Performance of Sheet Pile Wall in Peat
Publication: Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering
Volume 134, Issue 4
Abstract
To study the performance of sheet pile wall in peat during roadway construction, a long-term instrumentation program was conducted over a period of two years, measuring total lateral earth pressures, sheet pile deflections, soil movements, and water table level variances during construction. The analysis of field data indicated: (1) The earth pressure distribution in peat matched well with the classic Rankine earth pressure; (2) the expected long-term postconstruction sheet pile movement due to the creep behavior of peat was not observed; (3) fully passive earth pressure in peat was mobilized once the maximum measured sheet pile deflection exceeded 0.8% of sheet pile length; and (4) arching effect due to the protruding cross section of sheet pile caused pressure differences of between the inside web and outside web of the sheeting. Then, all the construction stages were continuously modeled by finite-element method and the calculated results were compared with the field measurements. The comparisons showed that the calculated results were consistent with the field data and provided reasonable explanations and helpful insights to understand soil–structure interaction mechanism. Finally, some conclusions and suggestions for sheet pile design and construction in peat were reached.
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Acknowledgments
The work presented in this paper is further research based on the first writer’s doctoral thesis. The writers appreciate the support from the following people and organizations: Dr. N. Hourani and Mr. P. Connors from Massachusetts Highway Department (MHD); P. A. Landers, Inc. of Hanover, Massachusetts; TerraSystems of Lovettsvill, Va.; Geosciences Testing and Research, Inc. (GTR) at North Chelmsford, Mass.; Mr. J. C. Adams, Mr. L. Hart, and Mr. L. R. Chernauskas of GTR, and Dr. A. A. Elsayed for field assistance; and Mr. G. Howe of University of Massachusetts Lowell (UML) for laboratory assistance. Finally, the writers would like to thank the editor and two peer reviewers for their valuable comments and recommendations, which have enhanced the paper presentation.
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Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering
Volume 134 • Issue 4 • April 2008
Pages: 445 - 458
Copyright
© 2008 ASCE.
History
Received: Jan 18, 2007
Accepted: Sep 6, 2007
Published online: Apr 1, 2008
Published in print: Apr 2008
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