Design Charts for Circular-Shaped Sheeted Excavation Pits against Seepage Failure by Heave

Abstract

During the construction of an excavation pit, the main problem is often dominated by seepage flow into the excavation pit. The pore water pressure developed by the seepage flow may lift the excavation base, and thus, may lead to the stability loss of the excavation pit, which is known as seepage failure by heave. In this study, based on the results of three-dimensional steadystate groundwater flow analyses, design charts are given to evaluate the safety against heave of circular-shaped sheeted excavation pits constructed within homogeneous isotropic soil layers of limited or unlimited thicknesses. The given design charts consider the various conditions of water level on both up- and downstream side of an excavation pit. It means that they can be used for excavation pits constructed in both urban areas and open water.