Retaining walls are designed to support soil that otherwise would drift down. Although they are designed to withstand pressures of thousands of kilograms, your retaining walls may still fail at times.
When a wall fails due to the pressure from the soil it is supporting, your property can suffer significant damage. Correct design calculations and installation can prevent retaining walls from failing during construction.
Signs that a Retaining Wall is Failing
Stabilizing cliffs, bluffs, and other rocky terrain is essential to prevent erosion, which can cause damage to land, roads, and homes. They can fail, however, if they are not maintained regularly. There are signs that indicate your retaining wall may be failing.
Bowing or Cracking
Cracking, tilting and bulging are common signs of retaining wall failure. The wall may not be able to retain soil due to cracks. The wall can be retrofitted at this stage with anchor bolts or other reinforcements. Visit the website to read retaining wall repair methods.
Cracks in the Wall
If the wall is at risk, you may see cracks appearing in certain areas. The pressure can cause the stones to buckle or break.
After the rain, weepholes are dry
Weepholes are a small opening that allows proper drainage of retaining walls. It is very alarming when there is no water flowing out of the weephole after rain. This indicates that drainage has been compromised. This could be caused by clogged weep holes, a lack of draining aggregate, or soil that has not been graded properly away from the wall.
Separation of soil
It is a sign that soil is moving if the soil behind a retaining wall begins to pull away. This is more common in periods of extreme weather.
The wall collapsed around the soil
The soil around a retaining wall is a good indicator of its health. The soil collapse may indicate that the weight behind the wall is too heavy for the wall.
Causes of Retaining Wall Fault
The failure of a retaining wall can be caused by a variety of factors, including both natural and human causes.
Unexpected load
It is possible to build a new building or an addition near a retaining wall without taking into account the increased load.
Low-quality Materials and Poor Installation
Installing a retaining wall provides support for the soil beneath it. Cheap materials like concrete blocks of low quality will not last long and may fail sooner.
In the meantime, poor installation can compromise the stability and durability of a wall. This can lead to your wall shifting or leading, resulting in wall failure.
Incorrect design calculation
It takes a lot of engineering to make sure that a retaining walls can withstand the load. A retaining wall that collapses due to incorrect calculations is inevitable.
Age of the retaining walls
Even the highest quality landscape walls will not last forever. Wood retaining walls last about 20 years. Masonry and concrete, however, can last from 50 to 100 years. It is a good indication that if there are no signs of early failure after 50-years, the wall should last at least another 50 years.