CE3115 Geotechnical Engineering

Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering

National University of Singapore

Deep Excavations

Y K Chow
 Excavation Support Systems
Walls Lateral Support
• Sheet Piles • Internal Struts
• Soldier Piles with
Lagging
+ • Ground Anchors
/Tiebacks
• Secant Piles • Shoring
• Contiguous Bored
Piles
• Diaphragm Wall
Support system – walled excavation
Sheetpile Wall
Sheetpile Wall
 Sheetpile Wall

Sheetpile
Sheetpile Wall
Soldier Pile Wall

Soldier Pile Wall with Timber Lagging

Soldier Pile Wall

Soldier Pile Wall with Timber Lagging

 Soldier Pile Wall

Concrete
Packing

Soldier Pile
Sheetpile

Soldier Pile Wall with Sheetpile Lagging

Soldier Pile Wall

Soldier Pile Wall with Sheetpile Lagging

 Soldier Pile Wall

Soldier Pile Wall with Sheetpile Lagging

 Secant Pile Wall

Soft Pile Hard Pile

(Grade 20) (normal)
Secant Pile Wall

Capping beam
Contiguous Bored Pile Wall

Engineer may specify clear

distance between piles of 75 mm
to 150 mm. Construction may
only achieve 200 mm.
Contiguous Bored Pile Wall
Contiguous bored
pile wall with
ground anchors
Diaphragm Wall
Circular Diaphragm Wall
Diaphragm wall with strutting
 Typical properties of retaining wall systems in use
Typical EI
Wall Type values / m Advantages Disadvantages
kN.m
Steel sheet 1,200 – • Impervious • Difficult to install in gravel
piles 120,000 • Easy to handle and • Limited stiffness
construct • Damage to interlocks during hard
• Low initial cost driving
Soldier pile 2,700 – • Easy to handle and • Wall is pervious
and timber 163,000 construct • Require care in the placing of timber
lagging • Low initial cost lagging boards
• Driven or augered
Secant piles 100,000 – • Impervious • Slurry disposal problem if bentonite
1,000,000 is used
• Construction of soft pile/hard pile
Contiguous 200,000 – • Easy to construct as per • Wall is pervious without shortcreting
bored piles 1,200,000 bored piles / grouting the gaps between piles
• Wall is impervious with • Slurry disposal problems if bentonite
shortcreting / grouting is used
the gaps between piles • Cheaper than diaphragm wall
Diaphragm 400,000 – • Impervious • Expensive
wall 3,200,000 • Very stiff • Specialist contractor required
• Can be part of • Slurry disposal problems
permanent structure • Heavy reinforcement cage to be
and load bearing handled on site
Factors involved in
Choice of a Support
System for a Deep
Excavation
Design Considerations for Braced and Tieback Walls
Design Considerations for Braced and Tieback Walls