Lesson learned from retaining wall failures: a geotechnical disaster

Abstract

This article presents five failure cases of retaining wall which is obtained from literature and some personal documentation. One case is located in Singapore, two cases are located in Taiwan, and the other two cases are located in Indonesia. Among those five cases, four cases were the unloading problems and one case was the loading problems. The objective of this article is to summarize the causes of those failures, according to the literature study and to provide some recommendations to prevent similar events happened in the future. The failure of retaining wall is categorized as a geotechnical disaster because it is not only causing major economic losses but also some casualties also been reported. The main reason for the failure was the improper design of the retaining and supporting system. One of the good indication before failure would occur was excessive movements induced by excavation or fill. Hence, it was recommended to install a proper geotechnical instrumentation in the construction and the nearby area. Moreover, an excavation or fill project should be strictly operated and controlled by a safety management to avoid any casualties. The safety regulations should be supported and understood by all of the people involved in excavation or fill projects.