If you have no idea what retaining walls are then you must be unfamiliar with the term. They are piles of stone or cement that hold back tons of earth when a highway or a building is located beneath it. There are numerous kinds of embankments, and they all have a certain job that they must do.
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.
Construction sights, like highways that are being built, will often use a sheet piling wall. It takes a tremendous amount of force for a crane with an attached hammering device to pound two thirds of steel sheets into the earth’s surface. When complete one third of the material used can be seen. This material is usually covered in concrete for added strength and beauty. In a highway overpass the earth itself acts as the holding force for tons of weight.
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.
Abutments are nothing new. It has been proven that the ancient Romans used this same type of wall in much of their construction. Materials have changed from what this old civilization made by hand, to steel, concrete, special woods, and many more. With every wall being dependent on the material it is constructed of, a structural engineer should be consulted to see which is the best style and material that should be used on any project.
The most attractive would be the step wall. As the name implies it is built in steps only much higher than your average step. Some people will add them to their yards for their aesthetic beauty alone. Each step top is a place where any number of things can be planted. From vegetables to flowers, they are attractive and stop erosion of the soil.
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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