Three dimensional effects of a diaphragm wall installation and staged construction sequences

Gourvenec, Susan (1998) Three dimensional effects of a diaphragm wall installation and staged construction sequences. University of Southampton, Doctoral Thesis.

Abstract

The research carried out for this thesis involved a series of three dimensional finite element and analyses investigating:

• The significance of three dimensional effects during installation of a reinforced concrete diaphragm wall.
• The performance of discontinuous earth berms providing temporary support to a retained excavation during a staged construction sequence.

The analyses presented in this thesis are:

• A three dimensional back analysis of a retained section of the A4/A46 Batheaston bypass, in which a staged construction sequence using an earth berm was employed, comparing observed and calculated wall movements.
• A parametric study investigating the influence of panel length on lateral soil stress distributions and soil displacements following installation of a diaphragm wall.
• A parametric study investigating the effect of the removal of sections of an earth berm on the lateral support to wall movements provided by the remaining berm.

The results of the analyses presented in this thesis show:

• Modelling diaphragm wall installation as a plane strain event over predicts displacements and the magnitude of lateral stress relief.
• The displacement and lateral stress reduction incurred during installation of a digrapham wall is a function of the wall panel geometry.
• An appropriate post-installation stress state can be achieved by applying an appropriate displacement to the wall/soil interface.
• Discontinuous earth berms provide considerable lateral resistance to wall movements, and their efficiency increases with time.
• Increases in diaphragm wall movements as a result of a single berm discontinuity are proportional to the length of unsupported excavation, and are independent of berm size.
• The degree of discontinuity of an earth berm governs the uniformity of wall crest displacements.

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