The Main Types of Retaining Walls Explained

There are many types of retaining walls, so it can be hard to know which one to choose, and each has its benefits and drawbacks that are required to be carefully considered on any retaining wall design. I will explain the main types of earth retention systems what you need to consider when designing retaining walls, and the limitation of each type of retaining wall.
Each type of retaining wall system has areas where it shines, and sometimes multiple types of retaining walls can be suitable for certain locations so it is important to understand the key concepts of each type of retaining wall system.
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[@alejandroaguilarmoreira6669]

Im surprised this channel is still relatively small, your content is amazing! Great quality in the content and nice editing, maybe you can put more diagrams or animations so we can get a better look on the loads acting upon the structure! Great work and keep up the content :)

[@BrendanHasty]

Hi Alejandro, thanks for the support and suggestion for improvement. I have been looking for improvement to help with the growth, it maybe topic, thumbnails title or just time. Wish I knew but I will get there.

[@william0mccarthy]

The quality of your videos gets better and better by each upload!! Thanks for the great video sir

[@BrendanHasty]

Hi Will, thanks for the encouragement. I am always looking to improve, still lots to learn.

[@PeterRanieriII]

Great video Mr. Hasty. I'm not so sure for cantilevered retaining walls that having the heel under the soil is the most efficient though. Most efficient is having 2/3 toe and 1/3 heel. Having a toe to resist the overturning moment is much stronger than relying on the soil weight above the heel. Some systems we use often: secant piles, slurry walls, soldier piles with lagging and rakers/foot blocks and underpinning!

[@BrendanHasty]

Hi Peter agree that a portion of heel and toe is the most efficient it has the benefit of the soil weight.

[@jesussantana6287]

​@@BrendanHasty Hi Brendan, I'm currently working with a cantilever retaining wall where the footing have to be place entirely on the toe side bc the building is already built on the retaining side. As you said, with this configuration we're not taking advantage of the weight of the soil for resisting the overturning moment. How you suggest to design a wall efficient enough in order to not have a extremely large footing when the solution of tieing the wall with a slab is not possible?

[@DeepakKrishna11]

That was informative Brendan, keep it up. It would be nice if you could add more onsite footage as you done in this while explaining pile pile cap and wall system. Also another suggestion is that a video on loads and bending moments as how they are applied or considered in a real world project. Thanks.

[@BrendanHasty]

Hi Deepak, thanks for the continued encouragement. That is a great suggestion too, thanks for making it.

[@djblaccs]

More informative..the onsite footage

[@uBenkiff]

You are such a great teacher and an equally awesome person Brendan Hasty! I spend so much time watching every video and it gives me great perspective on the structural engineering field. Peace 😁

[@BrendanHasty]

Hi Uddi thank for the support, this encouragement help me to keep going. Glad that I can help your education.

[@miguelprabowodossantos6142]

I have been follow your channel for many days and learn much from you thanks sir

[@BrendanHasty]

Hi Miguel, glad that I can provide help in your engineering journey.

[@miguelprabowodossantos6142]

@@BrendanHasty we form a society for civil engineering students, and fill our activities by learning new things and sharing with each other and your channel is very helpful so that we can know about how buildings are made in your country, and we hope to get a chance to request videos on your channel is based on some special needs, thank you. greetings from "Young Engineer For Development(YE4D)"

[@kuldeeps3830]

Hi sir, I was expecting this kinds of videos from you. Plz continue posting videos like this. Thank you.

[@BrendanHasty]

Hi Kuldeep, your support encourages me to keep going and improving. Thanks for the encouragement.

[@roseller01]

Secant pile wall not contiguous. Contiguous piles don’t overlap with each other. You also don’t need soft piles in granular material. Typically you only need soft piles to support the water pressure to avoid water flowing between the gaps of your piles. Typically in Australia contig piles are spaced with 100mm clear spacing. Big part of choosing the correct retaining wall is dependent on the ground conditions. Great video.

