A simple prediction model for wall deflection caused by braced excavation in clays

Deep excavations particularly in deep deposits of soft clay can cause excessive ground movements and result in damage to adjacent buildings. Extensive plane strain finite element analyses considering the small strain effect have been carried out to examine the wall deflections for excavations in soft clay deposits supported by retaining walls and bracing. The excavation geometry, soil strength and stiffness properties, and the wall stiffness were varied to study the wall deflection behavior. Based on these results, a simple Polynomial Regression (PR) model was developed for estimating the maximum wall deflection. Wall deflections computed by this method compare favorably with a number of field and published records.     

A parametric study of wall deflections in deep excavations with the installation of cross walls

Several case studies have revealed that the installation of cross walls in excavations can effectively reduce the amount of wall deflection and ground settlement. However, the behaviour of the diaphragm wall due to the installation of the cross walls is still unclear. This study performed a series of 3D numerical studies of wall deflections for deep excavations with cross walls and studied the effects on the wall deflection of several parameters, including the number of cross walls, the distance to the cross wall, the cross wall interval, the cross wall height and the cross wall embedment. The results presented in this study can be used as a first approximation for cases in which cross walls are designed to reduce the wall deflection induced by deep excavation.     

软土地区深基坑连续墙最大变形简易计算方法

采用有限单元法研究了影响软土地区地下连续墙最大侧向变形的主要参数。针对基坑开挖深度H、基坑开挖宽度B、单位宽度地下连续墙系统刚度S、支撑结构的轴向刚度 及黏土归一化的不排水抗剪强度 为不排水抗剪强度, 为有效垂直应力）5个参数进行分析研究,通过回归分析研究结果,给出地下连续墙最大侧向变形的简易计算方法。利用简易计算方法,计算实际工程中基坑案例的地下连续墙最大侧向变形,并与现场监测结果进行对比,验证了计算方法的准确性,可为以后预估地下连续墙最大侧向变形及检查设计提供参考。     

Three-dimensional numerical analysis of deep excavations with cross walls

Previous plane strain analysis of a case history has shown that cross walls in an excavation can effectively reduce movements induced by deep excavation. This study performed three-dimensional numerical analyses for 4 deep excavation cases with different installations of cross walls, including different excavation depths, cross wall intervals and cross wall depths. Both the observed and computed wall deflections for the 4 cases were compared with those of the same excavations that were assumed with no cross walls installed to demonstrate the effectiveness of cross walls in reducing lateral wall deflections. The results show that the cross wall also had a corner effect similar to that of the diaphragm wall. The deflection of the diaphragm wall was smallest at the location of the cross wall installed and then increased with the increasing distance from the cross wall, up to the midpoint between two cross walls. Many factors such as in situ soil properties, diaphragm wall properties, construction procedure, cross wall depth and so on may affect the amount of reduction in lateral wall deflections due to the installation of cross walls. Under the same condition, the amount of reduction was highly dependent on the depth of cross walls, distance to the cross walls and the cross wall interval.     

Finite-element modeling of a complex deep excavation in Shanghai

The excavation of the north square underground shopping center of Shanghai South Railway Station is a complex deep excavation using the top-down construction method. The excavation has a considerable size and is close to the operating Metro Lines. In order to predict the performance of the excavation more accurately, 3D finite-element analyses are conducted to simulate the construction of this complex excavation. The effects of the anisotropic soil stiffness, the adjacent excavation, and zone excavation on the wall deformation are investigated. It is shown that the numerical simulation with anisotropic soil stiffness yields a more reasonable prediction of the wall deflection than the case with isotropic soil stiffness. The deformation of the shared diaphragm wall between two excavations is influenced by the construction sequence of the two excavations. The zoned excavation can greatly reduce the diaphragm wall deformation. However, only the zoned excavation at the first excavation stage affects the deformation of the walls significantly. When the depth of the excavation increases, the zoned excavation has minor effect on the deformation of diaphragm walls.     

Investigation of the integrated retaining system to limit deformations induced by deep excavation

A series of three-dimensional finite element analyses of deep excavations with the integrated system between buttress walls and diaphragm walls was conducted to investigate the effect of the buttress wall intervals, treatments, locations, height, and thickness on limiting deformations induced by deep excavation. The integrated retaining system was formed by maintaining buttress walls when soil was excavated. The wall deflection control mechanism of the integrated retaining system mainly came from the combined stiffness between the buttress wall and the diaphragm wall. In addition, the ground settlement control mechanism came from the combined stiffness between the buttress wall and the diaphragm wall, and the frictional resistance between the buttress wall and the surrounding soil. For achieving 50% reduction in the wall deflection and the ground surface settlement, the length and intervals of buttress walls that were applied to the integrated retaining system were at least 4 and 8 m, respectively. When the deflection at the diaphragm wall head was well restrained, for example, by the floor slab, the position of the buttress wall head could be located at a depth the diaphragm wall starts to bulge out. In such a case, the performance between the full height and limited height of buttress walls was quite close. Furthermore, a new well-documented excavation project was analyzed to verify the performance of the integrated retaining system. Results showed that the integrated retaining system worked excellently if the joints between buttress walls and diaphragm walls were constructed properly.     

