Ammunition Bunker Retaining Walls (L-Blocks)

Location: RAAF Base, Sale, VIC

Vikon Precast were approached by a civil contractor, who was completing the upgrade works on an ammunition storage compound in the RAAF Base in Sale, Victoria, to design a custom sized retaining wall solution in the compound walls, using our precast concrete L-Blocks. The design requirements for these retaining walls were 2 walls each side of the entrance road into the bunker at up to 3.9m high in the middle and taper down to ground level on each side over an 11m span. We met this requirement by splitting each wall into 7 L-Blocks and casting each L-Block to the desired height and shape. When installed together, the top edge of the wall followed the angle and grade of the earth wall it was to retain.

Vikon Precast successfully designed, manufactured, and delivered 14 custom sized L-Block units for this project on time and on budget. The civil contractor was pleased with the outcome as it was the fastest, cheapest, and safest way of constructing the desired retaining wall shape. All certification, quality assurance, and Defence Force procurement documents and paperwork were successfully completed and supplied with this project.

The main advantage of using precast L-Blocks to construct a retaining wall is it is so fast and easy to install onsite, resulting in less time and costs onsite. No drilling holes, no concreting posts in the ground, no concrete footing required, just ensure compacted level ground is achieved and you can place the L-Blocks in spot, tie together with locking plates, seal the panel joins, and backfill as fast as you can! The standard individual L-Blocks and the L-Block Retaining Wall System are also all fully engineered up to 2m high, ensuring a quality product fit for purpose. As displayed in this project, custom sizing and engineering can certainly be achieved if you need.