You are here:

Civil Engineering/retaining wall design ?

Advertisement

Expert: - 12/7/2009


Question
i am a civil engineering student in wales i have been asked a question on the design of a mass concrete retaining wall the question goes as follows : A mass concrete gravity retaining wall is to be designed to retain a height of 4.6 meters of soil of unit weight 18[kN/m2] the foundation material is a firm clay of allowable bearing capacity 440[kN/m2] it is estimated that the coefficent friction between the base and clay is 0.6 the retained soil has an active pressure coefficient of 0.33 considering all possible failure modes select by trial and error suitable dimensions for a trapezoidal retaining wall unit weight of 24kN/m3

I would greatly appreciate any help at all on this question Mr Khan many thanks leon  

Answer
Hi Leon,

This forum discourages doing homework assignments, but I will of course give you some pointers. Please visit these websites for assistance:

http://www.sbe.napier.ac.uk/esm/eurocode7/retaining_walls.html  (example 7.1 looks relevant for you).

http://retainingwallexpert.com/artman2/publish/engineering-design/index.shtml

If you use any of the spreadsheets, please do study and understand the methodology and formulae rather than just filling in the boxes/cells!  

Civil Engineering

All Answers

Answers by Expert:

Ask Experts

Volunteer

Arshad Khan

Expertise

I can answer any questions to do with civil and structural engineering consultancy and construction industry in East Africa and the Middle East, and specifically with the analysis and design of reinforced concrete structures. My particular expertise is in the aseismic design and optimisation of tall buildings.

Experience

Employment history: 36 years in Construction and consultancy in the UK, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Ethiopia, Eritrea, South Africa, Somalia, Zambia, Austria, Bahrain, Kuwait, Doha and the U.A.E.

Organizations
.Fellow of Institution of Structural Engineers (UK) .Fellow of Institution of Civil Engineers(UK) .Member of the Institution of Engineers, Kenya .Registered Engineer, ERB, Kenya .Member of the Architectural Association of Kenya (Engineers Chapter) .Chartered Engineer (UK)

Publications
•1984: International Conference on the Art and Practice of Structural Design, London •1994: 3rd Int. Kerensky Conference in Structural Engineering, Singapore •2008: International Conference on High-Rise Towers, Abu Dhabi

Education/Credentials
BSc, 1st Class Hons, in Building Engineering, University of Bath, UK MSc in Concrete Structures and Technology, University of London. Diploma of Imperial College, UK.

Awards and Honors
•Science Congress Special Award (for 2-seater Hovercraft - 1968) •Institution of Civil Engineers Award for outstanding performance at Bath University (1975) •Concrete Society Postgraduate study Bursary Award (1976) •Consular Representative for British High Commission, Nairobi. (1995 to 1998) •Examiner for Institution of Civil Engineers Professional Interviews, Nairobi. (1997 to 1998) •Branch Representative in Vienna for PI assessment for Inst. of Struct. Engrs. (1999 to date)

©2012 About.com, a part of The New York Times Company. All rights reserved.