Ground movements associated with wall construction: Case histories

The construction of diaphragm wall panels can cause movements to the adjace nt ground. The magnitude of the movements depends on various factors such a s the construction technique, soil type, and panel dimensions. These moveme nts can be excessive if the wall dimensions and construction technique are not properly chosen or the process of wall construction is not properly con trolled. This paper presents four case histories on the adjacent ground res ponse to the construction of diaphragm wall panels. The aspects of performa nce monitored include lateral soil movements and soil settlements. The moni toring results indicated that the lateral soil movements caused by the cons truction of wall panels increased with increasing wall dimension. These res ults suggest that the magnitude of the lateral soil movements could be mini mized by reducing the dimensions of the wall panels. The results also sugge st that the use of high slurry levels during the construction of the wall p anels would help to minimize the lateral soil movements.