Retaining walls and breast walls - RETAIN

The function of retaining walls is to retain the backfill below (i) the hill road (ii) rail lines or (iii) terraces for building complexes. Table 16.1 illustrates types and choice of appropriate retaining wall. Table 16.2 shows various types of breast walls and the selection of an appropriate breast wall. The purpose of a breast wall is to stabilize a cut slope in soils and very poor rock masses and to prevent erosion of the cut slopes during the rainy season. Experience suggests that a breast wall embedded in rock is not just ornamental but a structural support, even if its thickness is less.