Numerical Simulation of Steel Sheet Pile Support Structures in Foundation Pit Excavation
Publication: International Journal of Geomechanics
Volume 19, Issue 4
Abstract
U-section steel sheet piles are widely used as support structures in bridge foundation pit excavation. Because of the reduced modulus action (RMA) effect of U-section steel sheet piles, it is difficult to balance structural safety and construction cost in engineering. In this paper, a case study of a foundation pit supported by U-section steel sheet piles in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River was carried out. A three-dimensional FEM of the support structure was established and the RMA parameter analysis was conducted. According to the measured data, the RMA value was identified. Based on the RMA value, the support structure of the subsequent foundation pit was optimized and the deformation of the pile head was monitored during the excavation process. The measured deformation was in good agreement with the predicted value, verifying the feasibility of the inferred RMA value. Finally, to solve the uncertainty problem of the U-section steel sheet pile RMA in general situations, an optimization strategy for the design of the U-section steel sheet pile support structure was proposed.
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Acknowledgments
We gratefully acknowledge the financial support of the Zhejiang Provincial Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant LZ16E080001) and the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant 51578496).
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Published In
International Journal of Geomechanics
Volume 19 • Issue 4 • April 2019
Copyright
© 2019 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Apr 8, 2018
Accepted: Sep 14, 2018
Published online: Jan 15, 2019
Published in print: Apr 1, 2019
Discussion open until: Jun 15, 2019
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