Quay Wall Design Example – DeepEX & QuayWalls Software
Limit Equilibrium Analysis – Wave Pressures
Document Version: 1.0.1.3
Released: January 14, 2021
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QUAY WALL DESIGN EXAMPLE – DEEPEX
INTRODUCTION: DEEPEX Click here to review DeepEX
SHORING DESIGN SOFTWARE Features and Capabilities
DeepEX is a powerful software program for the design and evaluation of earth retaining systems. It can perform full structural
and geotechnical design of any common wall type and support system. DeepEX can locate the most critical slope surface for
any retaining wall system and calculate the slope stability safety factor.
Available Wall Types: Soldier Piles, Secant/Tangent Piles, Sheet Piles, Box Sheet Piles, Concrete Diaphragms, Combined Sheet
Piles (King Piles), Gravity Walls, Pile Abutments, Quay Walls (segmental, block caissons with infill zones) and more.
Available Support Types: Ground Anchors (Tiebacks), Concrete Slabs, Steel Struts and Steel Rakers, Steel and Concrete
Walers, Tiedowns, Tierods and more.
Analysis Methods: Limit Equilibrium (LEM), Beam on Elastoplastic Foundations (Non-Linear Analysis with Elastoplastic
Springs), Finite Element Analysis (FEM).
Seismic Pressures Methods: Semirigid, Mononobe-Okabe, Wood, User-Defined.
The ultimate package for Marine Engineering
With the Gravity and Sea Walls additional modules, DeepEX can be used for the design of all common marine projects such
as bulkheads, cofferdams, deadman sheet pile systems, gravity type quay walls and more. The Sea Walls module allows the
calculation of wave pressures and overtopping on any wall system.
INTRODUCTION: QUAYWALLS Click here to review QuayWalls
GRAVITY TYPE QUAY WALLS DESIGN SOFTWARE Features and Capabilities
QuayWalls can examine a range of issues from earth pressures, seismic conditions, ship loads, wave pressures, and on. all
these aspects in a single package. With easy to use wizards we can quickly generate from simple gravity walls to 3D caisson
walls with infill zones. Quay Walls brings together coastal, structural, and geotechnical engineering principles in one package
to make your design life easier. Finally, QuayWalls can do slope stability analysis of gravity and quay walls.
Available Wall Types: Cantilever walls, Segmental Walls, Box Caisson Walls, T Shaped Walls User Defined Walls and more.
Analysis Methods: Limit Equilibrium (LEM), Finite Element Analysis (FEM).
Seismic Pressures Methods: Semirigid, Mononobe-Okabe, Wood, User-Defined.
DeepEX or QuayWalls?
The main difference between the programs are the available wall types that can be analyzed:
QuayWalls can analyze gravity and quay walls, calculate wave pressures and overtopping and more.
DeepEX can solve simple and advanced geotechnical engineering challenges and design many different wall types and support
systems. The Sea Walls module can expand the DeepEX software capabilities, allowing it to perform all calculations that are
covered from QuayWalls software, so basically DeepEX can be used for all common marine projects design (sheet piles,
cofferdams, bulkheads, quay walls and more).
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QUAY WALL DESIGN EXAMPLE – DEEPEX
A. QUAY WALL DESIGN EXAMPLE – MODEL AND ASSUMPTIONS
In this example we will design a port Quay wall (concrete box quay section with infill zones). The initial general
surface is at El: -60ft and the water table is at El: 0. We will examine the quay wall construction over a soil
embankment, with a backfill behind the wall to El: 10ft. We will test the generated model under wave and seismic
pressures. Such models can be simulated either in DeepEX software (the Gravity Walls and Sea Walls additional
modules are required), or in our QuayWalls design software. The model will be analyzed with the DeepEX software,
using the Limit Equilibrium Analysis method (LEM).
Figure: The project quay wall model in DeepEX and QuayWalls programs
DeepEX – Training Examples and Videos
DeepEX can design any common wall type and support system in the most CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE:
efficient way. Review a series of training examples, videos, cases and articles
DEEPEX – VIDEOS & EXAMPLES
in our website.
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QUAY WALL DESIGN EXAMPLE – DEEPEX
B. GENERATE THE MODEL WITH THE SOFTWARE MODEL WIZARD
Our software programs DeepEX and QuayWalls include a powerful model wizard that can be used for the creation
of any model with all construction stages in minutes. Within the Wizard, the user can define several project
parameters and assumptions in a series of user-friendly dialogs. We can select the created wall type and wall section
properties, the soil types and stratigraphy, they use of external surcharges and mooring loads, the assigned design
standards, and load combinations and more. This procedure saves us a tremendous amount of time and effort to
generate a detailed model.
