Structures from first principles!
The primary function of every retaining wall is to resist the lateral forces from earth without any stability problems. The taller the retaining wall, the more likely that counterforts will become necessary to achieve stability. This article explains how to design a counterfort retaining wall.
Slab rafts are the simplest form of raft foundation typically encountered in practice. The motivation as with other raft foundation is to bring applied pressures to acceptable limits.
Foundation design has traditionally been conducted using the permissible stress method with the application of a global factor of safety. With the introduction of Eurocode 7, however, a distinctive design philosophy was presented, one that is based on the application partial factors. Thus, this article aims to investigate if higher bearing capacity values can be justified to Eurocode 7.
Retaining walls with respect to their form and construction method can be grouped into three categories vis a vis: gravity, embedded and hybrid. This is discussed in this article.
Ground improvement is the modification or treatment of weak and loose soil in order to improve their bearing capacities and potential settlement characteristics.