Behavior of a Braced Sheet Pile Wall in Soft Clay

The earth pressure distribution against, and the displacement of, a braced sheet pile wall in soft clay have been examined. In connection with the construction of a fly-over, on the west cost of Sweden, two sections of a braced sheet pile wall were instrumented. The instrumentation consisted of earth pressure cells and inclinometer pipes mounted on three sheet piles. The sheet pile wall was also analyzed by means of the FLAC code in which the interaction between the sheet pile wall, the struts and the soil was studied. The movements and the calculations are compared with a conventional design method according to Peck. The results indicate that the earth pressure distribution and the deflection of the wall is strongly dependent on the construction procedure. The FLAC code was found to be a useful tool for parameter studies, but can hardly be used for design