Figure: DeepEX and QuayWalls Model Wizard Options and Settings
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QUAY WALL DESIGN EXAMPLE – DEEPEX
C. SOIL PROPERTIES AND SOIL LAYERS (STRATIGRAPHY)
Friction
Soil Layer Elev. Soil Soil Type Cohesion Total Unit Weight
Angle
(ft) (-) (-) (psf) (pcf)
(deg)
10 F Sand (Fill) 30 10 125
Relief Zone RF Gravel 40 10 120
Embankment GR Dense Gravel 42.5 10 135
-60 S1 Medium Sand 34 10 130
Inside the software, we can create all soil types and define the soil properties in the Soil Types dialog. The DeepEX
and QuayWalls Custom Layers tool is used, so we can create the custom lines simulating the relief zone behind the
quay wall, as well as, the soil embankment below the wall.
Figure: Soil Properties and Soil Layers
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QUAY WALL DESIGN EXAMPLE – DEEPEX
D. QUAY WALL SECTION
In this example we will use a box caisson gravity wall section to simulate the quay wall. In DeepEX and QuayWalls,
we can set our section dimensions and define the infill zones.
Table: Wall Properties
Wall Type Box Caisson with infill zones
Caisson Width 40 ft
Caisson Height 50 ft
Abutment Width 120 ft
Infill Zones Layout 3x3
Infill Material Soil F (Fill)
Figure: Quay Wall Section Properties - Dimensions
Figure: Quay Wall Section Properties – Infill Zones
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QUAY WALL DESIGN EXAMPLE – DEEPEX
E. WAVE PRESSURES METHODS AND ASSUMPTIONS
QuayWalls and DeepEX (with the Sea Walls DeepEX add on) can calculate wave pressures with a number of
established methods – Goda, SainFlou, Allsop, Coastal Engineering Manual 2011 and more. The initial wave heights
and wave lengths can be estimated with implemented recommendations, or manually defined by the user through
a user-friendly dialog. Finally, QuayWalls can automatically estimate overtopping flow rates since it can perform
average overtopping volume calculations using PROVERBS equations.
In this particular example, we will make the following assumptions:
- Wave Pressures Method: Goda
- Critical Wave case: Wave is lower than the water table
- Wave options: Selected from CEM 2011 – Part II suggestions – Tropical Depression case
- Ignore Overtopping
- Seaward: SainFlou as modified by McConnell
- Wave length: 100ft
Figure: Wave Pressures options
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QUAY WALL DESIGN EXAMPLE – DEEPEX
F. EXTERNAL LOADS AND SEISMIC PRESSURES SETTINGS
External Strip Surcharge
We will define a 0.6ksf variable strip load on the retaining side of the quay wall system.
Mooring Loads
In DeepEX and QuayWalls software, we can define different mooring load magnitudes in different construction
stages (operating, high/low wave conditions and seismic). We can use the model wizard so the load is adjusted in
each construction stage, or add a load on the wall and edit the magnitude and load type manually through the
stages.
Seismic Options
In DeepEX and QuayWalls we can select to use seismic loads in any construction stage (typically the last stage). In
the seismic stage of this example, we will calculate the seismic pressures according to the Mononobe-Okabe
method for frictional soils. We will assign a 0.1g horizontal earthquake design acceleration.
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QUAY WALL DESIGN EXAMPLE – DEEPEX
G. CONSTRUCTION STAGES
In DeepEX and QuayWalls, we can generate and analyze all construction stages. This allows the advanced analysis
methods to converge, as well as, allows us to review all results in all stages, recognize the most critical stage and
take important decisions, in order to perform the most efficient model optimization. The model in this example (all
construction stages) was created automatically with the DeepEX model wizard.
Figure: Model in each Construction Stage
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QUAY WALL DESIGN EXAMPLE – DEEPEX
H. ANALYSIS SETTINGS AND DESIGN STANDARDS
1. Analysis Method -> Limit Equilibrium Analysis – Cantilever Excavation: Free Earth Method
2. Water Pressures -> Hydrostatic
3. Wall Friction -> Use 50% of the Soil Friction for both wall sides of the quay wall (driving and resisting)
4. Structural Design Codes: Eurocode 2 and 3 Specifications
5. Design Code Load Combinations: BS 6349 – Set A, B and C (examined in different design sections)
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QUAY WALL DESIGN EXAMPLE – DEEPEX
I. LEM ANALYSIS RESULTS – SERVICE CONDITIONS
Figure: Wall Moment and Shear Diagrams, Low Wave Conditions
Figure: Soil and Wave Pressure Diagrams, Low Wave Conditions
Figure: Seismic Pressures, Critical Slope Surface and Slope Stability FS, Seismic Conditions
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QUAY WALL DESIGN EXAMPLE – DEEPEX
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