Assessment of Excavation-Induced Building Damage

Abstract

Ground movements during excavation have the potential for major impact on nearby buildings, utilities and streets. Increasingly ground movements are controlled at the source. They are assessed by linking the ground loss at the excavation wall to the volume change and displacements in the soil mass, and then to the lateral strains and angular distortion in structural bays or units, and are related to damage using a damage criterion based on the state of strain at a point. Numerical and physical models of excavation-induced building damage were used to vary parameters and develop procedures for assessing distortion and damage. Examples of building distortion and damage are presented for brick bearing wall structures of the 1800's and early 1900's, as well as later frame structures, that illustrate how geometry, era of construction, stiffness, and condition influence building response to ground movement.

A Comprehensive Numerical Study on Building-Excavation Interaction

“…Excavations inevitably induce significant changes in stress/strain states of the surrounding soil, which in turn may cause different levels of displacement and damage in nearby structures [1]. These effects are related to a host of parameters, namely, soil properties, specifications of excavation support system, building properties and location with respect to the excavation, and excavation sequences and geometry [2][3][4][5][6][7]. In design and construction of deep excavations, it is prudent to avoid excessive lateral displacements and ground surface settlements, by carefully considering the effects of the above-mentioned factors, otherwise uncertainties would often force engineers towards inefficient constructions with high costs [8].…”

Study on Failure Mechanism of Strip Foundation Buildings Caused by Surface Horizontal Deformation in Mining Area

“…Herein, the mathematical model can be established by simplification of surface deformation and building structure, and the internal stress changes caused by surface deformation are analyzed by theoretical calculation [8][9][10]. Establishing a scaled-down physical model with similar materials can intuitively analyse the damage of buildings caused by different deformations and different degrees of surface deformation, and study the causes of damage by analysing the damage form of buildings [10][11]. In recent years, numerical simulation experiments have been continuously applied to the study of soil-structure interactions.…”