Developmens-in-excavation-bracing-systems_2012_Tunnelling-and-Underground-Space-Technology.pdf.doc

Tunnelling and Underground Space Technology 31 (2012) 107–116 Contents lists available at SciVerse ScienceDirect Tunnelling and Underground Space Technology j o u r n a l h o m e p a g e : w w w . e l s e v i e r . c o m / l o c a t e / t u s t Developments in excavation bracing systems Luisa María Gil-Martín a, Enrique Hernández-Montes a, , Myoungsu Shin b, Mark Aschheim c a Department of Structural Mechanics, University of Granada, Granada, Spain b School of Urban and Environmental Engineering, Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST), Ulsan, Republic of Korea c Department of Civil Engineering, Santa Clara University, Santa Clara, CA, USA  a r t i c l e i n f o Article history: Received 23 July 2011 Received in revised form 8 January 2012 Accepted 18 March 2012 Available online 30 April 2012 Keywords: Excavation bracing Earth retaining systems Sheet piling Secant pile wall Tangent pile wall Slurry wall Tiebacks  a b s t r a c t Modern bracing systems for retaining soil in excavations and their indications and differentiating features are summarized. A recent innovation in a widely used system, cast-in-drilled-hole concrete pile walls, is described. The innovation consists of the use of longitudinal reinforcement distributed non-uniformly around the perimeter of the pile section in order to more efficiently resist bending moment. This non-symmetrical distribution of reinforcement results in a significant reduction in the amount of steel required. Practical situations where the new system has advantages over existing bracing systems are described. Significant reductions in material costs, reduced transportation costs, and simpler site opera-tions result with the innovative system. These benefits are ultimately associated with a reduction in total cost and an extension of the economical range of applicability of this pile wall system. Results of a full-scale experimental demonstration are described, in whic