Design for a Retaining Wall along Hume Road - Coursework Example

Design for a Retaining Wall along Hume Road Name: Affiliate Institution: Retaining Wall along Hume Road in Australia Review Topic A retaining wall is vital for busy roads to ensure is durability. This report will focus on building a retaining wall along the Hume freeway road that connects Melbourne to Sydney city. The retaining wall will help curb the water flow which encourages the development of gullies. The gullies destroy the road hence creating traffic. The major reason for the designing and construction of the retaining wall, is to prevent soil carriage in arears that are sloppy. This barrier will help maintain the road edges from the outside which is vulnerable to running water. (Sousa, Fernandes & Ramos, 2006). Outline The world is full of many architectural designs that have been produced by different engineers and architectures. It is good to appreciate their efforts in coming up with such designs. However, this entails much hard work and dedication. Knowledge needs to be exploited for such kinds of achievements to be made. Geotechnical engineering is in the forefront in building and construction activities not only in Australia, but also all over the world. Mechanized stabilized earth (MSE) walls are modern developments in geotechnical engineering while allowing engineers to design particular walls that are in a position to support additional weight majorly on steeper slopes while being cost effective. If such a wall is installed along Hume road, it will foster sustainable environment development by hindering soil erosion. Geotechnical engineering is necessary for day to day lives. This document is a detailed report of such kind of architecture while it helps one to understand various principles of design and development that surrounds it. In the first section, it will give the meaning of a retaining wall as known in geotechnical engineering systems. The next section will in detail develop the some ideas that will help ensure that the wall designed is cost friendly and lasts long. As long as we are set to develop a retaining wall, it should be sustainable and economical. The retaining wall will be overcoming heavy flow of water and blocks when it rains. So the designing materials must be tailored to withstand the pressure. Background information retaining walls Failure in a retaining wall design does not entail collapsing it also entails eroding slowly due to withering. This failure can be defined well by an instance where the retaining wall does not serve the sole purpose of its building. It can also depend on the expectations that might exist in the people who take part in design it, for our case it should be strong and should also have a boosted durability. Such include geotechnical engineers, contractors, project team members, and design engineers. Some may be so optimistic about the structure that needs to be produced while others may be having lower expectations. To avoid this, the wall should be built by a contractor who has a good reputation to ensure that, the retaining wall serves all the purposes intended in Hume road (Sousa, Fernandes & Ramos, 2006). Let us cite some of the various factors to consider when designing the wall as well as its stability. There could be a case where the wall is entirely stable while it has water seepage direct from its face. The retaining wall inclination angle. The shape, width, length and appearance of the wall. The distance from the main road dimensions and the proximity. The materials used to ensure no cracks and water seepage through the wall. However, the expectations of the wall structure will also be varying depending with the demographical elements and the prevailing circumstances such as sloppy areas differ from flat sections. In the same matter, the degrees of success would also differ from one area to another along the Hume road (Sousa, Fernandes & Ramos, 2006). There are some instances whereby the risks that are associated with collapsing of MSE walls have been frequently reported in Australia. One of the towns that have had many cases is Melbourne. As engineers and other developers acknowledge this recent development, it is also advisable to understand that there are failures that are associated with it. In this case, one could be in a position to find out a course of actions that would help in evading or reducing such failure cases. A report by National Engineering Registration Board (NERB) in conjunction with an anonymous statistical company in Australia has indicated that 1 in every 1000 MSE walls fall. This is an alarming rate that needs to be averted as early as possible. This rate has had a hand in discouraging various design engineers who shy away from taking part in projects that are known to have large retaining walls along this road. If this trend is not stopped or reduced, project owners- for this case the government, and investors will lose a significant economic value in various structural systems (Anumba, 2000, January). Retaining walls may in real sense appear as simple structures. It is only until you get to understand the work and dedication that it entails you would not believe. Retaining walls are meant to stabilize slopes to avoid landslides and other related issues such as soil erosion. Designing of MSE road retaining walls is difficult during its construction and inspection. Technological advancements in the industry make it appear simpler, that is, plugging of different kinds of numbers into software package while making use of materials from off-the-shelf. It is important for building and construction industry to treat a large variety of retaining walls as more complex and sophisticated types of engineering structures that exist in real life. This would help in carefully monitoring them to avoid any types of failures (Hewage, Ruwanpura & Jergeas, 2008). Impact of inadequate designs on the retaining wall failure For geotechnical engineers to succeed in their endeavors, there is a need to understand the appropriate designs that must be used in retaining walls along Hume freeway road. Failure of retaining walls would lead to disastrous developments such as landslides and eventual failure of the building structure. Distress is one of the immediate results