EXCAVATION SUPPORT

Excavation support refers to an engineered solution designed to stabilize an excavation. Excavation support is generally required for excavations in excess of 6 ft or excavation that are not sloped. Excavation support for deep excavations refers to the additional bracing that is required to stabilize a retaining wall such as a sheet pile when excavation gets typically deeper than 10 to 14 ft. Such excavation support systems comprise tiebacks, cross-lot steel struts, rakers, helical anchors, and top-down concrete slabs.

EXCAVATION Support Systems for Deep Excavations

The role of support systems is to provide lateral bracing for retaining walls. Support systems can be subdivided into external and internal depending on the load transfer mechanism. External supports (namely tiebacks) work by transferring lateral excavation loads beyond the active zone of soil movements (retained side). On the other hand, internal supports such as struts, rakers, or floor slabs, transfer lateral loads within the excavation (across opposing walls or to other internal structures). In all cases, support and retaining systems have to work closely together in order to guarantee a high level of performance.

The following image illustrates the rock anchor excavation support system used in the World Trade Center in New York.

who should design the excavation support?

Excavation support design is a very sensitive task. An excavation support system should be designed by a licensed professional engineer that has very good understanding of soil and structural behavior. Excavation design requires geotechnical and structural knowledge. Experience always helps! The excavation support can also be designed by the contractor's engineer.

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DESIGN OF EXCAVATION support SYsTEMS WITH deepxcav software

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