COFFERDAM FOR BART EMBARCADERO SUBWAY STATION

Inward deformations of cofferdam walls during deep excavation in soft soils are inevitable but steps can be taken to minimize these movements. An excavation 1,160 ft (354-m) long by 55 ft (17 m) wide by 70 ft (21 m) deep in a busy downtown San Francisco street, flanked by major buildings, was performed for the BART Embarcadero station successfully in soil strata that contained varying depths of soft clay locally known as "recent Bay mud." To provide an impervious rigid cofferdam wall of adequate strength and reasonable thickness a soldier-pile and tremie concrete (SPTC) system of sheeting was selected. Successive excavation cuts below prescribed bracing levels were held to a practical minimum. Struts were preloaded to reduce compression deformations. Inclinometers recorded deflections of the walls while strain gages enabled determination of strut loads. The thicker the layer of soft clay the greater the inward movements of the walls notwithstanding the corresponding increases in wall sizes.

• Corporate Authors:

  American Society of Civil Engineers

  345 East 47th Street
  New York, NY  United States  10017-2398
• Authors:
  • Armento, W J
• Publication Date: 1973-10

Media Info

• Pagination: p. 727-744
• Serial:
  • Journal of Soil Mechanics & Foundations Div
  • Volume: 99
  • Issue Number: SM10

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Clay; Cofferdams; Construction; Excavating equipment; Excavations; Loads; Motion; Railroad stations; Rapid transit; Struts; Subways; Tunnels; Walls
• Identifier Terms: Embarcadero Station; San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District
• Old TRIS Terms: Subway construction; Wall movement
• Subject Areas: Bridges and other structures; Construction; Geotechnology; Highways; Public Transportation; Terminals and Facilities;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00051427
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: American Society of Civil Engineers
• Report/Paper Numbers: Paper 10075 Proceeding
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Apr 9 1981 12:00AM