Precast segmental retaining wall under water

[RHTPE]

Has anyone ever used precast segmental retaining wall components to encircle a man-made pond?

My application would be in New England, so I'm particularly concerned with how well they would hold up under freeze-thaw conditions of the pond (up to 12" of ice).

The retained height would be no more than 3' or so, with about 1.5' under water. Overall height of the wall from its base course would be about 4.5'.

Just looking for performance experience, not wall analysis.



Ralph
Structures Consulting
Northeast USA

 

[RWF7437]

http://www.keystonepnw.com/water.html

 

[RHTPE]

Thanks RWF7437, but that link gives little information about durability in iced-over water bodies.

I have emailed them requesting specific information on this kind of application.


Ralph
Structures Consulting
Northeast USA

 

[bimr]

You may get cracks in the wall due to the ice pressure over the winter. You have the possiblitiy of internal freeze thaw inside the concrete when the tank walls are saturated with moisture.

The freeze front of the wall moves inward and outward with the weather and warming of the sun. The concrete is then subjected to freezing crystals with numerous cycles of freeze thaw in a condition with saturated concrete.

The solution is to keep the concrete dry with a liner of steel or plastic.

 

[dirtydude]

Have you considered using vinyl sheet piling freeze/thaw would not be an issue?

 

[ptmoss]

Is this a residential pond? Or perhaps a retention pond for a development? Fire pond?

The blocks really won't function altogether differently than large rip-rap, but if they're not connected together internally they'll be subject to movement. Small ponds in my neck of the New England woods can get 3-4 foot ice thickness. I wouldn't hesitate to design with segmental walls, and I have seen them around (particularly at golf courses or commercial developments where space is at a premium). But do some research and put some thought into whether the blocks will be subject to the ice pushing them around.

US ACOE Cold Regions Lab in Hanover NH undoubtedly has studied this and should have some info available.

 

[Mannyou]

RHTPE,

I am building an underwater liner to protect a very old masonry dam. I am going to try a product called Hycrete (

http://www.hycrete.com)to

provide waterproofing. talked to the manufacturer and I talked to the Army Corp of engineers and they like the product. I would also consider ensuring the air content be around 6 or 8 percent. If you are using reinforcement, consider taking the area of steel you need and spreading that area needed further out with smaller rebar (get a tighter grid with the same amount of steel).

 

[RHTPE]

Mannyou - Interesting product. Didn't get a chance to thoroughly review the information on their site.

But I'm not considering cast-in-place - I'm talking about precast segmental (no rebar in the individual blocks). I have seen promotional pictures of these systems surrounding bodies of water, but I suspect they are all in regions that do not experience winter like in New England.


Ralph
Structures Consulting
Northeast USA

 

[ACtrafficengr]

Ralph, could you build your segmental wall, and use it as a stay-in-place form for a hycrete wall behind it?

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