Finite Element Analysis of Flexible Anchored Sheet Pile Walls: Effect of Mode of Construction and Dewatering

Abstract. This paper reports the finite element (FE) study to assess the behavior of a flexible sheet pile wall. The effect of excavation and backfilling process on the behavior of the sheet pile wall have been thoroughly investigated and the results are presented in terms of the wall deformations and bending moments, developed anchor forces, and the earth pressures developed on both active and passive side of the wall. Development of failure mechanism in terms of soil displacements and incremental deviatoric strains, slip lines and plastic points formations have been illustrated. Such structures in the field are often associated with high water table, which renders significant hindrance in the construction of sheet pile wall, and hence, dewatering is adopted in such cases. The dewatering scheme substantially alters the stress conditions on the sheet pile wall, and if not accommodated in the design, might render the behavior as unrealistic. This aspect has been addressed in the present article. It has been observed that the sheet pile wall systems in the dewatered excavation cases are failing before the desired excavation depth, and hence, forms a crucial part of the analysis