TRENCH STABILITY AND LOADS ON SUPPORT SYSTEMS

This article, the last in a series of four, provides some practical guidance on the methods of assessing the stability of unsupported excavations and on the possible modes of failure. An indication is given of how the loads generated on trench support can be estimated. Short-term stability analysis is used to illustrate the calculation of the critical depth of vertical and sloping trench walls and the base failure of trenches in clay immediately after excavation. The use of stability curves to investigate the effect of battering back is explained. The most common failure modes are illustrated and discussed. These include failure by sliding in clay, drying, saturation, erosion and wash-out in sands. A description is also given of falls, bedding plane failure and block failure. Design procedures for support systems are based on measurements of strut loads in deep excavations to give design envelopes for selected soil types. See also TRIS 362294-6. (TRRL)

• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/issn/00396303
• Corporate Authors:

  IPC Building and Contract Journals Limited

  Surrey House, 1 Throwley Way
  Sutton, Surrey SM1 4QQ,   England 
• Authors:
  • Rumsey, P B
• Publication Date: 1982-1-28

Media Info

• Features: Figures;
• Pagination: p. 8-9
• Serial:
  • SURVEYOR
  • Volume: 4675
  • Issue Number: 159
  • Publisher: Hemming Group, Limited
  • ISSN: 0039-6303

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Clay; Critical depth; Depth; Design; Drying; Erosion; Excavation; Excavations; Failure; Landslides; Loads; Percent saturation; Pits; Sand; Soils; Stability (Mechanics); Structural supports; Timbering; Trenches
• Old TRIS Terms: Supports
• ITRD Terms: 4177: Clay; 5907: Degree of saturation (mater); 6499: Depth; 9011: Design (overall design); 5184: Drying; 5275: Erosion; 5155: Excavation (process); 5702: Excavation pit; 5520: Failure; 4029: Landslide; 5567: Load; 4105: Sand; 4156: Soil; 5930: Stability; 3605: Timbering
• Subject Areas: Construction; Design; Geotechnology; Highways;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00362297
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: Transport Research Laboratory
• Files: ITRD, TRIS
• Created Date: Oct 30 1982 12:00AM