SPECIFICATION FOR PLANTABLE SEGMENTAL RETAINING WALL SYSTEMS PART 1: GENERAL 1.01 Description A. Work shall consist of furnishing materials, labor, equipment and supervision to install a plantable segmental retaining wall system in accordance with plans and specifications and in reasonably close conformity with the lines, grades, design and dimensions shown on plans or established by Owner or Owner’s Engineer. 1.02 Reference Standards A. Segmental Retaining Wall Units 1. ASTM C 140 – Standard Test Methods for Sampling and Testing Concrete Masonry Units and Related Units 2. ASTM C 1372 – Standard Specification for Dry-Cast Segmental Retaining Wall Units B. Geosynthetic Reinforcement 1. ASTM D 4595 – Standard Test Method for Tensile Properties of Geotextiles by the Wide-Width Strip Method 2. ASTM D 5262 – Standard Test Method for Evaluating the Unconfined Tension Creep and Creep Rupture Behavior of Geosynthetics 3. ASTM D 5321 – Standard Test Method for Determining the Shear Strength of Soil -Geosynthetic and Geosynthetic-Geosynthetic Interfaces by Direct Shear 4. ASTM D 5818 – Standard Practice for Exposure and Retrieval of Samples to Evaluate Installation Damage of Geosynthetics 5. ASTM D 6706 – Standard Test Method for Measuring Geosynthetic Pullout Resistance in Soil C. Soils 1. ASTM D 698 – Standard Test Methods for Laboratory Compaction Characteristics of Soil Using Standard Effort 2. ASTM D 2487 – Standard Practice for Classification of Soils for Engineering Purposes (Unified Soil Classification System) 3. ASTM D 422 – Standard Test Method for Particle-Size Analysis of Soils 4. ASTM D 4318 – Standard Test Methods for Liquid Limit, Plastic Limit and Plasticity Index of Soils 5. ASTM G 51 – Standard Test Method for Measuring pH of Soil for Use in Corrosion Testing D. Drainage Pipe 1. ASTM F 758 – Standard Specification for Smooth-Wall Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) Plastic Underdrain Systems for Highway, Airport and Similar Drainage 2. ASTM F 405 – Standard Specification for Corrugated Polyethylene (PE) Pipe and Fittings E. Engineering Design 1. “NCMA Design Manual for Segmental Retaining Walls,” 3rd Edition, 2009. F. Where specifications and reference documents conflict, the Wall Design Engineer and Architect/Owner’s Representative shall make the final determination of applicable document. 1.03 Submittals A. Materials Submittals: The Contractor shall submit manufacturers' certifications two weeks prior to start of work stating that the SRW units, geosynthetic reinforcement, reinforced backfill and drainage aggregate meet the requirements of Section 2 of this specification. B. Design Submittal: The Contractor shall submit two sets of detailed design calculations and final retaining wall plans for approval at least two weeks prior to the beginning of wall construction. All calculations and drawings shall be prepared and stamped by a professional Civil Engineer (P.E.) – (Wall Design Engineer) experienced in SRW design and licensed in the state where the wall is to be built. 1.04 Delivery, Storage and Handling A. Contractor shall check materials upon delivery to ensure that the specified type and grade of materials have been received and proper color and texture of SRW units have been received. B. Contractor shall store and handle materials in accordance with manufacturer’s recommendations and in a manner to prevent deterioration or damage due to moisture, temperature changes, contaminants, corrosion, breaking, chipping or other causes. C. Contractor shall prevent excessive mud, wet concrete, epoxies and similar materials that may affix themselves from coming in contact with materials. D. Contractor shall protect materials from damage; no damaged material shall be incorporated into the segmental wall. E. Geosynthetic shall be protected from UV exposure and the protective covering on geosynthetic shall remain until immediately before installation and shall be stored at temperatures above -10 degrees F. PART 2: MATERIALS 2.01 Plantable Segmental Retaining Wall Units A. SRW units shall be machine formed, Portland cement concrete blocks specifically designed for plantable retaining wall applications. SRW units currently approved for this project are: VERSA-LOK VERSA-GREEN™ Retaining Wall Units. B. Color of SRW units shall be _____________. C. Finish of SRW units shall be split-face. D. SRW unit faces shall be of straight geometry. E. SRW unit height shall be 8 inches (at front face); unit width shall be 18 inches; and unit depth shall be 12 inches. F. SRW units shall provide a minimum void volume of 0.25 cubic feet for planting medium. G. SRW units shall be interlocked between unit