Prediction of Movements for Braced Cuts in Clay

A simplified method is presented for the prediction of wall and soil movements for braced excavations in soft to medium clay deposits. The method is developed by combining the results of field data performance and finite element analyses. A careful review of 130 published and unpublished case histories was carried out to select well-documented projects with similar support systems and free of unusual construction effects. The finite element analyses were directed toward the evaluation of effects of variation of soil shear strength, soil stiffness, support stiffness and system geometry. Both the field data and the finite element results show that a strong correlation exists between system movements and the factor of safety against basal heave. Based on the established behavior trends, nondimensional plots are developed for predicting maximum magnitudes and distributions of wall deflections and ground settlements as a function of the factor of safety against basal heave and the other important parameters of the soil and structural system.