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Analysis of A Braced Excavation In Soft Soils Considering The Consolidation Effect

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Abstract

The studies of excavations in soft clayey soils are normally based on undrained total stress analyses. A better approach consists of taking into account the effects of consolidation during the excavation-bracing process and after the completion of the construction by means of coupled finite element analyses in effective stresses. In this paper, the geotechnical behaviour of a braced excavation in the soft soils of San Francisco (USA) is analysed, both during and after the construction period. Numerical analyses are performed with a finite element program, which incorporates the Biot consolidation theory (coupled formulation of the water flow and equilibrium equations) and soil constitutive relations simulated by the p-q-θ critical state model. Numerical results are compared with field results.

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Correspondence to Pedro Alves Costa.

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Costa, P.A., Borges, J.L. & Fernandes, M.M. Analysis of A Braced Excavation In Soft Soils Considering The Consolidation Effect. Geotech Geol Eng 25, 617–629 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10706-007-9134-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10706-007-9134-7

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