4th Geotechnical Symposium, Adana, Turkey, 1 - 02 December 2011, pp.1-12
Displacements which may occur around the excavation are as important as providing excavation stability during construction of structures which need deep excavations. Ground surface settlement profile behind the excavation should be predicted to assess the impact of excavation to adjacent buildings. In this study, numerical analysis are performed for excavations supported by diaphram walls by using Plaxis finite element software in six different type homogeneous ground conditions. The analyses are carried out for 3m, 4m, 5m ve 6m excavation depths. Cantilever wall is selected as excavation support system at grounds where efective material parameters are used. Embedded depths of the walls are determined by Rankine earth pressure theory. The ground surface settlement profiles behind supported excavations determined by finite element analysis, are compared with ampirical methods such as Peck Method (1969), Bowles Method (1988), Clough and O’Rourke Method (1990), Hsieh ve Ou (1998). A correlation between maximum surface settlement behind the wall (δvm) and maximum deflection at wall (δhm) are established.