. The riprap
foundation is dug below the
depth of scour. The toe trench
is filled with stone of the same
class as specified.
 Grouting
When grouted riprap is
specified, stones are placed
by hand or individually laid by
machine. Spaces between
stones are then filled with
cement mortar sufficient
enough to completely fill all
the voids except the face
surface of the stones
leftexposed.
Material requirements
1. The stone should be clean, hard and durable. Adobe stone shall
not be used unless specified the backing by 30 cm minimum.
2. When the wall thickness is 45 cm or less, the header should
extend entirely from the front to the back face.
3. Backings are built chiefly of large stones. The individual stones
of backing and hearting are well bonded with the face wall an
with each other.
4. All openings and interstices in the backing are filled completely
with cement mortar or with spall surrounded completely with
mortar.
Item 506 Hand
Laid Rock
Embankment
Material Requirements
Stones for hand laid rock embankment must be sound and durable furnished
in a well balance range of sizes meeting the requirements as follows.

1. Stones should be more than 0.015 cubic meter in volume and not less
than 75 percent of the total volume should consist of stones at 0.03 cubic
meters in volume.
2. Adobe stone should not be used unless specified in the plan.
Item 5-7 Sheet
Piles
This item consist of
furnishing dividing and
cutting off of sheet piling
covered by the
specification.
Material Requirements
1. Timber sheet pile may consist of any species that will satisfactorily stand
driving. It is sawn or hewn with square corners free from worn holes,
loose knots, wind shakes, decay or unsound portions or other defects
that might impair its strength or tightness.
2. Concrete sheet piles. Concrete reinforcement and manufacture of
concrete sheet piles should conform to the requirements of Item 400 –
Piling.
3. Steel sheet piles should be of the type, weight and section modulus
indicated on the plans or special provisions and conform to the
requirements of Item 400 – piling.
Item 509
Gabion
Gabion is a wire mish
supplied in various width
and length that is in
multiple of 2,3,or 4 times
its width.
Construction Requirements
1. The wire mesh is twisted to form hexagonal opening of uniform sizes.
2. The mesh should be non-raveling which means the ability to resist pulling apart at
any of the twists or connection when a single wire strand in a section is cut.
3. That the Gabions sides, ends, lid and diaphragms can be assembled at the
construction site into rectangular baskets of the specified sizes.
4. The Gabions could be divided equally by diaphragms of the same gauge as the
body of the gabions into the cells the length of which does not exceed the
horizontal width.
5. All perimeters of the edges of the mesh forming the gabion should be securely
selvedge so that by tying the selvedges the joints should have at least the same
strength as the body of the mesh.
6. The tie connection wire should be supplied in sufficient quantity to securely fasten
all edges of the gabion and diaphragms.
HIGHWAY BRIDGES
Highway bridges are of two types:
1. Those that carry vehicular traffic an pedestrians over a large stream.
2. Those that separate traffic movements as interchanges and street
pedestrians over or under crossings.