A cantilevered wall is a reinforced concrete structure used to retain soil. It has a thinner stem and base slab than other retaining walls and is most effective when less than 25 feet high. Engineers must consider soil structure, pressures, and movement when designing the wall. External cladding does not contribute to structural strength.
A cantilevered wall is the most common structure used to retain soil or other earth material. This soil, called infill, is held in locations it wouldn’t normally be and will collapse under the influence of gravity without the retaining wall or if the structure ceases. A cantilevered wall is constructed of reinforced concrete and is constructed with a thinner stem and base slab than other types of retaining walls. The base consists of a heel, which sits below the ground, and a toe which sits on the outside of the base of the wall.
Cantilever construction is most effective when the walls are less than 25 feet (about 7.6 meters) high. A cantilevered wall consists of cantilevered foundations, structural steel, connecting beams, and concrete. The main steel is placed on the side experiencing the most stress, while the nominal steel is placed on the opposite side and helps control structural shrinkage during concrete pouring. The wall can be designed with a larger heel so that the base of the wall supports a greater amount of soil, which effectively becomes part of the mass of the wall. A retaining wall can be built with a larger spike if this design consideration is found to be most effective.
The exterior surface of a cantilevered wall can be lined with any material for decorative or durability purposes. No external material contributes to the overall structural strength. It is the design considerations prior to this step that determine the strength of the wall, and professional advice is almost always needed in building strong retaining walls. The addition of an external cladding can allow the wall to blend in with the surrounding natural environment so as not to impose the aesthetic quality of nearby parks or structures.
In designing a cantilevered wall, engineers must take into account the pressures that can act to push the wall forward and those that impede its movement. The resistance of the wall to ground movement must be considered in earthquake-prone areas, where retaining walls often respond by tilting or rotating. Soil structure has an influence on the type of movement most likely to occur, and pre-construction engineering studies can determine the strongest structural configuration. Soil type, groundwater, building material quality, and correct calculations of soil characteristics and wall reinforcement have a significant impact on the performance of a cantilevered wall in the real world.
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