Stability Analysis of Slurry Trenches in Similar Layered Soils
Publication: Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering
Volume 139, Issue 12
Abstract
Slurry trenches are often used to impede groundwater flow or to contain soil and groundwater contamination. The stability of the slurry trench during excavation and prior to backfilling is a major concern in design. A horizontal slice method for stability analysis of slurry trenches, which allows consideration of soil stratification, is presented. Vertical force equilibrium for each slice of the sliding mass and horizontal force equilibrium for the whole sliding mass are considered on the basis of limit equilibrium. The factor of safety is obtained via the Newton–Raphson method and the critical slip surface corresponding to the minimum factor of safety is located by the pattern search method. The proposed method is verified via consideration of a previously reported problem. It is then applied to a full-scale field experiment in three-layer soils. The obtained minimum factor of safety and location of the slip surface of the sliding mass are in excellent agreement with the experimental measurements. Analyses of trenches having a weak layer at various depths demonstrate potential variations in slip surface inclination between soil layers.
Get full access to this article
View all available purchase options and get full access to this article.
Acknowledgments
The financial supports received from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) via Grant Nos. 51378465 and 51009121, from the National High Technology Research and Development Program of China (863 Program) via Grant No. 2012AA062601 and from the National Basic Research Program of China (973 Program) via Grant No. 2012CB719802 are gratefully acknowledged.
References
Chapra, S. C., and Canale, R. P. (2006). Numerical methods for engineers, McGraw Hill, Boston.
Duncan, J. M. (1996). “State of the art: Limit equilibrium and finite-element analysis of slopes.” J. Geotech. Engrg., 122(7), 577–596.
Filz, G. M., Adams, T., and Davidson, R. R. (2004). “Stability of long trenches in sand supported by bentonite-water slurry.” J. Geotech. Geoenviron. Eng., 130(9), 915–921.
Fox, P. J. (2004). “Analytical solutions for stability of slurry trench.” J. Geotech. Geoenviron. Eng., 130(7), 749–758.
Fox, P. J. (2006). “Discussion of ‘Stability of long trenches in sand supported by bentonite-water slurry’ by George M. Filz, Tiffany Adams, and Richard R. Davidson.” J. Geotech. Geoenviron. Eng., 132(5), 666.
Li, Y.-C., Chen, Y.-M., Zhan, T. L. T., Ling, D.-S., and Cleall, P. J. (2010). “An efficient approach for locating the critical slip surface in slope stability analyses using a real-coded genetic algorithm.” Can. Geotech. J., 47(7), 806–820.
Morgenstern, N., and Amir-Tahmasseb, I. (1965). “The stability of a slurry trench in cohesionless soils.” Geotechnique, 15(4), 387–395.
Nash, J. K. T. L., and Jones, G. K. (1963). “The support of trenches using fluid mud.” Proc., Grouts and Drilling Muds in Engineering Practice, Butterworths, London, 177–180.
Nouri, H., Fakher, A., and Jones, C. J. F. P. (2006). “Development of horizontal slice method for seismic stability analysis of reinforced slopes and walls.” J. Geotextile Geomembr., 24(3), 175–187.
Piaskowski, A., and Kowalewski, Z. (1965). “Applications of thixotropic clay suspensions for stability of vertical sides of deep trenches without strutting.” Proc., 6th Int. Conf. on Soil Mechanics and Foundation Engineering Geology, University of Toronto Press, Ontario, Canada, 526–529.
Prater, E. G. (1973). “Die Gewölbewirkung der Schlitzwände.” Bauingenieur, 48(4), 125–131.
Shahgholi, M., Fakher, A., and Jones, C. (2001). “Horizontal slice method of analysis.” Geotechnique, 51(10), 881–885.
Tsai, J. S., and Chang, J. C. (1996). “Three-dimensional stability analysis for slurry-filled trench wall in cohesionless soil.” Can. Geotech. J., 33(5), 798–808.
Tsai, J. S., Jou, L. D., and Hsieh, H. S. (2000). “A full-scale stability experiment on a diaphragm wall trench.” Can. Geotech. J., 37(2), 379–392.
Washbourne, J. (1984). “The three-dimensional stability analysis of diaphragm wall excavations.” Ground Engrg., 17(4), 24–29.
Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering
Volume 139 • Issue 12 • December 2013
Pages: 2104 - 2109
Copyright
© 2013 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Nov 25, 2012
Accepted: Apr 29, 2013
Published online: May 2, 2013
Published in print: Dec 1, 2013
Authors
Metrics & Citations
Metrics
Citations
Download citation
If you have the appropriate software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice. Simply select your manager software from the list below and click Download.