对基坑抗隆起稳定安全系数的改进

基坑的平面形状、尺寸以及围护结构的入土深度都会影响基坑的抗隆起稳定性,但现行规范推荐的抗隆起稳定安全系数算法均不能反映这些因素的综合影响。为解决这一问题,区分不同情况,对基坑底隆起破坏可能的模式做了必要的分类,分别给出了不同破坏模式情况下抗隆起稳定安全系数的计算方法。基于此方法,基坑围护结构的强度、刚度和入土深度都会影响基坑的抗隆起稳定性。计算分析表明,无论是对于排水情况还是不排水情况,狭窄基坑都具有更好的稳定性,而围护结构的入土深度可提高基坑的稳定性。改造后的基坑安全系数使传统算法可以考虑更多因素,为狭窄基坑缩小围护结构入土深度提供了一个理论手段。     

Efficiency of excavations with buttress walls in reducing the deflection of the diaphragm wall

Installation of buttress walls against diaphragm walls has been used as an alternative measure for the protection of adjacent buildings during excavation, but their mechanism in reducing movements has not yet been fully understood. This study performs three-dimensional finite element analyses of two excavation case histories, one in clay with T-shape buttress walls and another in dominant sand with rectangular buttress walls, to establish analysis model. Then, a series of parametric study were performed by varying soil types, types and length of buttress walls based on the above-mentioned excavations. Results show that the mechanism of buttress walls in reducing wall deflections mainly came from the frictional resistance between the side surface of buttress wall and adjacent soil rather than from the combined bending stiffness from diaphragm and buttress walls. The buttress wall with a length <2.0 m had a poor effect in reducing the wall deflection because the soil adjacent to the buttress wall had almost the same amount of movement as the buttress wall, causing the frictional resistance little mobilized. Since the frictional resistance of buttress walls in a deep excavation has fully been mobilized prior to the final excavation depth, the efficiency of buttress walls in reducing the wall deflection in a deep excavation was much less than that in a shallow excavation. Rectangular shape of buttress walls was of a better effect than T-shape in the shallow excavation because frictional resistance between buttress walls and adjacent soil played a major role in reducing the wall deflection rather than bearing resistance of the flange. When the excavation went deeper, the difference in reducing the wall deflection between the R-shape and T-shape became small.     

Assessment of basal stability for braced excavation systems using the finite element method

Conventional methods of predicting the basal stability of braced excavations are unable to take into consideration the stiffness of the retaining wall and the depth of penetration of the wall below the bottom of the excavation. A simple and improved procedure for predicting the stability of strutted excavations using the finite element method is presented. Detailed studies were carried out to assess the effects of the wall properties and soil geometry on the stability of the excavation.     

Assessment of strut forces for braced excavation in clays from numerical analysis and field measurements

One important consideration in the design of a braced excavation system is to ensure that the structural bracing system is designed both safely and economically. The forces acting on the struts are often determined using empirical methods such as the Apparent Pressure Diagram (APD) method developed by Peck (1969). Most of these empirical methods that were developed from either numerical analysis or field studies have been for excavations with flexible wall types such as sheetpile walls. There have been only limited studies on the excavation performance for stiffer wall systems such as diaphragm walls and bored piles. In this paper, both 2D and 3D finite element analyses were carried out to study the forces acting on the struts for braced excavations in clays, with focus on the performance for the stiffer wall systems. Subsequently, based on this numerical study as well as field measurements from a number of reported case histories, empirical charts have been proposed for determining strut loads for excavations in stiff wall systems.     

