ABSTRACT
Retaining walls are used in many situations, but most are not usually constructed of masonry. In this study, the potential for concrete blockwork to be used as a low-rise retaining wall was investigated. The wall is a shallow arch in plan view, held between two rigid supports for the abutments. The concept is that the blockwork wall will resist the lateral pressure of the earth through arch action, avoiding “snap-through” of the wall. The response of the wall was measured as the wall was backfilled with soil and the soil compacted. One half of the wall was fully grouted, while the other half was left hollow to compare the behaviour of the grouted and un-grouted masonry. The effects of backfilling are reported via strain and displacement profiles in the wall. The maximum deflection was recorded at the top edge of the wall and the maximum stresses did not exceed the capacity of masonry.
