Spatial Effect Analysis of a Long Strip Pit Partition Wall and Its Influence on Adjacent Pile Foundations

Abstract

The spatial effect at the end of the foundation pit partition wall is significant, and the displacement of the retaining wall and soil caused by its demolition leads to an additional displacement and bending moment of the adjacent pile foundations, which in turn deteriorates the work behavior of the pile foundation. Taking the project of an open tunnel under a viaduct located in Hangzhou as an example, site monitoring was performed to determine the effect of the demolition of the partition wall on the displacement of the surrounding retaining wall and the soil in the adjacent area and the monitoring data were compared to the finite element analysis results to check the rationality of the finite element model. This model was used to study the influence of the distance from the pile foundation to the partition wall as well as the stiffness of the retaining wall on the displacement and bending moment of the pile foundation during excavation. These results indicate that because of the support effect of the foundation pit partition wall on the retaining wall, the spatial effect at the end of the partition wall is large, and the displacement and bending moments of the pile foundation in the vicinity of the partition wall are lower than those in the far distance. Demolition of the partition wall will increase the displacement and bending moment of adjacent pile foundations, and this effect decreases with increasing distance. The range of influence of the spatial effect at the end of the partition wall is approximately 1.1 times the depth of the foundation pit. When the pile foundation is in the immediate vicinity of the partition wall, the response of the front-row and rear-row piles to the demolition of the partition wall is significantly different. The front row piles are more affected, while the rear row piles are less affected. As the distance increases, the difference in response gradually decreases and tends to be consistent. As the stiffness of the retaining wall increases, the effect of the demolition of the partition wall on the pile foundation decreases. It is recommended that the stiffness of the supporting system near the partition wall be reduced appropriately, and the partition wall should be set at the foundation pit section near the pile foundation, but the response of the foundation pit and the adjacent pile foundation should be paid close attention to when the partition wall is demolished.