courses by mechanically placing unit against the raised section of concrete at the front face of unit below, providing a batter to wall face of 16 degrees. H. SRW units shall be sound and free of cracks or other defects that would interfere with the proper placing of the unit or significantly impair the strength or permanence of the structure. Any cracks or chips observed during construction shall fall within the guidelines outlined in ASTM C 1372. I. Concrete SRW units shall conform to the requirements of ASTM C 1372 and have a minimum net average 28 days compressive strength of 3000 psi. Compressive strength test specimens shall conform to the saw-cut coupon provisions of ASTM C140. J. SRW units’ molded dimensions shall not differ more than + 1/8 inch from that specified, as measured in accordance with ASTM C 140. This tolerance does not apply to architectural surfaces, such as split faces. 2.02 Planting/Growing Medium A. Planting medium placed in cores of units shall consist of organic and inorganic by-products specifically mixed as container planting in local region, for use with type of plant type planned for placement in wall units: _____________________________________ 2.03 Wall Face Plants A. Plants placed in units shall conform to the project landscaper design requirements; use recommendations of local horticulturists where possible. B. Wall face plants currently approved for this project are: __________________________________ 2.04 Containment Grid A. Plantable SRW system shall include containment geogrid directly behind the units and gaps between units to contain drainage aggregate placed behind the wall unit face. Containment grid shall consist of a high-strength micro-grid capable of containing 3/8-inch-diameter minimum drainage aggregate. Containment grids currently approved for this project are: VERSA-GREEN CG 2.05 Geosynthetic Reinforcement A. Geosynthetic reinforcement shall consist of high-tenacity PET geogrids, HDPE geogrids, or geotextiles manufactured for soil reinforcement applications. The type, strength and placement of the geosynthetic reinforcement shall be determined by procedures outlined in this specification and the “NCMA Design Manual for Segmental Retaining Walls” (3rd Edition, 2009), and materials shall be specified by Wall Design Engineer in their final wall plans and specifications. The manufacturers/suppliers of the geosynthetic reinforcement shall have demonstrated construction of similar size and types of segmental retaining walls on previous projects. The geosynthetic type must be approved one week prior to bid opening. Geosynthetic types currently approved for this project are: VERSA-Grid® Geogrids B. The type, strength and placement of the reinforcing geosynthetic shall be as determined by the Wall Design Engineer, as shown on the final, P.E.-sealed retaining wall plans. 2.06 Leveling Pad A. Material for leveling pad shall consist of compacted sand, gravel, or combination thereof (USCS soil types GP, GW, SP and SW) and shall be a minimum of 6 inches in depth. Lean concrete with a strength of 200-300 psi and 3 inches thick maximum may also be used as a leveling pad material. The leveling pad should extend laterally at least a distance of 6 inches from the toe and heel of the lowermost SRW unit. 2.07 Drainage Aggregate A. Drainage aggregate shall be angular, clean stone or granular fill meeting the following gradation as determined in accordance with ASTM D 422: Sieve Size Percent Passing 1 inch 100 3/4 inch 75-100 No. 4 0-60 No. 40 0-50 No. 200 0-5 2.08 Drainage Pipe A. The drainage collection pipe shall be a perforated or slotted PVC, or corrugated HDPE pipe. The drainage pipe may be wrapped with a geotextile to function as a filter. B. Drainage pipe shall be manufactured in accordance with ASTM F 405 or ASTM F 758. 2.09 Reinforced Backfill A. The reinforced soil material shall be free of debris. Unless otherwise noted on the final, P.E.-stamped SRW plans prepared by the Wall Design Engineer, the reinforced material shall consist of the inorganic USCS soil types GP, GW, SW, SP and SM, meeting the following gradation, as determined in accordance with ASTM D 422: Sieve Size Percent Passing 1 inch 100 No. 4 20-100 No. 40 0-60 No. 200 0-35 B. The maximum particle size of poorly-graded gravels (GP) (no fines) should not exceed 3/4 inch unless expressly approved by the Wall Design Engineer and the long-term design strength (LTDS) of the geosynthetic is reduced to account for additional installation damage from particles larger than this maximum. C. The plasticity of the fine fraction shall be less than 20. D. The pH of the backfill material shall be between 3 and 9 when tested in accordance with ASTM G 51. 