Retaining walls

Abstract

Such walls may have to retain:

• Solids Usually natural soil undisturbed except next to the wall itself, but sometimes fill of varying materials when a site is terraced. Other materials such as solid fuel, chemicals, etc. may need to be stored within retaining walls on a site.

• Liquids Sea, river and reservoir walls are examples and occasionally there may be need to contain liquids other than water, such as effluents from factories, oil, and even liquid mud or clay.

• A combination of solids and liquid acting independently, as with gravel soil with a high ground water level, or where there is water on one side and soil on the other.