SECANT PILING SHORING SYSTEM-WITH CIRCULAR CONFIGURATION –

A CASE STUDY

Rajan Babu C, Va Tech Wabag, Chennai, India, Email: c_rajanbabu@wabag.in

Jibi C Yohannan, Va Tech Wabag, Chennai, India, Email: c_jibiyohannan@wabag.in
Viswanathan N, Va Tech Wabag, Chennai, India, Email: n_viswanathan@wabag.in

ABSTRACT

This paper presents a case study of a Concrete Secant Piling shoring system carried out for a Terminal Lift
Pumping Station (TLPS), part of critical works at Al Madina Al Shamaliya Sewage Treatment Plant
Bahrain. TLPS rectangular in footprint with diagonal measuring 33m required excavations to depths of (-)
20m. Concrete Secant Piling shoring system with circular configuration of 34.5m diameter was chosen as
a suitable method of earth retaining. Concrete hard and soft piles of 900mm diameter spaced at 675mm
centres were designed and installed to depths of 3m below the excavation levels of (-)20m. Advantages of
the behaviour of a circular shape of the shoring system were used, where the main load paths are hoop
compression. This eliminated the requirement of cross bracing and the tie-backs for load transfer.
Performance of the shoring system was continuously monitored during execution for the following-
1. Integrity of concrete for full depth
2. Verticality of pile
3. Position of pile
4. Overlapping of pile between hard and soft pile
5. Cube strength of in-situ concrete

Keywords: Shoring System, Secant piling, Hard and Soft Pile.

INTRODUCTION
As part of the Construction of the Development of a Sewage Treatment Plant at Al Madina Al Shamaliya
Island, Northern Budaiya – Kingdom of Bahrain, Terminal Lift Pumping station was to be constructed to
receive incoming sewer pipelines. The construction of the pumping station required an unhindered foot
print for deep excavation retaining system. This paper present the Secant pile wall as a shoring system
which was carried out and performed reliably.
GROUND CONDITIONS
Based on the geotechnical investigation for the location, soil condition generally are non-cohesive, sand
upto approximately 10.5m depth and below that weathered calcisiltite / carbonate mudstone. This is
modelled as loose, medium and dense sand with Ø and K0 as mentioned in Table1.
Table 1.
Description Ø (deg) K0=1-(SinØ) N Value
Loose Sand 30 0.50 <10
Medium Sand 35 0.43 10-30
Dense Sand 40 0.35 >30

386 © 2018 Deep Foundations Institute

STRUCTURAL ARRANGEMENT

The secant pile wall is 34.5m diameter constructed with 900mm diameter piles Hard/Soft alternate at
675mm c/c as shown in Fig.2 in plan view. The behavior of the wall would be as shown in Fig.1 for the
pressures from outside.

Fig.1 Behaviour of wall for the pressure from outside

Force’s ‘f’ are the lateral loads (earth pressure) acting on the secant pile in radial direction and generates a
compressive force in circumferential direction such as F= R x f.

Fig.2 Plan View

The maximum force which can be transferred through the compressive zone is: Fmax = W x 0.4x Fck
(where Fmax is maximum force transferred through the compressive zone, W is the width of compression
zone, Fck is Soft pile concrete grade). Soft pile concrete used was fck=20 N/mm2. Where F > Fmax, then
an additional Stiffener Ring Beam is provided to take the additional forces.

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PILING TOLERANCE
For secant pile walls to be effective it is essential that the overlap between the piles is achieved to prevent
soil and ground water ingress. In the case of a circular shaft the overlap needs to be sufficient to provide
the necessary resistance to the hoop compression stresses that enable the structure to be self-supporting
without any cross bracing system.
In normal Piling practice, a piling contractor can be expected to consistently achieve verticality to a
tolerance 1:75. Thus a 20.0m pile can be expected to be 266mm out of placed at the base. This is not
considered adequate to achieve a water tight seal, hence a more stringent tolerance of 1:150 was adopted.
With 1:150 verticality, the pile can be out of placed at base by 133mm (20,000/150=133mm). To assist the
contractor in achieving this tolerance, a guide wall at ground level is provided. The effect of tolerance on
the width of the compression zone is highlighted on the sketches shown in Table 2. Based on that, a
compression width of 396mm was considered for the design of the secant wall.
Table 2. Effect of tolerance on the width of the compression zone
Case A-

No out of place pile,

Compression width =
595mm

Case B1-

133mm Out of place

pile in X direction,
Compression width =
518mm

Case B2-

133mm Out of place

pile in Y direction,
Compression width =
396mm

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LOADINGS AND PRESSURE DIAGRAM
External earth pressure and liquid pressure variation with height considered for design is indicated in Fig
3.

Fig. 3 Lateral forces on secant pile

A=Active Earth Pressure = K0 x h x γsub
B=Hydrostatic Pressure = γw x h
C=Pressure due to surcharge = K0 x q
Using Load factors 1.4 for earth pressure, 1.2 for liquid and 1.6 for surcharge, average fult pressure at -
14.6m was evaluated as 284.8 kN/m2.
Hoop force due to pressure = Fult = R x ful = 17.25 x 284.8 = 4913 kN/m
Maximum capacity of Compression zone of 396mm was evaluated as
Secant wall capacity = 396 x 1000 x 0.4 x 20 N/mm2 = 3168 N.
Hence for any excess force more than the capacity, additional Concrete ring beams were added. These
concrete ring beams were of concrete grade fck =45 N/mm2.
Two concrete ring beams were provided spaced at 4.6m and the hard pile between these beams were
designed for flexure for the balance as shown below-
Pressure on pile = 284.8 kN/m2
Hoop stresses take (3168x100/4913) = 64 %

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Balance 36 % is taken in bending of piles to ring beam = 0.36 x 284.8 = 103 kN/m2
The hard piles are designed for the bending moment developed due to this pressure spanning 4.6m.
The ring beams are designed for the shear transferred due to this beam action of the pile.
INSTALLATION
Figure 4 to figure 9 shows the various sequence of work starting from guide wall installation till final ring
beam casting including completed shoring system. Since the soil was loose for top 10m depth, we used
temporary casing for that depth.

Figure:4 Guide wall arrangement Figure:5 Guide wall arrangement

Figure: 7 First stage excavation with capping

Figure: 6 Auguring works beam

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 Figure: 8 second stage excavation with Figure: 9 shoring system after
intermediate beam completion of secant piles

CONCLUSION
This shoring system avoided the cross bracings due to circular configuration, which reduced the
construction time and also helped in witnessing hydrotest for full depth of TLPS. The systematic approach
in design and site execution with stringent piling tolerance made us to achieve a leak proof secant pile
shoring system amidst of high seepage from surrounding sea. Thus the shoring system served the purpose
in most effective manner.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The authors would like to acknowledge the appreciation to Bahrain Foundation Construction Company
LLL, Bahrain, and Wabag Belhasa JV Bahrain site teams and support staff that successfully delivered the
project and Ismail Khonji Associates and MWH Khonji, Bahrain for their technical assistance on the secant
pile wall shafts.

REFERENCES:
Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) 2007. Specification for piling and Embedded Retaining walls
Geotechnical report by Qatar Engineering Laboratory for AMAS STP site

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