Segmental Retaining Wall Block Vs Mortared Concrete

Mortared concrete block and cast in place concrete walls involve highly paid skilled labor and take more time to install and they will need stone or brick facings if aesthetics are important.

Segmental retaining wall block vs mortared concrete.

Water and weather wear down the mortar over time and can causes leaks. In 1986 allan block introduced its first segmental retaining wall block srw. The walls are structurally stable yet they remain flexible to tolerate minor earth movement without damage. The wall batter compensates for any slight lateral movement of the srw face due to earth pressure and complements the aesthetic attributes of the srw system.

Segmental retaining walls are constructed without mortar or concrete footings. Without joints poured walls possess a greater lateral strength which essentially means they have a greater ability to resist pressure presented by water and the soil. Manufacturer s recommendations should be followed regarding the capacity of their particular system for the soil loads under consideration. You ll need to consider the purpose of the wall the look your desire and your budget when deciding what retaining wall material is right for you.

This method creates walls that are easy and economical to install. Segmental retaining walls are generally installed with a small horizontal setback between units creating a wall batter into the retained soil ω in figure 2. Instead the retaining wall units are simply stacked on a shallow granular leveling pad. The hollow core design combines with mortarless construction to allow water to drain freely from behind the segmental retaining wall.

Poured concrete foundation walls are arguably stronger than cinder block foundation walls. The dry stack construction technique allows the incidental water to escape by flowing around the blocks and out the. Segmental retaining walls can be designed as either conventional or as reinforced soil as illustrated in figure 1. Incidental water moves easily through a vertical drain that is formed by the layer of wall rock placed behind the block and in the block cores.

Segmental retaining walls srws are designed to be used as a gravity wall either with or without reinforcement and can have heights in excess of 40. The structural capacity of the srw system will vary with the srw unit size shape batter etc. The individual units interlock with each other to avoid overturning and sliding. Srws are modular blocks made from concrete that are often dry stacked without mortar.