RETAINING WALL DESIGN

History is replete with different types of walls that were built by different civilizations to address specific needs. The two most common retaining wall structures built today are simple gravity walls and larger composite reinforced soil wall structures. Keystone offers products and specific design methodology for both structure types conforming to local building codes and national standards.

For centuries, these terraces relied on gravity
walls of sufficient mass and geometry to
create level terrain in otherwise mountainous areas. 

In the design of any earth-retaining structure, there are two primary areas of concern: 1) resisting lateral earth pressures; and 2) providing adequate foundation bearing capacity. Lateral earth pressure and soil instability exists any time soil is placed at an angle greater than its natural slope and must be retained to create a rapid change in elevation. The magnitude of earth pressure to be resisted is a function of the soils, wall geometry, and surcharge loadings involved. Bearing capacity is the foundation soil's ability to support the wall system without failure or excessive settlement.

Simple gravity walls like this one have been
used throughout the ages to act as security
barriers, land boundary markers, terraces for
agriculture, support for homes on hills,
and animal enclosure.

GRAVITY WALLS

One of the most basic types of retaining walls, the gravity wall, relies on its mass and cross-sectional geometry to resist the earth pressure that is attempting to move the structure in a lateral direction. Keystone Retaining Wall Systems are able to resist lateral pressure with their hefty weight and deep embedment shape. The mortarless, yet structurally interconnected, Keystone units also permit water drainage to prevent hydrostatic loads. For low, non-critical applications, Keystone products make highly cost-effective gravity wall structures.