mafia block retaining walls

huangyhg

mafia block retaining walls
these are concrete blocks 2' x 2' x 6' in depth with v grooves to interlock.
how are these walls designed?
are these designed as gravity walls, or do these require
geotech grids or some other approach.

strictly gravity
btw - what's the mafia? in my old neighborhood, that was always an unanswered question. once in a while someone would claim it was simply a myth, like nessie and yeti.
are these mafia blocks hollow so that they can be filled w/ compacted fill and than stack on top of each other to make lets say a retaining wall?
no, the hollow ones are the doublewall system.  these are made by the ready mix companies with what comes back. the ones around here look like a kid's sand pail was used to make two bumps and indents top and bottom so they stack like legos.   
i wouldn't use them for anything more than a border on a garden. have the companies given out any specs. or engineering info?
richard a. cornelius, p.e.
i've seen them used mainly at concrete plants, to form bins for aggregate.
they are regurlly used by contractors to build temporary walls. i have seen some fairly high ones, 15 to 20 feet. they are generally plain concrete bloks. most precast plants make them. the may or may not have keys. they should have handling loops. the ones i have seen are 2x3x4.
walls are designed as gravity walls.