Explain the Structural Need, Placement and Reinforcement of Shear Key
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In a retaining wall, resistance to sliding is mainly due to friction between the bottom of the base slab and soil surface on which it rests. It depends on the total weight of the wall and the weight of the backfill above the heel slab. If this force does not provide the required safety, additional resistance must be generated. One way to do it is to increase weight of the wall or increase length of heel slab. Another way is to use a shear key. A shear key generates additional resistance to sliding because of the passive earth pressure due to the soil in front of the shear key. Passive earth pressure being much greater than active earth pressure, even a small depth of shear key can generate tremendous resistance to sliding.
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What is the function of the shear key in a retaining wall?
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5 ANSWERS
Satish Annigeri
Satish Annigeri, Practicing structural engineer and I teach structural engineering
Answered May 1, 2017 · Upvoted by Nisheet Reddy, MS Structural Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana…
In a retaining wall, resistance to sliding is mainly due to friction between the bottom of the base slab and soil surface on which it rests. It depends on the total weight of the wall and the weight of the backfill above the heel slab. If this force does not provide the required safety, additional resistance must be generated. One way to do it is to increase weight of the wall or increase length of heel slab. Another way is to use a shear key. A shear key generates additional resistance to sliding because of the passive earth pressure due to the soil in front of the shear key. Passive earth pressure being much greater than active earth pressure, even a small depth of shear key can generate tremendous resistance to sliding.