6/5/2023

Arching in soil and braced

cuts
Sangam Acharya

Content:
5.1 Theory of arching in soils and its practical applications
5.2 Bracing for open cuts
5.3 Earth pressure against bracing in cuts
5.4 Strut loads

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5.1 Theory of arching in soils and its practical

applications
• The previous studies of lateral earth pressure theories are applied
when the retaining structure rotates about the base.
• However, when the retaining structure tends to rotate about the top,
the approximate pressure distribution diagram is shown in figure.

5.1 Theory of arching in soils and its practical

applications
• Thus, in the case of lateral supports for vertical cut in soil, the earth
pressure is maximum at about mid height.
• In such laterally supported soil, if the top and bottom of the cut is
supported, but the mid of the cut is unsupported, the mid portion has
a tendency to move.

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5.1 Theory of arching in soils and its practical

applications
• But such movement is resisted by the shearing resistance at the zone
of contact between the mid portion (yielding portion) and non‐
yielding portion (bottom and top).
• This means that the pressure acting on the supports that were
removed, were transferred to the adjoining stiff supports.
• This property of soil is known as Arching in soil.

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5.1 Theory of arching in soils and its practical

applications
• Such arching phenomenon can be observed in soils having at least a
trace of cohesion.
• Thus, there are two main requirements for arching effect to come into
the soil:
• There should be an inducement of relative movement within the soil mass.
• There should be shear strength enough for mobilization against the
movement.
• The arching is a permanent property of the soil such as shearing
resistance; and arching will reduce with time only if the shearing
resistance of the soil reduces, and then failure may occur.

5.1 Theory of arching in soils and its practical

applications
• Terzaghi demonstrated the phemomenon
of arching by a simple test shown in
figure.
• It consists of a platform fitted with a trap
door AB. The depth H of the dry sand
layer over the trap door is very large in
comparison to the width of the trap door.
• The pressure on the trap door at its
original position is gH.

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5.1 Theory of arching in soils and its practical

applications
• When the trap door is allowed to move
slightly downwards, the pressure on the
door decreases as shown (measured by
weighing machine).
• Whereas the pressure of sand on the
adjoining parts of the platform increases.
• As the prism of sand located above the
door (ABEF) moves downward, the shear
stresses along its lateral boundaries AE
and BF resist it, and thus, the pressure on
the trap door is decreased.

5.1 Theory of arching in soils and its practical

applications
• It has been established that the ultimate
pressure on the trap door is
independent of the depth H of the layer
of sand above it. Only a small portion of
the soil prism, ABG, contributes to the
pressure on the trap door. If the sand
has even a trace of cohesion, it will not
drop out even if the trap door is
removed.
• This transfer of pressure onto the
adjoining stationery mass is called
arching and the soil is said to arch over
AGB.

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5.1 Theory of arching in soils and its practical

applications
• The theory of arching can be used to
compute the vertical pressure for the
design of tunnel lining.

5.2 Bracing for open cuts

• The excavations which are laterally supported are known as braced cuts.

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5.2 Bracing for open cuts

5.2 Bracing for open cuts

• In case of pure cohesive soils, the
height of unsupported cut (Hc) is
twice the critical depth and is
equal to 4.cu/g.
• This means that theoretically, the
excavation in such soils can stand
without any lateral support to this
height.
• If a vertical cut without support is
made in cohesive soil, in most of
the cases, tension crack appear on
the surface of the ground adjacent
to the cut.

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5.2 Bracing for open cuts

• The tension crack reduces the critical height.
• The sides of the vertical cut cave in sooner or later.
• To avoid such cases, the upper edges of the narrow cut are braced against
each other.

5.2 Bracing for open cuts

• The horizontal cross members in fig (a) are struts of braces.

• Braces are tightened by wedges or screws and support horizontal timber
that usually consists of planks (known as wales), that support vertical boards
known as sheetings.
• The first strut member is inserted at the depth of tension crack.
• At the bottom of the excavation a height equal to Hc/2 is left open without
support to provide adequate working space provided the soil does not have
a tendency to ravel or slake. If it does, the sheetings are carried down to the
bottom of the excavation without any struts.

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5.2 Bracing for open cuts

• When an open cut is excavated, the struts are inserted as the depth of
excavation increases.
• Rankine’s and Coulomb’s theories of earth pressure cannot be used for the
computation of lateral earth pressure as these theories are applicable to
rigid retaining walls rotating at base.
• In cuts, when the first row of strut is placed, the depth of excavation is so
small that for all practical problems, the original state of stress is unaltered.
Thus, the first row of strut is in position before any yielding of soil mass can
take place.
• As the excavation proceeds to the level of second row of struts, the
horizontal yielding of the soil mass near the ground surface is prevented by
the rigidity of the first set of struts.

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5.2 Bracing for open cuts

• However, the lateral pressure of
the soil outside the cut acts on
the sheet piles resulting in their
inward yield by rotation about a
line at the level of the
uppermost row of struts.
• With increase in the depth, the
yielding increases. Therefore, as
the excavation proceeds, the
deformation condition of the
bracing of the cut will be as
shown in figure.

5.2 Bracing for open cuts

• The bottom of the cut in soft clays are likely to fail by heaving.
• Heaving can occur if the bearing capacity of the clay at the base is
exceeded by the surcharge (soil weight) at the surface ab and de.
• For clays Φ=0, the ultimate bearing
capacity is given by cu.Nc. So, the
factor of safety against heaving is,
.
FOS =
• Nc= bearing capacity factor, depends
on shape of cut, and ratio of depth
and width.

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5.2 Bracing for open cuts

Some causes of soil heave are:
• Upward seepage of water (studied in soil mechanics)
• Swelling of sub‐soils (clays) due to increase of water
into the ground resulting from seasonal changes.
• Frost action
• Stress relief due to removal of soil from excavation.
The tendency of bottom heave reduces if the depth of
sheet pile extends below the bottom of cut. The passive
resistance counter acts the heave force through the stiff
sheet pile member.

5.2 Bracing for open cuts

• The bracing for a cut are composed of several components.
• If failure of one unit occurs, then the failure of whole system occurs.
• If a strut fails by overstressing, then the load carried by these strut is
shared by remaining struts (arching) which consequently fails by
overstressing.

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5.3 Earth pressure against bracing in cuts

• Terzaghi and Peck (1967) presented pressure distribution diagrams in
braced cuts depending upon the type of soil.

a) Soft to medium clays ( 4 b) Stiff fissured clays ( 4) Sands

(Heaving)

5.4 Strut loads

• Using the pressure distribution diagrams, the deep cut is designed and
strut loads are calculated.
• The design sheet pile is considered as a continuous beam supported at
the wales.
• The top and bottom portion is treated as simple cantilever beams as
shown in figure.
• The remaining spans between struts are treated as simply supported
beams.
• Struts are designed as columns (reaction Ri), and wales are designed as
simply supported beams supported at struts.

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Numerical
1. Determine the forces in the 3 struts for the bracing system shown below.
Take g= 18 KN/m3, c= 40 KN/m2 and spacing between struts as 2 m. Also
determine the maximum BM in the walls.

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