Question

Would you like to recommend cohesive soils as the backfills behind a retaining structure? Justify your answer.

Answer 1

No I would not recommend cohesive soils as a backfill material behind the retaining structure.

The reasons behind this are as follows:-

* Cohesive soils offers poor drainage through weep holes if rainwater impounded as cohesive soils are low permeable soils.

* Cohesive soils tend to swell and shrink due to moisture variation as a result of which it exerts more overturning force on the retaining structure due to swelling and impounded water.

* Over the period of time cohesive soil undergoes consolidation settlement which also creates problem for the stability of the retaining structure.

* Though cohesive soils reduces active pressure but also increases passive pressure.

* Cohesive soils leads to the development of tension crack.

These are not the problems with cohesionless soil which is beneficial so cohesionless soils should be used as backfill material behind the retaining structure.

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