Optimization of piers for retaining walls

The ultimate strength design of reinforced concrete members under flexure and axial loads is well known, with solutions dating back to the 1950s. There is little motivation for engineers to change solution approaches in the absence of a clear benefit, particularly given that current solution approaches are well-known and do not raise controversy. Recently, a different solution approach has been presented in the form of Reinforcement Sizing Diagrams and Optimal Domains, but applications to rectangular sections were limited and thus the approach has been mainly of academic or theoretical interest. This paper presents an application to circular sections, which allow the advantages to be realized in the commonly encountered situation of retaining walls supported by circular section piers. Using the approach presented herein, longitudinal reinforcement can be reduced up to 50% compared with traditional designs, allowing significant financial savings while also reducing the greenhouse gas emissions associated with the reinforcement component of reinforced concrete construction.