2.10 Geotextile Filter 1. Drainage geotextile shall consist of geosynthetic specifically manufactured for use as a preamble soil filter that retains soil while still allowing water to pass throughout the life of the structure. The type and placement of the geotextile filter material shall be as required by the Wall Design Engineer in their final wall plans and specifications. PART 3: DESIGN PARAMETERS 3.01 Soil A. The following soil parameters, as determined by the Owner's Geotechnical Engineer, shall be used for the preparation of the final design: Unit Weight Internal Friction Cohesion (c) (?) (pcf) Angle (?) (degrees) (psf) Reinforced Fill ________ ____________ 0 Retained Soil ________ ____________ 0 Foundation Soil ________ ____________ __________ (If internal friction angles are not available for the above section, the specifier can provide the USCS soil type classification for the reinforced, retained, and foundation soils and/or attach the geotechnical investigation report for this project.) B. Should the actual subsurface or soil conditions observed during construction differ from those assumed for the design, design shall be reviewed by the Wall Design Engineer at the Owner's Geotechnical Engineer's direction. 3.02 Design A. The design analysis for the final, P.E.-sealed retaining wall plans prepared by the Wall Design Engineer shall consider the external stability against sliding and overturning, internal stability and facial stability of the reinforced soil mass, and shall be in accordance with acceptable engineering practice and these specifications. The internal and external stability analysis shall be performed in accordance with the “NCMA Design Manual for Segmental Retaining Walls,” (3rd Edition, 2009), using the recommended minimum factors of safety in this manual. B. External stability analysis for bearing capacity, global stability, and total and differential settlement shall be the responsibility of the Owner and the Owner's Geotechnical Engineer. The Geotechnical Engineer shall perform bearing capacity, settlement estimates, and global stability analysis based on the final wall design provided by the Wall Design Engineer and coordinate any required changes with the Wall Design Engineer. C. While vertical spacing between geogrid layers may vary, it shall not exceed 2.0 feet maximum in the wall design. D. The geosynthetic placement in the wall design shall have 100% continuous coverage parallel to the wall face. Gapping between horizontally adjacent layers of geosynthetic (partial coverage) will not be allowed. PART 4: CONSTRUCTION 4.01 Construction Observation A. The Owner or Owner's Engineer is responsible for verifying that the materials supplied by the Contractor meet all the requirements of the specification. This includes all submittals for materials and design, qualifications and proper installation of wall system. B. Contractor's field construction supervisor shall have demonstrated experience and be qualified to direct all work at the site. 4.02 Excavation A. Contractor shall excavate to the lines and grades shown on the project grading plans. Contractor shall take precautions to minimize over-excavation. Over-excavation shall be filled with compacted infill material, or as directed by the Wall Design Engineer or owner’s Geotechnical Engineer, at the Contractor’s expense. B. Contractor shall verify location of existing structures and utilities prior to excavation. Contractor shall ensure all surrounding structures are protected from the effects of wall excavation. Excavation support, if required, is the responsibility of the Contractor. 4.03 Foundation Preparation A. Following the excavation for the leveling pad and reinforced soil zone, the foundation soil shall be examined by the Owner's Geotechnical Engineer to ensure actual foundation soil strength meets or exceeds the assumed design bearing strength. Soil not meeting the required strength shall be removed and replaced with infill soil or otherwise improved, as directed by the Owner's Geotechnical Engineer. B. Foundation soil shall be proof-rolled and compacted to 95% standard Proctor density and inspected by the Owner's Geotechnical Engineer prior to placement of leveling pad materials. 4.04 Leveling Pad Construction A. Leveling pad shall be placed as shown on the final, P.E.-sealed retaining wall construction drawings, with a minimum thickness of 6 inches and minimum extension laterally at least a distance of 6 inches from the toe and heel of the lowermost SRW unit. B. Granular leveling pad material shall be compacted to provide a firm, level bearing surface on which to place the first course of SRW units. Well-graded sand can be used to smooth the top 1/4 inch to 1/2 inch of the leveling pad. Compaction shall be performed with mechanical plate compactors to achieve 95% of maximum standard Proctor density (ASTM D 698). 