软土地区采用灌注桩围护的深基坑变形性状研究

根据上海软土地区80个钻孔灌注桩围护的深基坑工程案例有关数据,系统地分析了基坑开挖引致的灌注桩变形性状。所有基坑的灌注桩最大侧向位移介于0.1 %～1.0 %倍的开挖深度之间,平均值为开挖深度的0.44 %。钢筋混凝土支撑和钢支撑在控制墙体的变形上没有明显差别,最大侧向位移一般位于开挖面上下5 m的范围内。无量纲化最大侧向位移随着支撑系统刚度的增大而减小,随着墙底以上软土层厚度的增加而增大,但与灌注桩插入比及坑底抗隆起稳定系数之间并无明显的关系。墙顶侧向位移随着首道支撑位置深度的增加而呈现出指数增长的趋势,而灌注桩最大侧向位移与首道支撑的深度位置无明显关系。     

Deep Cement Mixed Walls with Steel Inclusions for Excavation Support

Deep cement mixed (DCM) walls are widely used in supporting excavations in many parts of the world. In this paper, a case study of an excavation supported by a DCM wall with steel inclusions is analysed using a three-dimensional finite element model and based on the coupled theory of nonlinear porous media. The DCM wall is constructed with wide flange steel inclusions. The stress–strain behaviour of the DCM wall section is simulated using an extended version of the Mohr–Coulomb model, which considers the strain-softening behaviour of DCM columns beyond yield. The computed lateral deformations are compared with the field measurements to validate the numerical modelling procedure. Using the same case study, the internal stability of the wall against bending and shear failure modes is investigated. In addition, the lateral pressure distribution along the wall length is investigated because in practice design is carried out considering a uniform pressure distribution assuming rigid wall movements. A parametric study was carried out to investigate the viability of DCM walls in supporting excavations by varying the spacing between steel inclusions, wall thickness and initial lateral earth pressure. Based on the results of the parametric study, guidelines are proposed to select the most efficient geometric arrangement of steel inclusions within DCM walls.     

A novel strut-free retaining wall system for deep excavation in soft clay: numerical study

This paper presents a novel strut-free earth retaining wall system for excavation in soft clay, referred to as the rigid and fixed diaphragm (RFD) wall retaining system. The RFD system is comprised of four main structures—diaphragm walls, rib-walls, cross walls, and buttress walls—and a complementary structure—the cap-slab. The characteristics of the RFD system are: (1) the formation of a continuous earth retaining wall by constructing diaphragm walls along the circumference of the excavated zone; (2) the formation of a rigid and fixed retaining wall system by a series of rib-walls and cross walls; and (3) the formation of a rigid retaining wall by buttress walls and the cap-slab. Furthermore, the performance and mechanisms of the RFD system were investigated carefully through three-dimensional finite element analyses. The results demonstrated that the system stiffness of the RFD system was a major factor controlling deformations induced by excavation. Moreover, the excavation geometry determined the dimension of each component of the RFD system.

     

A numerical exercise for the definition under undrained conditions of the deep tunnel front characteristic curve

In spite of the increasing diffusion of tunnel boring machines, conventional tunnelling is still largely employed in the excavation of both deep and shallow tunnels characterized by a particularly irregular tracing. Under difficult ground conditions, in conventional tunnelling, the front is frequently reinforced by using fibreglass tubes partially removed during the excavation. This technique is expensive, time-consuming and its design is based on either empirical or very simplified theoretical formulas. Thus, the ultimate objective of the research developed by the authors is to introduce a more sophisticated design approach for this front reinforcement technique. A first step in this direction is this numerical study, in which the mechanical response of deep tunnel faces under undrained conditions is analysed by employing the front characteristic curve: a useful tool largely employed in the literature in analogy with what done for the cavity. The main result of this paper is the “Front Mother Characteristic” curve, obtained by introducing appropriate non-dimensional variables, allowing the designer, once both the system geometry and the soil mechanical properties are assigned, to assess the displacements of tunnel fronts without performing any numerical analysis.     

Effectiveness of deep cement mixing walls with top-down construction for deep excavations in soft clay: case study and 3D simulation

This paper presents the observed and simulated effectiveness of deep cement mixing walls created using top-down (DCM-TD) construction techniques for a deep excavation in soft Bangkok clay. The wall system consisted of four rows of 0.7-m-diameter DCM columns, and the bracing system consisted of two 0.25-m-thick basement slabs and seven temporary struts. The effectiveness of the wall system compared to that of other wall systems was evaluated using the measured results of previous case studies. A 3D numerical analysis was performed to calculate forces in the basement slabs and bending moments in the DCM wall. Finally, series of parametric analyses of both DCM-TD and deep cement mixing walls created using bottom-up (DCM-BU) construction techniques were carried out, and their results were compared to highlight the effectiveness of DCM-TD and its applicability to excavations at greater depths. The field and numerical results show that DCM-TD is more effective than DCM-BU in terms of the limitations of lateral wall movement, the bending moment in a DCM wall and the thickness of a DCM wall for various depths because of a larger system stiffness. Therefore, DCM-TD is very effective and suitable for use in potential future deep excavations in urban areas.

