All about Retaining Walls
A retaining wall is a barrier or wall created to hold back retains. Retains are unwanted things such as dirty, floods or other materials like debris. Retaining walls are also used by many people to control massive soil erosion especially if a building is in a low level area. The earth that is retained using a retaining wall is known as backfill. Backfill is the name that is used to describe the dirt materials that are trapped in the retaining wall. Retaining walls offer many advantages when created. They turn slopes that are steep into a terraced yard. They create a stair steps effect because they destroy the steep slope that was there before. find more here
Different materials can be used to build retaining walls. More to that, the techniques that can be used to build retaining walls are also many. Some factors will have to be checked because they are the ones that determine which choice will be the best choice for every situation. The cost f building a retaining wall, height of the wall, soil characteristics and even groundwater conditions are some of the things that will be determined first before you build such a barrier.
In many countries and cities, municipalities will ask those who are building retaining walls above some set heights to be approved or engineered by a licensed engineer. You should check all the local building codes before you even start to build a retaining wall. Even if the wall will be below one foot in height, it is worth to check those building codes. Retaining walls have to be supervised by a licensed engineer because they should be able to withstand the pressure that is exerted by backfill. The other name of backfill is lateral earth pressure. The retaining wall that you should build should bear this lateral earth pressure. find more here
To determine the level or lateral earth pressure, you will have to study the weight of sol units, soil type and groundwater levels. A lot of calculations will have to be done by approved engineers so that they may come up with the right design to implement with the wall. If you would like to build a retaining wall that would last longer and one that would bear the lateral earth pressure, it is essential to use an engineer during construction. Those who build on their way sometimes their walls do not bear the lateral earth pressure making them collapse.
Different materials can be used to build retaining walls. More to that, the techniques that can be used to build retaining walls are also many. Some factors will have to be checked because they are the ones that determine which choice will be the best choice for every situation. The cost f building a retaining wall, height of the wall, soil characteristics and even groundwater conditions are some of the things that will be determined first before you build such a barrier.
In many countries and cities, municipalities will ask those who are building retaining walls above some set heights to be approved or engineered by a licensed engineer. You should check all the local building codes before you even start to build a retaining wall. Even if the wall will be below one foot in height, it is worth to check those building codes. Retaining walls have to be supervised by a licensed engineer because they should be able to withstand the pressure that is exerted by backfill. The other name of backfill is lateral earth pressure. The retaining wall that you should build should bear this lateral earth pressure. find more here
To determine the level or lateral earth pressure, you will have to study the weight of sol units, soil type and groundwater levels. A lot of calculations will have to be done by approved engineers so that they may come up with the right design to implement with the wall. If you would like to build a retaining wall that would last longer and one that would bear the lateral earth pressure, it is essential to use an engineer during construction. Those who build on their way sometimes their walls do not bear the lateral earth pressure making them collapse.