By Adriana Noton

We have all seen retaining walls at one time or another. Everyone wonders at some point how they do their job. Our curiosity is even worse when we see one that is terribly high and holding back tons of earth. Lets take a closer look at these embankments and find out just how they do their job.

The perpendicular or cantilever wall is one that can make a person ask many questions. That is due mostly because what we see is only a portion of the wall. For one thing, it is almost as thick as it is tall. What we can’t see is the footing of the wall attached at the bottom and running under the earth. The earth that is placed upon it acts as a weight to prevent the wall from toppling over.

Wherever construction is being done you will most often see a sheet piling wall. In this instance a hammer like device that is attached to a large crane pounds sheets of steel or wood pylons two thirds of the way into the earths surface. The exposed part of the material will hold back the earth. When necessary tiebacks can be used to stop the wall from falling. This method is used for highway overpasses and the like.

Smaller walls are gravity walls. Due to the way they are constructed they are always shorter in height. Made of stone or block, the bottom is always thicker than the top. It is the sheer weight of the product used that ensures it can hold the pressure placed against it. Building them with a backward slant gives them an immense advantage in keeping the weight securely immobilized.

A block wall is similar to the gravity wall. The main difference is that the blocks used here are all interlocking pieces similar to what you would see in children’s interlocking pieces. It turns single units into one large piece that is suitable for the job it is meant to do.

Dating back to ancient Rome, the retaining wall was used. Made up of steel, concrete, wood, and more; each material is chosen for the work it will be expected to perform. For major projects a structural engineer is the best one to decide the material to be used and how it should be constructed.

Appearance does not have to be given up in wall made to hold back the earth. A step wall is one of the best examples of how elaborate plants, flowers, and shrubs add beauty to what otherwise would be a bit blase. They are also excellent ways in which erosion cam be controlled.

There is much beauty to be found in retaining walls. The surrounding material will dictate what type of wall needs to be built, but everyone of them can be made decorative with proper landscaping. Now that you know the measures taken to build an abutment that will serve its purpose efficiently, it is easier to appreciate the work that went into making it.

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