Deformation Characteristic of a Supported Deep Excavation System: A Case Study in Red Sandstone Stratum

Abstract

A complete case record of a deep foundation pit with pile-anchor retaining structure excavated in red sandstone stratum is presented in this study. The horizontal displacement of pile top, the horizontal displacement at various depths, the axial force of anchor cable, and ground settlement during construction are measured. A three-dimensional numerical model is established to analyze the additional stress and deformation induced by the excavation and the accuracy of the FEM model is verified by comparing with field measured results. Both the measured and numerical simulation results show that the deformation of the pile-anchor supported deep excavation is significantly affected by the spatial effect. The results show that the deformation in the middle of the foundation pit is greater than the pit angle and that the deformation of the long side is greater than that of the short side and gradually decreases from the middle to the pit angle. The deformation and stress in the middle of the long side of the foundation pit are the largest, which is the most unfavorable part. With the increase of vertical excavation depth, the spatial effects tend to increase, and the influence scope of spatial effects is about five times the vertical excavation depth in the red sandstone stratum. The ground settlement outside the pit is mainly distributed in a groove shape, and the maximum settlement occurs about 8.5 m away from the pit edge. Finally, parametric studies of reinforcement parameters indicated that 1.5–2.0 times the initial elastic modulus and cohesive force of soil should be used for reinforcement. It is recommended that the ranges for pile diameter, pile spacing, anchor cable prestressing and inclination angle should be selected as 0.8–1.2 m, 1.4–2.0 m, 100–150 kN, and 10°–20°, respectively.

Keywords

• deep excavation
• red sandstone
• pile-anchor retaining structure
• spatial effect
• deformation