As growth encroaches on undeveloped, mountainside areas in Western North Carolina, retaining walls are needed to provide level space for construction. A boulder-facing is often perceived as desirable to improve the aesthetics of these walls. Beyond simply stacking boulders themselves for a gravity-type retaining wall, the use of geosynthetic reinforcements can reduce the wall cost as well as the number of boulders required for a stable structure. Current design methods for MSE retaining walls focus on the use of manufactured facing systems, such as segmental blocks or precast panels with known mechanical properties. This paper presents design and construction methods used for boulder walls. Boulders are an irregular natural material. Two contrasting cases are presented: One where a lack of design resulted in failure of the wall, and the other where an engineered design allowed successful construction and performance.
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