Designing high-rise console walls with PLAXIS

Under normal conditions, the design of retaining walls over 6 m high requires the design of anchors or other supports. Our office was asked to design a 13m wall without support, and this is due to lot restrictions. The proposed solution is the design of the diaphragm walls shaped of the T. This solution enables the soil loads to be obtained while maintaining minimal wall displacements and minimal impact of the surrounding environment. The design was done using the PLAXIS 3D model. The soil conditions at the site are medium-density sand. According to the calculation results, the displacement at the top of the wall is about 1.5 cm. A similar settlements expected in the adjacent area behind the wall. It is important to note that calculating such walls requires consideration of the friction developed to the "leg" of the wall and therefore cannot be done by ordinary equilibrium methods.