The Acceptibility of Retaining-Wall Selection: A Review

Abstract

There are many types of lateral retaining systems (LRSs). Choosing the appropriate system is crucial as it depends on numerous factors. A precise understanding of these factors can significantly improve the engineering performance of LRSs, positively impacting engineering projects. Reviewing the most important factors related to selecting LRS and discussing some of their effects before choosing any one is highly beneficial for engineers. This review provides a concise summary of the most important factors based on a review of various literatures, presented in a readily accessible format to save time and effort. The factors considered include the wall's cost, function, operating time, construction feasibility, and materials. The most important presented factors related to the cost include appearance, configuration, overall stability, size and shape, flexibility, yield strength, movement, soil characteristics, and nature behind and under the wall, other consider actions included backfill material quality, construction requirements and methods, site obstacles and their nature. In fact, the system's flexibility affects its operating time as a support, some types of flexible walls are used in temporary applications, while rigid systems are typically designed for permanent purpose. Furthermore, important factors such as soil condition, aesthetics, drainage, and available construction and backfill materials may influence the choice of LRS. This paper provides illustrative examples demonstrating the impact of these factors on selecting the appropriate system.

Keywords: Retaining systems, cost, constructability, function, material, stablity.