of inadequate structures. This might result may be because the engineer concerned had not taken adequate time to avoid coming up with poor structural designs or heavy down pour. At this point, it is important to look at pavement distress that comes with inadequate designing of structures in any construction sites, especially in Australia. Australia is one of the countries that value building and construction. Engineers evaluate foundation for any building to stand well for an extended period. Many buildings that do not withstand all types of weather are usually blamed on a weak infrastructure and inadequate designs from the word go (Sousa, Fernandes & Ramos, 2006). Construction imperfections in many sites of construction are common to developing and developed countries. The proposed intent of any design needs to be taken into consideration to come up with the required structure following the correction of defects of construction. Tall walls are susceptible to negligence in coming up with appropriate designs from time to time in different parts of the world. Incidences have been witnessed as a result of failures that are necessitated by inadequate designs. Any slight probability of failure should be taken into consideration to avoid the harm that might be caused to human life. Losses might also be created when the wall collapses and causes large traffic because of reasons that could have easily been taken care. Much capital would be wasted as a result of collapsing of retaining walls because they werw meant to be protected are left susceptible to losses (Tokede & Wamuziri, 2012, September). Use of marble in buildings especially walls have been recommended by many qualified engineers. Steady rains and earthquakes, therefore, do not spare them in any way. There is a need for these engineers to be extra vigilant in knowing that any rains may fall hence causing widespread losses that would put their credibility into question. However, geotechnical engineers should come up with a more resistant material that would withstand the threat displayed by rains or other weather issues that can be easily dealt with. Application of the knowledge in the geotechnical field helps one to design the desired structures putting into consideration the specifications of the construction site. This qualifies the need to involve soil engineers to give proper specifications of what needs to be used as backfill and what kinds of designs need to be applied (Sousa, Fernandes & Ramos, 2006). Designers are required to take consideration of the materials that are used in making them successful. Pavement design procedures need to be used well to bring forth success. Some concrete slabs may not be fit for pavements hence failing in according the needed support for the retaining walls. In this case, they will be susceptible to failure in meeting its targets at any given time. After a wall with the following dimensions was completed; 800-foot-long, 16.5-foot-tall, rains fell. This sunk the hopes of contractors and the owner of the building the slabs used was not supportive enough hence not meeting its intentions. This might be a gradual process but would eventually be disastrous. This would also bring forth losses as far as financial issues are concerned (Tokede & Wamuziri, 2012, September). When the geotechnical engineer was finally questioned for the failure of the wall, he was to blame because he used the wrong recipe altogether. Sand caused high hydrostatic pressure that eventually brought the wall down. Torrential rains and other natural disasters are inevitable therefore if they fall at any time, they should not introduce disaster, but the wall should withstand any kinds of conditions. It was difficult for the parties that were involved in the construction of such a wall to have a sound recollection of what happened before and after the construction. The owner was categorical in arguing that he had not allowed any change in the use of sand as a backfill. It seems that people in the project team did not concentrate adequately in the conference call hence having different recollections. If they were attentive to details, the blame game could not ensue at all (Sousa, Fernandes & Ramos, 2006). Impact of water flows on retaining walls Rains are a scare to many geotechnical engineers and contractors. There is a need to curb the effects that come as a result of rains such as poor drainage and eroding away of walls and other structures. According to a report released in Australia in 2014, close to 90 percent of problems are triggered by water. In 2015 in Australia’s town Melbourne, a 40-foot-tall MSE wall that had been initiated by geotechnical and civil engineers collapsed following a heavy rain. This happened after eight months since it was constructed. The wall’s collapse launched 2000-pound blocks that were more than 50 feet during the popping. This was a loss to both the owners and the engineers involved because they all put much effort and time to make sure it has been obtained. The economy would be compromised since it would mean starting from the drawing board while learning from mistakes that caused the collapse (Sousa, Fernandes & Ramos, 2006). That kind of a retaining wall had withstood many incidences of rains but gave in during this final rain. A direct explanation of this is that the wall would have been weakened by the previous occasions hence leading to its susceptibility to the last storm. Winds caused drains of the wall to clog. The engineering works would be to blame while the rest of the blames fall squarely on the entire rain which could have been triggered by poor wall design. The amount of water that would fall downhill would be more than the one anticipated by the engineers involved during the entire design and construction. The face of MSE is a good determinant in coming up with the recommended amount of water that should flow safely without causing any harm. The engineers should be at their best in coming up with recommended quantity of water that should flow over the face of the MSE wall (Tokede & Wamuziri, 2012, September). Water also causes softening of the foundation soils that had been laid earlier before the wall was constructed. This softening would lead to higher chances of failure as compared to when