Stabilization of Deep Excavation in Loose Fill Using Soil Nail Wall

Abstract

In recent years, due to city development, excavation and building construction in the loose fill of the south side of Tabriz, Iran is inevitable. This paper presents a case study of stabilization of a 16 m deep excavation in loose fill using soil nail wall in the south of Tabriz. Design, construction, construction difficulties and their solutions are discussed in this paper. The finite element analysis is conducted. The numerical simulation of soil nail wall is verified via comparing calculated wall displacement with the field measured values. The results show that in the sites without sensitive structures to deform in the vicinity of the excavation area, soil nailing is an effective and economical method for stabilization of excavations with a vertical cut in the loose fill. For better matching of calculated displacements of soil nail wall with field measured values, using hardening soil model and simulation of construction stages according to the actual execution in the site is recommended.