Strength Properties of Wooden Retaining Walls Manufactured with Pinus rigida Miller

Abstract

The strength properties of wooden retaining wall which was made with pitch pine were evaluated. Wooden retaining wall was made with diameter 90 mm of pitch pine round posts treated with CUAZ-2 (Copper Azole). The length of the front stretcher of the retaining wall was 3,000 mm. The distance between the headers (the notched member) is 1,000 mm in center and is 900 mm in side. There were connections every 2,000 mm because actually the length of stretcher is limited in the retaining wall. The strength test was carried out according to connection type because the section between stretchers can act as a defect. A result of the strength test according to connection type confirms that connection does not act as defect because the strength of retaining wall in single stretcher is similar to that in the section between stretchers. The strength test of the wooden retaining wall was carried out in 5 types according to the condition of the base section. When the upper soil pressure was 9.8 kN/m 2 , the maximum load of the retaining wall fixing the front foundation shows higher values than those of others. But the total deformation is lower in the retaining wall not to fix a base section than in that to fix a base section. It is thought that the retaining wall not to fix a base section shows low value because the deformation is distributed throughout the retaining wall and it is confirmed that the soil pressure affects supporting the structure because the deformation of the retaining wall under low pressure is 3∼4 fold higher than those of others. The failure mode of the retaining wall is the overturning type because the high section is deformed. Mostly, the failure mode is the separation of the header in the notched section.