[@BrendanHasty]

Hi Roseller, thanks for the correction and clarification. Agree that choosing right retention system is highly important and dependant on geological conditions. Alot of time now wet basement are not allowed like you will need a shotcrete wall in front of the contiguous pile system. Thanks for the support.

[@pejmanmirzanejad7218]

it is such a great bundle of information, two thumbs up!👍👍

[@BrendanHasty]

Hi Pejman, glad that I can provide. Thanks for the encouragement.

[@pejmanmirzanejad7218]

@@BrendanHasty I am sure the engineering community always appreciated good advice, and you'll enjoy sharing your expertise too!🙂👍🍻

[@michaelacheampong2869]

Great content as always can u suggest any book for further reading on propped cantilever retaining wall. Also I want know can the stem of the propped retaining wall be designed as a a simply supported beam since it is supported at the top and bottom?

[@BrendanHasty]

Hi Micheal, I will look into a book suggestion and get back to you. In the propped cantilever design you can design it as a beam or slab just need to ensure you have a Veriable distributed loads

[@michaelacheampong2869]

@@BrendanHasty Thank You soo much, I really appreciate the reply

[@FranciscoGarcia-tk2go]

Great content. I would add to your description of steel pile systems the purpose and use of tie backs. Lastly, just a spelling correction: masonary is a hired hitman, masonry is cinder block.

[@BrendanHasty]

Hi Francisco, thanks for the correction agree a Masonary would find it hard to retain soil. Also agree on the sheet system I should have noted the tie backs and it is a temporary system. Thanks for the corrections and support.

[@viacheslavmikheenkov9364]

I would also add KeyStone wall with geo Grid soil reinforcement as another widely used type of Retaining system. Coming across it every now and then these days. Thanks for the video!

[@BrendanHasty]

Hi Viacheslav, thanks for watching and the suggestion on the new retaining system.

[@knowledgedwayoflife7427]

Hi Brendan, thanks for the knowledge. It’s cool.

[@BrendanHasty]

Hi thanks for the support, glad that you found it knowledgeable.

[@3QuaNiMiTyy]

As a new construction lawyer I would be interested in hearing about the most common types of defects in structural engineering and any information that is key for a layperson understanding those defects.

[@BrendanHasty]

Hi Zephyr, thanks for the suggestion this would be a interesting topic. I will add it to the list.

[@3QuaNiMiTyy]

@@BrendanHasty thanks Brendan, have a great week!

[@edwaterengineering696]

Very informative! Goes to show as a water engineer how little I know about structural 😬

[@BrendanHasty]

Hi Edward, thanks for watching. Glad that I can help your education.

[@edwaterengineering696]

@@BrendanHasty Keep it coming!

[@antoineletendre4822]

Good video, but I will note that you missed what is becoming one of the most common wall type in seismic areas, MSE or GRS walls. There are also O-pile walls which are common in coastal purposes, although it could be argued that they are just a variant of sheet piles.

[@BrendanHasty]

Hi Antoine, I will need to look into thanks for letting me know.

[@dnldrmsfld]

Another great video. Thank you.

[@BrendanHasty]

Hi thanks for the support and watching. Hope yo keep impressing with future content.

[@sibesokalaluka2991]

New Subscriber here!.. in my 1st year of structural engineering

[@BrendanHasty]

Hi Sibeso, thanks for subscribing hope that my videos will be helpful.

[@sibesokalaluka2991]

@@BrendanHasty i hope so Thanks for your videos I’ll be coming regularly to ask questions

[@randomstudio4973]

Thank you sir!!.

[@BrendanHasty]

Thanks for watching.

[@ayadjasim9911]

Excellent lecture .. we hope make video talks about steel structure Thumb rule mulity story building more than 15 story ( column -beam-slab-foundation) .. more details and foxes than brevause vide .. thx your offert

[@BrendanHasty]

Hi Ayad, thanks for watching and the suggestion.

[@natnaelayele4853]

You are great man

[@BrendanHasty]

Hi Natnael, thanks for the support.

