Golf Lessons - A Quick Word On Retaining Walls

A Quick Word On Retaining Walls

Posted on December 21st, 2011 by Adriana Noton

Retaining walls are actually man-made devices which are made to suppress the soil that may move outwards and downwards. They act to stabilize slopes and terraces and increase the usefulness of areas. Sounds simple right; well not quite since there are several different kinds. There are also several different construction methods used to build them to.

They are made using many diverse materials. It depends on their planned form and function as to what us used in their construction. Some made used are stone, steel, concrete and even vinyl. In past days they were made with wood planking or quarried stone. There is no right or wrong way to make them. What really matters is that they work as planned.

A gravity wall is made with very heavy media. It is the weight of this media that stops any movement from the soil they hole. The most common type for landscaping, they are generally made using the dry stack method of building. A footer is often not needed because of their greater flexibility and strength.

A sheet pile wall is generally used in very soft soils while working in tight spaces. They have fortifications made from steel, vinyl, fiberglass, plastic and wood planks set in the ground. They are generally a third above the ground with their remaining two thirds buried into the ground. They often require some sort of tie back bracing to be effective. When using this type, provisions must be made for drainage for them to be effective.

A cantilevered type is normally produced using a thin stem of concrete or base masonry. Their uniqueness comes from their shifting the load burden to the large footing under them changing the horizontal pressures to vertical pressures. They might need a huge footing deeper below the frost line where they will be used.

Most anchored walls are held in place with mechanical ties. TO hold the ground in place a hole is drilled in the face of the area held, and a cable is fed into it. The end of the cable is expanded until there is a snug fit preventing it from moving. This is than attached to a thin wall as a support fixture. These are typically used in places where thin walls are required.

Soil nailing is a tactic commonalty used for growing vegetation and irrigating when you have gentle slopes. Generally thin items are driven into the ground in pre drilled holes. They are than grouted in place or they can be grouted and drilled at the same time. Usually having a downward tilt, they are most often used to prevent erosion in farming.

Soil strengthening or gabion meshes are employed for aesthetic reasons. They use either the soil or a preformed mesh box with soil inside it to for wall building. While these have not the strength of most true retaining walls they may be manufactured in just about any shape and size. Despite their name they will be guaranteed to survive for many years.

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