Braced Excavation at the NIPSCO Bailly Station Power Plant

In July 1991, the intake and discharge pipelines of a major power plant collapsed. A 60-ft. deep excavation adjacent to several structures sensitive to ground movements was required- for remediation. Based on conventional analyses, the estimated factor of safety against base heave was close to 1. 0 for the required excavation, and there was grave concern for damage to appurtenant structures. A viable reconstruction scheme was developed through the integration of finite element analyses and construction monitoring