Design Method for Wall Deformation and Soil Movement of Excavations with Inclined Retaining Walls in Sand

Abstract

The inclined retaining wall has been demonstrated to be an effective and efficient retaining structure for limiting deformation during excavations. However, a design method regarding wall deformation and soil movement of excavations with inclined retaining walls is lacking. The mobilizable strength design (MSD) method has been used to provide reasonable deformation results for excavations with cantilever retaining walls. The deformation of an excavation is calculated based on the moment equilibrium of the strain field, and the deforming regions are divided by straight zero-extension lines (ZELs). The boundary of the deforming region of an inclined retaining wall is observed to be curved by performing centrifuge tests. Hence, a logarithmic spiral-type function of the ZEL is fitted to the generated numerical data. Based on the fitted function of the ZEL trajectory, the stress distribution on the retained side of the inclined retaining wall is modified, and the wall deformation is calculated within the framework of the MSD. Finally, the soil movement vectors at the ground surface, deduced by the fitted ZEL function and calculated wall deformation, are used to evaluate the influence of excavation on adjacent buildings.