4.05 Plantable SRW Unit Installation A. All SRW units shall be installed at the proper elevation and orientation as shown on the final, P.E.-sealed wall construction drawings and details, or as directed by the Wall Design Engineer. The SRW units shall be installed in general accordance with the manufacturer's recommendations. The Wall Design Engineer’s project specifications and drawings shall govern any conflict between the two requirements. B. The first course of plantable SRW units shall be placed on the leveling pad with approximately 8-inch-wide planting space between each unit for straight sections of wall. If wall contains curves, the base course planting gap should be increased or decreased to accommodate the subsequent change in gap width as curve radius increases or decreases with setback of each subsequent course. Gaps between units to accommodate subsequent courses on a curve shall generally range from 5 inches minimum to 11 inches maximum. C. Units shall be leveled side-to-side, front-to-rear and with adjacent units, and aligned to ensure intimate contact with the leveling pad. The first course is the most important to ensure accurate and acceptable results. Alignment may be done by means of a stringline or offset from base line to the back of the units. D. Base-course units that will be completely buried below grade shall have voids within the units filled with the same crushed gravel material used for leveling pad. Base-course units that will be partially exposed shall be filled with planting medium to promote plant growth. E. All excess debris shall be cleaned from the top of units before the next course of units is installed on top of the units below. Units shall be placed to bridge the gap between units below. Units shall be pushed forward to engage the front lip of the lower unit and remove any looseness in unit-to-unit connections. F. The plantable cores shall be filled with appropriate planting medium after every other course is laid. Planting medium should fill core and also should be sloped to extend above the unit core, so as to partially fill the gap between the units above. G. Level and alignment of the units shall be checked and corrected (if required) before proceeding. H. Layout of curves shall be installed in accordance with the plan details or in general accordance with the SRW manufacturer’s installation guidelines. Gaps between units shall be carefully planned to ensure they remain within the range—minimum 5-inch and maximum 11-inch gaps—as the wall curves and the setback of each course increases or decreases the radius of the curve to decrease or increase the gap between units. I. The above procedures shall be repeated to the extent of wall height. J. The wall face cant shall not differ more than + 2 degrees from that specified. 4.06 Geosynthetic Reinforcement Placement A. All geosynthetic reinforcement shall be installed at the proper elevation and orientation as shown on the final P.E.-sealed retaining wall plan profiles and details, or as directed by the Wall Design Engineer. B. At the elevations shown on the final plans (after the units, drainage material and backfill have been placed to this elevation), the geosynthetic reinforcement shall be laid horizontally on compacted infill and on top of the concrete SRW units, to within 1 inch of the front face of the unit below. Embedment of the geosynthetic in the SRW units shall be consistent with SRW manufacturer’s recommendations. Correct orientation of the geosynthetic reinforcement shall be verified by the Contractor to be in accordance with the geosynthetic manufacturer’s recommendations. The highest-strength direction of the geosynthetic must be perpendicular to the wall face. C. Geosynthetic reinforcement layers shall be one continuous piece for their entire embedment length. Splicing of the geosynthetic in the design-strength direction (perpendicular to the wall face) shall not be permitted. Along the length of the wall, horizontally adjacent sections of geosynthetic reinforcement shall be butted in a manner to ensure 100% coverage parallel to the wall face. D. Tracked construction equipment shall not be operated directly on the geosynthetic reinforcement. A minimum of 6 inches of backfill is required prior to operation of tracked vehicles over the geosynthetic. Turning should be kept to a minimum. Rubber-tired equipment may pass over the geosynthetic reinforcement at speeds of less than 5 mph. E. The geosynthetic reinforcement shall be free of wrinkles prior to placement of soil fill. Apply nominal tension to the reinforcement and secure it in place with staples, stakes or by hand tensioning until reinforcement is covered by 6 inches of fill. 4.07 Containment Grid A. All containment grid shall be installed at the proper elevation and orientation as shown on the final P.E.