Ground movement analysis of soil nailing construction by three-dimensional (3-D) finite element modeling (FEM)

In recent years, soil nailing has been widely used to stabilize excavated steep slopes. Its design is often controlled by the allowable deformation level especially when buildings and/or other underground facilities exit near the excavation. In this paper a three-dimensional (3-D) finite element model (FEM) has been developed for the deformation analysis of nailed soil structures. In this model, the soil nonlinearity, the soil–nail interaction and the staged construction are all considered. Parametric studies are carried out to investigate some influence factors on the deformation behavior. An engineering case is also analyzed and the predicted soil movements at various stages of excavation are compared with field measurements. Good agreement between the prediction and the measurements proves the reliability of the model.