What Is A Buttressed Retaining Wall?
What Is A Buttressed Retaining Wall?
A buttressed retaining wall is a type of retaining wall that uses triangular beams, known as buttresses, on the front side of the wall instead of on the backfill side. These buttresses are visible and add significant strength to the wall system. Unlike a counterfort wall, in order for a buttressed retaining wall to fail or tip over, the buttresses would have to be crushed.
This design concept was commonly used in the construction of European cathedrals due to the height of the walls and the need for stabilization. However, it is important to note that building a buttressed retaining wall requires the expertise of an engineer and is typically used in situations where the wall is facing tremendous loads.
Additionally, the buttresses can be designed to be decorative and covered with materials such as stone. Depending on the length of the wall, multiple buttresses may be used and can be spaced to create functional spaces such as rooms, parking spaces, or courts.
Buttress retaining walls are a cost-effective solution for limited spaces where the foundation must be restricted on one side. They have a triangular design that reduces the thickness of both the wall and the foundation.
The segment connecting the wall and foundation is in compression, which is ideal for concrete as it is strong in compression. Computer-aided software is used to analyze and design these walls as manual calculations can be complex due to the structural arrangements.
Components Of Buttressed Retaining Wall?
A Buttress wall is a type of retaining wall that is similar to a counter fort retaining wall, but is located on the opposite side of the retained material. It acts as a compression member and is composed of several components including the stem, backfill, heel, base slab, and toe.
The stem is the vertical slab that supports the retained material and the slab is the horizontal component. The front portion of the slab is known as the toe and the back portion is known as the heel. The backfill is the retained material, which can be soil or stone.
The main purpose of the buttress wall is to retain the backfill and provide additional support for the stem in the structure. Common types of failures that occur in buttress walls include sloping or non-sloping soil. They are advantageous for their functionality and strength in a structure.
