Retaining wall remediation using soil nails and hard structural facing

[sadmoe]

Hello, I am working on a project where soil nails will be used to improve a creeping retaining wall. The wall is constructed from blocks with a weak / degraded mortar. I have undertaken the soil nail design, but am stuck with how to spread the loads so to apply a UDL to the face of the wall as opposed to point loads that might cause structural failure. I am thinking about using wide and continuous steel plate or pre-cast RC panels with the nail head plate on the outside, but I can't use in-situ methods due to access / cost. Does anyone know of a good method for approaching this issue that is aesthetically appealing? Also, does anyone know of any good references for the design of soil nail head plates for vertical walls, everything I can find is for slopes up to 60 degrees! Thank you all, Moe

 

[crcivil]

sadmoe,

Since Soil Nails are pasive reinforcing elements you shouldn´t worry about strucural failure caused by point loads. However, it is a good idea to "activate" these nails to a few tons of tension, which can be done with a torque wrench. You should also provide a reinforced concrete pad for each nail along with a bearing plate. Upon the Soil Nails instalation, I would suggest considering a wire mesh-reinforced shotcrete facade to provide for structural support between the nails as well as for an aesthetic solution.

Regards