Study of the Lateral Bearing Capacity and Optimization Reinforcement Scheme of an Open Caisson with Consideration of Soil Disturbance

The bearing capacity of an open caisson under lateral loads is a key factor affecting the normal operation of an open caisson. It will inevitably have a disturbing effect on the surrounding soil layers during the sinking process of the caisson; that is, a disturbance ring will develop around the caisson. Based on the Jurong Yangtze River water supply project, the lateral bearing characteristics of the open caisson are analyzed by the numerical method with due consideration to soil disturbance, and the reinforcement scheme is optimized. The numerical results show that when the thickness of the disturbance ring is less than 0.5 m the disturbance ring has little effect on the lateral bearing capacity of the open caisson. An arc-shaped cement–soil reinforcement at the loading area can effectively improve the lateral bearing performance of the caisson. The optimized reinforcement thickness is 2 times that of the disturbance ring, and the reinforcement angle is approximately 60°