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.