there are no rains at all. Foundation is a base for any building structure. It is important to take enough time in laying a good foundation ground that would prevent or reduce any chances of collapsing of MSE walls in future. Most of the cases where foundation wall is weak lead to higher chances of wall failure as compared to stronger foundation. Water is known to cause wall failures in many ways. The first one is clogging of drain lines as a result of silt that ensue from running water that maybe as a result of heavy rains causing instability of the wall. The drain lines might be too minute to tame the high amounts of water that flow directly through the system. In many cases, the water flows with great force that would damage everything as far as the wall structures are concerned. On the other hand, backfill used might not be adequately in a porous state that would allow water to flow without interruption. The resistance of water flow would be problematic since they present action and reaction force that finally collapses the wall. (Hewage, Ruwanpura & Jergeas, 2008). The geotechnical engineers might have made mistakes in finding out the backfill's porosity. This is because it might have been unevenly distributed hence giving contradicting results altogether. In this case, this porosity might have been measured during rainy or dry season is hence giving contradicting measurements. Such kinds of measurements are usually carried out after taking soil samples of the substances that make up the backfill. Construction of detention basin for the storm water can help in containing the water runoff. The worst thing in escalating the effects of water flow is constructing the structure or wall over any natural spring. Indian Ocean’s islands and countries along coastal region are prone to such types of springs that would be catastrophic in nature. However, Australia is not an exception. In other instances, drainage swales that have been designed at wall’s back may clog hence bringing complications to the entire process of construction. Drain lines are important in containing drainage menace. However, when these lines are cut or crushed mistakenly by equipment used in landscaping, the wall would be at higher risk of soaking and eventually collapsing (Anumba, 2000, January). Prevalence of water damaging the retaining walls is high because there are numerous ways that this would be manifested. Many engineers have been blaming water due to their failures especially during heavy rain seasons or El Nino, which rock many parts of the world. In 2015, there has been a prediction of a strong El Nino that might hit most parts of the world. This would be the period where engineers would find dreadful as far as their field of work is concerned. If the trend of negligence and poor communication continues, many cases of collapsing buildings would be cited while engineers are held accountable (Tokede & Wamuziri, 2012, September). Recommendations and remedial actions To avoid collapse of the retaining wall along Hume road, it is necessary to the parties involved to be extra vigilant in their mandates. This would enable one to refer in future in case of some deviations in the construction and implementation process. Project team members would see to it when there is some bone of contention in the process. In many cases, failure to document it would lead to the misbehavior of the parties involved meaning that each of them may do what they deem right hence leading to failures. The engineers should be kept involved during the construction process. This can be made possible through site visits and allowing them to give their insights about the construction sites. Engineers are an integral part of any development. Geotechnical engineers recommend the best side and the substance that can be used as backfill. In the case seen earlier in this report, project members used sand instead of clean gravel hence contributing to wall’s failure. They carry out various measurements that would give appropriate information about what has to be done before the kick-off of the construction. The team involved in construction should control amounts of water around the structure. Retaining walls are very sensitive to water. It would be worsened due to the weaker foundation since it would be soaked hence making it susceptible to failure. As seen earlier, poor drainage leads to many cases of failures as compared to any other cause. The project team including the geotechnical engineers should be in a position of treating the entire retaining wall as an engineering structure that is unique and complex. This would mean maintaining it well while carefully examining it to note any suspicious occurrence that would lead to failure (Tokede & Wamuziri, 2012, September). However, the team needs to make constant visits to ascertain the better situation that the structure is deemed. Conclusion Geotechnical engineering is important in coming up with different kinds of architectural designs and buildings. This report entails a review of constructing a retaining wall along the Hume freeway. Retaining walls fail due to inappropriate structures, especially pavement specification. Weak pavements would be detrimental to walls hence leading to malfunctioning. Lastly, it gives remedial courses of actions that should be put in place to ensure failures would be kept at bay in future. Incidences of failure lead to economic problems since many resources had been applied. Its repeat would mean spending extra resources and funding. References Anumba, C. J. (2000, January). Integrated systems for construction: challenges of the millennium. In Proceedings of the International Conference on Construction Information Technology, Hong Kong (Vol. 17, pp. 78-92). Hewage, K. N., Ruwanpura, J. Y., & Jergeas, G. F. (2008). IT usage in Alberta's building construction projects: Current status and challenges.Automation in construction, 17(8), 940-947. Sousa, S. F., Fernandes, P. A., & Ramos, M. J. (2006). Protein–ligand docking: current status and future challenges. Proteins: Structure, Function, and Bioinformatics, 65(1), 15-26. Tokede, O., & Wamuziri, S. (2012, September). Perceptions of fuzzy set theory in construction risk analysis. In Procs 28th Annual ARCOM Conference (pp. 3-5). Read More

