Cantilevered retaining walls

Cantilever Retaining Walls

Cantilever retaining walls are constructed of reinforced concrete. They consist of a relatively thin stem and a base slab. The base is also divided into two parts, the heel and toe. The heel is the part of the base under the backfill. The toe is the other part of the base.

• Use much less concrete than monolithic gravity walls, but require more design and careful construction.
• Generally economical up to about 25 ft. in height.
• Can be precast in a factory or formed on site.

CANTILEVER

WALLS

• Cantilever theory was

introduced by Galileo in

the 16th Century, then

advanced by Sir John

Fowler and Sir Benjamin

Baker in the 19th Century

• Reinforced concrete

retaining walls were

introduced by the

Chicago, Burlington and

Quincy Railroad in the

1880s

Common

types of

cantilever

retaining

wall systems

• Pile driving

dates back to

the time of the

Romans

• Large diameter

augers allow

structures to

extend into

any kind of

material