Water Pressure Retaining Wall
Is the total load on the wall simply h 2 2 γ s k a γ w where γ s and γ w are the soil and water densities respectively.
Water pressure retaining wall. Unit of water is 62 4 lb ft 3 1001g m for freshwater and 64 lb ft 3 or 1026 7 kg m 3 for saltwater. Uncontrolled water weakens walls water can weaken retaining walls by washing out the base material that supports the wall. That s when walls start leaning bulging and toppling. The power of the collected water can also create massive cracks in pre cast blocks due to the porous nature of concrete.
If the surface is unyielding as is typical of wall restrained by rigid diaphragms the soil pressures. Soil is heavy especially when soaking wet from a recent rainstorm so a basic retaining wall four feet tall and 15 feet long potentially has to support up to 20 tons of soil pressure. What is the cause of hydrostatic pressure behind a retaining wall. A retaining wall is designed and built to hold up all the rocks and dirt behind it along with a small amount of natural moisture.
We know that water exerts a pressure on the wall and this thrust is calculated by using the following formula. When a large amount of water is added to the equation perhaps from a considerable rainstorm or snowmelt the force of the added water and dirt can topple a retaining wall over with ease. If water pressure is allowed to accumulate behind a retaining wall then the total pressure and the resulting total force along the back of the wall is increased considerably. How does hydrostatic pressure effect a retaining wall.
It becomes less so if the wall is restrained against movement in response the the load. But far more frequently it causes problems by building up behind the wall saturating the soil and applying incredible pressure. This is common in cantilevered retaining walls. For water you must also consider the upward buoyancy force g w h wmax.
The density of water w 1000 kg m 1mg m the weight of 1000 kg mass is 1000 9 81 9810 n weight mass hence the unit weight of water w9 81 kn m. The presence of water impacts the soil load as does movement of the wall away from the wall active soil pressure or toward the soil passive soil pressure or nonmovement of the wall at rest soil pressure. The wall it will exert a pressure onto the wall. Therefore it is common for walls to be designed with adequate drainage to prevent water from accumulating behind the wall and introducing a separate water pressure force.