     

内撑式支护的软土基坑开挖抗隆起稳定性分析

采用强度折减法有限元方法（SSRFEM）,分析了不排水条件下软土地基中内撑式排桩支护基坑开挖的抗隆起稳定性,并研究了软土不排水抗剪强度、支护结构条件、基坑尺寸对基底抗隆起的影响。研究表明,以往通常采用的极限平衡公式,对基坑开挖基底抗隆起稳定分析不能完全考虑支护结构的影响,也不能考虑基坑侧壁位移的影响,在一些条件下误差较大,而SSRFEM分析方法是求解基坑极限状态实际而自然的破坏形式,可很好地分析基底隆起稳定性。     

Probabilistic analysis of responses of cantilever wall-supported excavations in sands considering vertical spatial variability

The influence of vertical spatial variability of sands on the excavation-induced lateral wall deflection and bending moment of excavations supported by cantilever retaining walls is investigated in this paper. Herein, the random finite element method (RFEM) is adopted to explicitly study the effect of one-dimensional spatial variability of internal friction angle of sands on the predicted wall and ground responses. The RFEM analysis consists of three components: (1) finite element method for analyzing lateral wall deflection and bending moment, (2) random field theory implemented with Monte Carlo simulation (MCS), and (3) statistical interpretation of MCS results through confidence intervals. This study reveals the importance of random field modeling in coping with the spatial variability of sands in the problem of supported excavations: (1) neglecting spatial variability of soil property will cause an overestimation of the variation in the predicted wall deflection and bending moment; (2) the estimated probability of failure based on a well-established serviceability limit state may be overestimated or underestimated depending on the chosen limiting lateral wall deflection. This study further investigates the effect of the number of MCS on the confidence intervals of the predicted statistics of the maximum lateral wall deflection and the maximum bending moment. The results also demonstrate that the confidence interval analysis of the predicted statistics of the maximum lateral wall deflection and the maximum bending moment provides a rational tool for interpreting the statistical data from RFEM.     

敏感环境下基坑数值分析中土体本构模型的选择

数值分析已成为敏感环境下基坑工程分析的最重要手段,其关键是选择合适的土体本构模型和计算参数。在分析了岩土数值分析中常用土体本构模型特点的基础上,通过算例较系统地对比了各类模型在基坑开挖数值分析中的适用性。敏感环境下的基坑工程需重点关注墙后土体的变形,从满足工程需要和方便实用的角度出发,建议采用能考虑黏土的塑性和应变硬化特征、能区分加荷和卸荷且刚度依赖于应力水平的硬化类弹塑性模型,如MCC模型和HS模型进行分析。具体工程实例的分析,表明了硬化类弹塑性模型在敏感环境下基坑开挖数值分析中的适用性。     

NGI‐ADP: Anisotropic shear strength model for clay

Many geotechnical problems involve undrained behavior of clay and the capacity in undrained loading. Most constitutive models used today are effective stress based and only indirectly obtain values for the undrained shear strength. To match the design profiles of undrained shear strengths, in active (A), direct simple shear (D) and passive (P) modes of loading are complicated. This paper presents the elastoplastic constitutive model NGI‐ADP which is based on the undrained shear strength approach with direct input of shear strengths. Consequently, exact match with design undrained shear strengths profiles is obtained and the well‐known anisotropy of undrained shear strength and stiffness is accounted for in the constitutive model. A non‐linear stress path‐dependent hardening relationship is used, defined from direct input of failure strains in the three directions of shearing represented by triaxial compression, direct simple shear and triaxial extension. With its clear input parameters the model has significant advantages for design analysis of undrained problems. The constitutive model is implemented, into finite element codes, with an implicit integration scheme. Its performance is demonstrated by a finite element analysis of a bearing capacity problem. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

陡倾断层上下盘开挖引起地表变形的数值模拟分析

考虑地下开挖区与断层相对位置关系,采用简化数值模型对陡倾断层上下盘开挖引起的地表变形特征进行了数值模拟。结果表明,当断层位于地下开挖引起地表变形的压缩区且开挖区位于下盘时,地表出现不连续变形的可能性小;当断层位于地下开挖引起地表变形的压缩区且开挖区位于上盘时,随下向开挖进行地表断层处裂缝有减小趋势;而当断层位于地下开挖引起的地表变形拉张区时,断层出露处水平拉张明显,表现为拉张裂缝,随下向开挖深度增加、规模增大,不论开挖区位于上盘还是下盘,极可能导致地表出现正断层式的错动．