-sealed retaining wall construction drawings’ profiles and details, or as directed by the Wall Design Engineer. B. Containment grid shall be installed directly behind plantable SRW units including coverage of the back area of gaps between the units, so as to contain the drainage aggregate placed behind the wall face. Containment grid should run up nearly vertically behind the units, and the gaps between units, at the same batter as the wall face. Begin placing containment grid behind the base-course units with 6 inches horizontally overlapping the leveling pad to anchor containment grid under unit. C. If horizontal geosynthetic soil reinforcement layers are required in the wall system, separate sections of containment grid should be placed nearly vertically behind units in the space between each lower and upper layer of geogrid. Each section of containment grid should horizontally overlap both the lower and upper geogrids by at least 6 inches. 4.08 Drainage Aggregate and Drainage Material Placement A. After containment grid is placed behind units, drainage aggregate shall be installed to the line, grades and sections shown on the final P.E.-sealed retaining wall construction drawings. Drainage aggregate shall be placed against the containment grid behind the units to the minimum thickness shown on the construction plans (a minimum of 1 cubic foot for each exposed square foot of wall face unless otherwise noted on the final wall plans). B. Drainage collection pipes shall be installed to maintain gravity flow of water outside the reinforced-soil zone. The drainage collection pipe shall be installed at the locations shown on the final construction drawings. The drainage collection pipe shall daylight into a storm sewer or along a slope, at an elevation below the lowest point of the pipe within the aggregate drain. Drainage laterals shall be spaced at a maximum 50-foot spacing along the wall face. 4.09 Backfill Placement A. The reinforced backfill shall be placed as shown in the final wall plans in the maximum compacted lift thickness of 8 inches and shall be compacted to a minimum of 95% of standard Proctor density (ASTM D 698) at a moisture content within -1% point to +3% points of optimum. The backfill shall be placed and spread in such a manner as to eliminate wrinkles or movement of the geosynthetic reinforcement and the SRW units. B. Only hand-operated compaction equipment shall be allowed within 3 feet of the back of the wall units. Compaction within the 3 feet behind the wall units shall be achieved by at least three passes of a lightweight mechanical tamper, plate, or roller. C. At the end of each day's operation, the Contractor shall slope the last level of backfill away from the wall facing and reinforced backfill to direct water runoff away from the wall face. D. At completion of wall construction, backfill shall be placed level with final top of wall elevation. If final grading, paving, landscaping and/or storm drainage installation adjacent to the wall is not placed immediately after wall completion, temporary grading and drainage shall be provided to ensure water runoff is not directed at the wall nor allowed to collect or pond behind the wall until final construction adjacent to the wall is completed. 4.10 Finishing Wall A. After top course is installed, fill the plantable cores with appropriate planting medium, place plants in each unit and finish backfilling to the top of wall. 4.11 Construction Adjacent to Completed Wall A. The Owner or Owner's Representative is responsible for ensuring that construction by others adjacent to the wall does not disturb the wall or place temporary construction loads on the wall that exceed design loads, including loads such as water pressure, temporary grades, or equipment loading. Heavy paving or grading equipment shall be kept a minimum of 3 feet behind the back of the wall face. Equipment with wheel loads in excess of 150 psf live load shall not be operated within 10 feet of the face of the retaining wall during construction adjacent to the wall. Care should be taken by the General Contractor to ensure water runoff is directed away from the wall structure until final grading and surface drainage collection systems are completed. END OF SECTION