CALCULATION OF SOIL DISPLACEMENTS DUE TO RETAINING WALL CONSTRUCTION

Abstract

With regard to serviceability state deformations, diaphragm walls and slurry walls cause considerable soil deformations during trench construction. 3-dimensional finite element analyses are able to quantify these deformations. They are compared to measurements and to the results of simplified 2-dimensional models. The dependence of soil stiffness on the actual state can be accounted for by using
a hypoplastic constitutive law. Trench geometry and construction sequence are considered as factors of influence. It is shown, how the wall construction process can be modelled at the beginning of an overall 2-dimensional deformation analysis using prescribed initial deformation or stress fields.