--- title: "Geogrid Fabric for Retaining Wall, Slope and Roadbase Support" date: 2021-10-27 author: "Pawan Khatri" url: https://oceangeosynthetics.com/geogrid-fabric-for-retaining-wall-slope-and-roadbase-support/ --- October 27, 2021 | [Geogrids](https://oceangeosynthetics.com/category/geogrids/), [Insights](https://oceangeosynthetics.com/category/insights/) # Geogrid Fabric for Retaining Wall, Slope and Roadbase Support ## Geogrid Universal ![](https://oceangeosynthetics.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/Geogrid-300x96.png) A bi-directional (biaxial) [geogrid](https://oceangeosynthetics.com/products/geogrid-manufacturers/) supplied in lengths of 3, 4 or 6 feet (about 0.9, 1.2 or 1.8 m). Because it has similar strength in both directions, it can be laid either perpendicular or parallel to the wall. ## Geogrid 3 Series ![](https://oceangeosynthetics.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/Geogrid-1-300x77.png) Rated for [retaining walls](https://oceangeosynthetics.com/solution/retaining-walls-soil-reinforcement/) up to 10 feet (about 3 m) tall. It has strength in both directions, so this [geogrid](https://oceangeosynthetics.com/products/geogrid-manufacturers/) can run parallel or perpendicular to the wall. ## Uni-directional Geogrid 5-9 Series ![](https://oceangeosynthetics.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/geogrid-2-300x238.png) A uniaxial grid carries its rated strength in one direction only, so it must be installed with that direction perpendicular to the wall face, running back into the retained soil. ## Table of Contents ## How to Make a Proper Geogrid Fabric (Stabilizing Grid) Retaining Wall: A retaining wall has to be built with the right materials and the right details to stay stable over the long term. If corners are cut during construction, or a stabilising grid is left out where one is needed, the wall can bulge, lean and eventually collapse, putting people at risk and damaging the property behind it. When hiring a contractor, check their experience with reinforced retaining walls. Retaining walls fail for several reasons, and one of the most common is poor drainage behind the wall. Water trapped in the backfill adds hydrostatic pressure, and clay backfill swells when wet. In cold regions the problem is worse: water in a clay backfill freezes at night, expands, and pushes the wall outward a little more with each freeze-thaw cycle, which is most frequent in spring and autumn. Height is the other common cause. A wall built taller than its blocks can support without reinforcement has nothing to resist the extra soil pressure, and a failed wall usually has to be demolished and rebuilt at far greater cost than doing it properly the first time. ## How To Build A Good Retaining Wall: A reinforced block retaining wall is not complicated to build, and the grid itself is inexpensive. It does mean extra excavation, backfilling and compaction behind the wall, but that costs much less than rebuilding a failed wall. Many owners, and some contractors, do not know when a stabilising grid is needed, and leave it out to save time and money. Geogrids for segmental retaining walls (SRW) are commonly high-tenacity woven polyester grids with a protective coating. The grid is laid between courses of blocks, where it is held by the blocks or by connection pins, and extends back into the retained soil. Its tensile strength ties the block or stone facing to a reinforced mass of soil behind it, so the wall and soil act together as one gravity structure. For the order of work on site, our [step-by-step guide to installing geogrid in a retaining wall](https://oceangeosynthetics.com/how-do-you-install-geogrid-on-a-retaining-wall/) runs from foundation and levelling pad through laying, tensioning and covering each layer of grid. ## When Is Grid Stabilization Necessary? Whether a stabilising grid is needed depends on the soil being retained and on what the wall is built from. Clay soils absorb water and swell, and are the hardest to keep drained, so a grid is strongly recommended where clay is being retained. The reinforced zone itself should be backfilled with free-draining granular material rather than clay. The heavier and deeper the wall units, the less grid is needed. Common rules of thumb: For a split-face limestone wall six or eight inches (150 or 200 mm) deep, consider a stabilising grid once the exposed height exceeds 24 inches (about 600 mm). For manufactured concrete block walls, a stabilising grid is usually needed from about 36″ to 48″ (0.9 to 1.2 m) of height, depending on the block size and design. Also consider a grid if the ground slopes away below the wall or rises above it. Even walls built from large, solid stone 24” (600 mm) or more deep should use a stabilising grid once they exceed 6 feet (about 1.8 m) in height. These are rules of thumb only: follow the block manufacturer’s design charts, and have taller walls, or walls carrying loads such as driveways or buildings, designed by an engineer. - **Step one** Excavate the area to be reinforced. Remove the existing soil back to the full embedment length of the grid, so each layer can be laid on level, compacted fill behind the wall units. - **Step two is to create a plan.** Cut the grid from the roll into pieces of the design length (the embedment length). Roll each piece out away from the wall, into the embankment. Check the manufacturer’s specification to confirm whether you have a biaxial or uniaxial grid and which is its strong direction; the grid is usually laid with that direction perpendicular to the wall face. - **Step three is the most important.** Connect the grid to the wall units so the load is transferred positively, for example by hooking it over the connection pins on pinned block systems such as Keystone. Keep the front edge of the grid within one inch (25 mm) of the wall face. - **Fourth step:** Pull the connected grid taut to remove any slack or folds, and stake or weight its back edge before and during backfilling and compaction. The stakes can be removed once the fill is in place. Lay further pieces side by side, butted against each other, so each layer gives continuous coverage along the wall. - **Step No. 5:** Place backfill over the grid in lifts of no more than 8 inches (200 mm), compacting each lift. Keep at least 6 inches (150 mm) of fill over the grid before driving any equipment on it, and avoid driving or turning vehicles directly on the grid, which can tear or displace it. 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