To avoid this, the wall should be built by a contractor who has a good reputation to ensure that, the retaining wall serves all the purposes intended in Hume road (Sousa, Fernandes & Ramos, 2006). Let us cite some of the various factors to consider when designing the wall as well as its stability. There could be a case where the wall is entirely stable while it has water seepage direct from its face. The retaining wall inclination angle. The shape, width, length and appearance of the wall.

The distance from the main road dimensions and the proximity. The materials used to ensure no cracks and water seepage through the wall. However, the expectations of the wall structure will also be varying depending with the demographical elements and the prevailing circumstances such as sloppy areas differ from flat sections. In the same matter, the degrees of success would also differ from one area to another along the Hume road (Sousa, Fernandes & Ramos, 2006). There are some instances whereby the risks that are associated with collapsing of MSE walls have been frequently reported in Australia.

One of the towns that have had many cases is Melbourne. As engineers and other developers acknowledge this recent development, it is also advisable to understand that there are failures that are associated with it. In this case, one could be in a position to find out a course of actions that would help in evading or reducing such failure cases. A report by National Engineering Registration Board (NERB) in conjunction with an anonymous statistical company in Australia has indicated that 1 in every 1000 MSE walls fall.

This is an alarming rate that needs to be averted as early as possible. This rate has had a hand in discouraging various design engineers who shy away from taking part in projects that are known to have large retaining walls along this road. If this trend is not stopped or reduced, project owners- for this case the government, and investors will lose a significant economic value in various structural systems (Anumba, 2000, January). Retaining walls may in real sense appear as simple structures.

It is only until you get to understand the work and dedication that it entails you would not believe. Retaining walls are meant to stabilize slopes to avoid landslides and other related issues such as soil erosion. Designing of MSE road retaining walls is difficult during its construction and inspection. Technological advancements in the industry make it appear simpler, that is, plugging of different kinds of numbers into software package while making use of materials from off-the-shelf. It is important for building and construction industry to treat a large variety of retaining walls as more complex and sophisticated types of engineering structures that exist in real life.

This would help in carefully monitoring them to avoid any types of failures (Hewage, Ruwanpura & Jergeas, 2008). Impact of inadequate designs on the retaining wall failure For geotechnical engineers to succeed in their endeavors, there is a need to understand the appropriate designs that must be used in retaining walls along Hume freeway road. Failure of retaining walls would lead to disastrous developments such as landslides and eventual failure of the building structure. Distress is one of the immediate results of inadequate structures.

This might result may be because the engineer concerned had not taken adequate time to avoid coming up with poor structural designs or heavy down pour. At this point, it is important to look at pavement distress that comes with inadequate designing of structures in any construction sites, especially in Australia. Australia is one of the countries that value building and construction. Engineers evaluate foundation for any building to stand well for an extended period. Many buildings that do not withstand all types of weather are usually blamed on a weak infrastructure and inadequate designs from the word go (Sousa, Fernandes & Ramos, 2006).

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