Transient analysis of excavations in soil

A finite element approach is used to assess the transient stability of excavation in elasto-plastic soils. Stability is shown to be a function of the rate of excavation, the soil permeability and the drainage path lengths. Sequential excavation has been modelled rigorously in the finite element analysis, together with the transient effects through a fully coupled Biot formulation. Results are presented which demonstrate the effects of the rate of excavation and permeability on stability. Both drained and undrained behaviour of the problem are retrieved as special cases of the transient analysis, and comparisons made with classical solutions where available.