Retaining walls are used to hold back soil and keep the ground stable in places like roads, bridges, and basements. This study compares three common types of retaining walls — Gravity, Cantilever, and Counterfort — by designing them in STAAD.Pro using the same soil and loading conditions. The designs follow IS 456:2000 and other related codes. The comparison is based on bending moments, shear forces, stability, and material use. The study shows that gravity walls are suitable for small heights, cantilever walls work well for medium heights, and counterfort walls are best for taller walls. Using software also makes the design easier and more accurate.

This comparative study shows that no single retaining wall type is perfect for all situations. Each wall performs best in a specific height range. For the given imaginary site with a 6 m height, the Cantilever Retaining Wall is the most economical and structurally balanced option. It offers good stability, moderate reinforcement, and lower material cost compared to the other two walls. Gravity walls are suitable for small heights but become uneconomical as height increases. Counterfort walls are ideal for higher walls above 7 meters due to their excellent load-carrying behavior and reduced bending moments. Using STAAD.Pro helps achieve accurate results and reduces manual errors, making it a valuable tool for modern structural design.

Aditya H Kokade, (2024), “Enhancing Retaining Wall Stability: A Comparative Study Of Counter-Fort Retaining Walls Versus Counterfort Retaining walls With Relief Shelves Using E-TABS”, International Journal of Creative Research Thoughts (IJCRT), Volume 12, Issue 5, ISSN: 2320-2882, P i801-i805. [2] Dhamdhere, (2018), “DESIGN AND ANALYSIS OF RETAINING WALL”, International Journal of Management, Technology and Engineering (IJARSCT), Volume 8, Issue 9, ISSN NO: 2249-7455, P 1246-1263. [3] Tayade, (2024), “EFFECTS OF VARIATIONS IN THE DESIGN PARAMETERS OF CANTILEVER RETAINING WALL”, Industrial Engineering Journal, ISSN: 0970-2555, Volume: 53, Issue 5, No.13, P 147-160. [4] Bhoyar, (2019), “STATIC ANALYSIS AND DESIGN OF RETAINING WALL WITH AND WITHOUT SHELVE USING SOFTWARE”, International Research Journal of Engineering and Technology (IRJET), Volume: 06 Issue: 05, e-ISSN: 2395-0056, p-ISSN: 2395-0072, P 348-354. [5] Kannanayakkal, (2019) “STABILITY ANALYSIS OF RETAINING WALL USING GEO5 IN KURANCHERY”, International Journal of Innovative Science and Research Technology (IJARSCT) Volume 4, Issue 5, ISSN No: -2456-2165, P 529-621. [6] Sajika, (2022), “STATIC ANALYSIS AND DESIGN OF RETAINING WALL USING STAAD- PRO”, International Journal of Advanced Research in Science, Communication and Technology (IJARSCT) Volume 2, Issue 2, ISSN (Online) 2581-9429, P 728-738. [7] Huidrom, (2022), “Analysis and Design of Cantilever Retaining Wall with and without Pressure Relief Shelf”, Indian Geotechnical Conference IGC 2022, TH-07-016.

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