How thick should a concrete basement wall be?
In general, poured concrete basement walls that are 8 feet tall or less and have no more than 7 feet of soil pressing against them from the outside function well at a thickness of 8 inches. When a taller wall or a higher level of soil or both come into play, the thickness should increase to 10 inches.
Which type of retaining wall is used for basement?
As stated above that the basement outer walls are act as retaining wall and it is some time called as cantilever retaining wall because it is free standing structure without lateral supports at top. The lateral pressure at the top of basement wall is minimum and increased with the depth and maximum at the bottom.
How deep should a concrete retaining wall be?
The depth to the bottom of the base slab should be kept at a minimum of two feet. However, it should always be below the seasonal frost line, and that often is much deeper in northern climates.
What is the difference between a basement wall and a retaining wall?
A basement wall is thus one kind of retaining wall. But the term usually refers to a cantilever retaining wall, which is a freestanding structure without lateral support at its top. These are cantilevered from a footing and rise above the grade on one side to retain a higher level grade on the opposite side.
What is code for concrete footings?
Footings should extend to a minimum depth of 12 inches below previously undisturbed soil. Footings also must extend at least 12 inches below the frost line (the depth to which the ground freezes in winter) or must be frost-protected.
What is the standard size for a retaining wall?
Soil is heavy, especially when soaking wet from a recent rainstorm, so a basic retaining wall (four feet tall and 15 feet long) potentially has to support up to 20 tons of soil pressure. With every additional foot of height, the pressure of the soil increases substantially.
What is counterfort retaining wall?
A counterfort retaining wall is a cantilever wall with counterforts, or buttresses, attached to the inside face of the wall to further resist lateral thrust. Some common materials used for retaining walls are treated lumber , concrete block systems, poured concrete, stone, and brick.
What is a retaining wall on a bridge?
A bridge abutment – is a retaining wall at the junction of the bridge deck and the elevated embankment. It performs 2 functions: takes on the vertical load coming from the bridge deck, and the horizontal load of the retained soil of the embankment.