Tiebacks are used to provide the horizontal resisting force for most of the retaining walls Schnabel Foundation Company builds, including both temporary and permanent walls.  They are made by grouting a high strength steel bar or strand bundle into the soil behind the retaining wall face.  They are differentiated from soil nails in that each anchor is tested and stressed against the retaining wall face.

Tiebacks can be made in most types of soil except soft clays and silts, and in all types of rock.  The capacity of the anchors in soil will vary depending upon grain size and installation method.  The denser, granular soils will typically produce higher capacity tiebacks.  We have installed tiebacks with lengths in excess of 200 feet and tested capacities of over 500 kip for landslide stabilization.

In addition to their use in the construction of new retaining structures, tiebacks are used to stabilize existing retaining walls which are moving or deteriorating.  We have patented systems for the tieback connections and facings used for the repair of distressed MSE and cantilevered retaining walls.

A slight variation of the tieback is the tiedown.  The construction is similar but the direction of the force is primarily vertical rather than horizontal.  Tiedowns are used to resist hydrostatic uplift on structures built below the water table.