Retaining Wall & Fence for Developing Country

[80smetalfm]

I have to come up with a prelim design of a 250 meter long retaining wall. Before answering this question i would like everyone to know the wall is to be built in a developing country with a very low budget. Details as follows:

- height of wall is 2.5m maximum
- uphill slope = 0 degrees
- downhill slope = 25 degrees
- a chainlink with barbwire fence is to be built along wall
- area has a 5 year rainfall intensity of 200mm/hr!(tropic)
- angle of internal friction is 35 degrees
- treated timber not available in country
- segmental blocks not readily available in country

Help!!

 

[BigH]

Probably gabions would be the best - just a bit of wire and rock-fill. In many developing countries, they also still use mortar-rubble retaining walls. There was also an article once about a project in Nepal that used rock-filled oil barrels for the wall. 2.5m is not that high. Make sure you have a bit of a set-back distance. I've used gabions in Laos - and that, my friend, is one of the poorest developing nations. (but we loved it there!)

 

[MSEMan]

Have you thought about building the wall using old tyres and backfilling with compacted soil? You can analyze it like a crib structure. Once built you could put on a freestanding breeze block face if you need to.

Alternatively - if you want a facing - design an MSE wall using bent sheets of structural mesh as your facing and reinforcement. Stick some geotextile behind the face to prevent loss of fines. It works!

 

[GabionGuy]

I would have to agree with BigH. Gabions are ideal for the situation you have discribed.

If you contact Maccaferri directly (

http://www.maccaferri.com),

you should be able to find the operation closest to your project site. They will be able to provide you with design details and local project costing.

 

[blueoak]

I like gabions, but are they really the easiest to get in this situation? I see the mention of Laos, but it seems like a special product. Also gabions require somewhat knowledgeable installation or else they sag and don't work correctly. My guess is that you will get some cheap welded wire gabions that will fall apart soon. I am a big cribwall fan with tires or other waste.

Check your stability, I played and it looks like you may have some movement depending on your design especially if your friction angle is wrong.