[@Veke96]

The main dilemma is when to use cantilever diaphragms and when to use cantilever diaphragms with internal struts. Even if we go with good calculations, cantilever diaphragms system had some collapses when it is without internal struts, because of large displacements of points on top of the wall.

[@BrendanHasty]

Hi Veke, this is similar to cantilever Pile systems as well, with concrete deflections are hard to do correctly. Even small displacements can cause issues with adjacent structures. It is something that you need to watch out for. Thanks for sharing.

[@linjames1217]

Great content

[@BrendanHasty]

Thanks Soft GeoWit glad that you enjoyed it

[@siddharthraman8619]

Sir could you make a video of chosing the types of foundations?

[@BrendanHasty]

Hi Siddharth, thanks for the support. This would be a great topic thanks for the suggestion.

[@GTbee]

Thank you

[@BrendanHasty]

Thanks for watching.

[@Mohalab]

Sir great video as always, I wonder how can I get the knowledge of structure building, I’m at the Final semester on college and while I’m watching you I feel like I know nothing about civil engineering.

[@BrendanHasty]

Hi Idkurn, thanks for the support. University is the only start of what you need to know, it really teaches you how to think. Everyone starts this way so you are in good company.

[@luisruelas7521]

What i always have trouble with is high walls. Clients dont tend to understand that higher the wall, higher the rebar demand and its not a linear increment. Is there another type of foundation to use other than spread footing for these kinds of high walls?

[@BrendanHasty]

Hi Luis thanks for watching. You can add buttresses to a cantilever wall this significant increases the stiffness and reduces the reinforcement demand, or add permanent anchors.

[@kasperkerkhof2252]

Great video. The bending moment diagrams shown are a bit untypical ;)

[@BrendanHasty]

Hi Kasper, thanks for watching and the support.

[@likonyachristian7587]

hi, I am a student in the last year of a bachelor's degree at the University of Ottawa in civil engineering (structure and geotechnical option). I am currently carrying out my end-of-study project on the design of an excavation protection system in view of future construction of a basement for a 14-level residential building, and I would like to have recommendations regarding the appropriate manuals that could be useful to me throughout the realization of my project.

[@BrendanHasty]

Most retention system are highly dependent on the soil, and most guides have lot of different types. Look into limit defections as it would cause settlement.

[@howtohardscape]

Great video Brendan! Would you be available to do an interview for our podcast?

[@BrendanHasty]

Hi Hardscape, depending on time I would be interested in doing a podcast.

[@soimhossen3023]

Nice 👌

[@BrendanHasty]

Thanks for the support Soim

[@TheVDamato96]

Great video. Just letting you know there a few spelling mistakes in your graphics, just thought I'd let you know! Either than that, good stuff.

[@BrendanHasty]

Hi Vincent, thanks for the tips on improving, it is something I am trying to check.

[@davidbird4771]

Pretty good treatment of the subject but at 2:59 you talk about cantilever retaining walls but yet are showing a picture of an anchored sheet pile wall.

[@BrendanHasty]

Hi David, good pick up I missed it in the edit. Agree that it is a sheet retaining wall. Thanks for the support.

[@davidbird4771]

@@BrendanHasty 48 years as a geo-structural consultant; it ain't my first rodeo. :-)

[@ayatsafaa9000]

the cantilever retaining wall is my graduation project

[@BrendanHasty]

Hi Ayat, hope this video help alittle. Good luck on your project.

[@chrislowe6278]

Someone lives in Brisbane huh

[@BrendanHasty]

Hi Chris used to not any more. Thanks for watching.

[@peterxyz3541]

I guess water dams are retaining walls…?

[@BrendanHasty]

Hi Peter, Dams are retaining water so they are a type retaining wall, but come with some more complexity.

[@marcocalcagno2936]

Can you do a video on how much you get paid from KZbin?

[@BrendanHasty]

Hi Marco, I am going to do a QandA from hitting 20k likely will answer it there, sneekpeak, less the 1k a month

[@chrislamrock5952]

What's your take on this. Just search Coquilam retining wall failure