Author Question: Why are drain holes an essential part of a retaining wall? What will be an ideal ... (Read 61 times)

mspears3 · **on:** Jul 15, 2018

Why are drain holes an essential part of a retaining wall? What will be an ideal response?

Question 2

What does it mean to buttress a landslide? What will be an ideal response?

Jsherida · **Reply #1 on:** Jul 15, 2018

Answer to Question 1

Without them, water will build up behind the wall. This water increases the weight of the slope
material, and more importantly, the water pressure can exert tremendous force on the wall, causing it
to fail.

Answer to Question 2

Buttressing involves loading up the toe area of a landslide in order to counter driving forces from
upslope. This is accomplished by constructing an engineered fill called a buttress fill. For coastal
landslides, the buttress would be armored on its seaward side by large rocks capable of resisting wave
attack. Ideally, buttressing is combined with removal of mass from the upper part of the landslide. This
material may be used to construct the engineered fill lower down. Using this approach, gravitational
driving force is decreased, while simultaneously increasing resisting forces. In essence, the strength of
the lower part of the landslide is increased.