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This paper describes the monitoring of the construction of a deep underground waste storage bunker for the PROTOS energy-from-waste facility in Chester, UK. A key element of the construction process was a 12 m deep excavation in soft clays and peats which was supported by a complex 'combi-wall' cofferdam comprising alternate tube and sheet piles, a reinforced concrete (RC) capping beam and two levels of internal bracing. The permanent bunker RC structure was constructed within the excavation using a bottom-up approach. The primary aim of this monitoring programme was to assess the performance of the composite support system through measured cofferdam wall deflections, bracing member loads, and site and bunker water levels. An additional objective of the monitoring was to provide the site team with real-time feedback to inform the construction process. Interpretation of the monitored data allows for a quantitative assessment of the influence of various construction activities on the responses of the support system. The monitored behaviour shows that the high stiffness and embedment depth of the supporting structure, combined with careful control of groundwater levels, significantly reduced risks associated with deep excavation construction in challenging ground conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Deep, large-diameter caisson shafts are a popular means of constructing underground storage and attenuation tanks and pumping stations for the water and wastewater industry. One of the key design concerns for these structures is resistance to flotation during periods when the tanks are only partially filled or empty. In this paper, two-dimensional numerical analysis is used to explore the undrained uplift resistance provided by under-reaming the walls of the caisson shaft to create an enlarged base. The primary aim of the study is to assess the influence of the taper angle of the anchor (i.e. the protruded base) on the resulting uplift resistance. The effects of the anchor–soil interface roughness factor, soil weight, surcharge pressure and caisson radius are also investigated. The results indicate that the effect of the taper angle on both the uplift bearing capacity and the developed horizontal reaction can be very significant. The numerical output informs the development of a closed-form approach for application in routine design. The new design method is shown to provide an excellent agreement with both finite-element and additional finite-element limit analysis calculations. By way of example, the proposed design method is applied to a hypothetical design scenario. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper assesses the effectiveness of different unsupervised Bayesian changepoint detection (BCPD) methods for identifying soil layers, using data from cone penetration tests (CPT). It compares four types of BCPD methods: a previously utilised offline univariate method for detecting clay layers through undrained shear strength data, a newly developed online univariate method, and an offline and an online multivariate method designed to simultaneously analyse multiple data series from CPT. The performance of these BCPD methods was tested using real CPT data from a study area with layers of sandy and clayey soil, and the results were verified against ground-truth data from adjacent borehole investigations. The findings suggest that some BCPD methods are more suitable than others in providing a robust, quick, and automated approach for the unsupervised detection of soil layering, which is critical for geotechnical engineering design. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Open caisson shafts are a widely adopted solution for a range of geotechnical applications. An external 'cutting shoe' is a common construction feature used to reduce the soil frictional resistance acting on the caisson during sinking. This forms an annular void encircling the caisson which is filled with a support fluid to maintain excavation stability. The primary aim of this paper is to explore the influence of the cutting shoe geometry on the resulting vertical bearing resistance in sand. Finite-element limit analysis is adopted for this purpose. Additional parameters considered in the modelling include the roughness of the caisson cutting face and cutting shoe, and the caisson radius and embedment depth. The results show that the influence of the cutting shoe is highly dependent on the caisson cutting face roughness and the soil friction angle, illustrated using detailed soil failure mechanisms. The roughness of the cutting shoe is also shown to cause a significant increase in the vertical soil reaction for large caisson embedment depths. By way of example, a recent case study in the UK, involving the construction of a 32 m dia. caisson, is used to highlight the potential influence of the cutting shoe on the bearing resistance during caisson sinking. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The simulation of additional soil overburden pressure through the use of a surcharge system is a technique commonly adopted in laboratory testing of pipe–soil interaction. This paper examines the influence of surcharge boundary conditions and pressure level on the axial sliding behaviour of a trenched pipeline surrounded by sand backfill. A novel testing tank is employed in conjunction with a pressure bag system to simulate overburden pressure; both flexible and rigid surcharge boundary conditions are considered. Cyclic axial displacements are applied to a heavy pipe buried in a narrow trench, using two different sand backfills. The test pipe is instrumented to measure (a) the axial soil resistance developed on an isolated central section of pipe (thus avoiding tank boundary effects), and (b) the normal and shear contact stresses at a number of points around the pipe circumference. The results show that the type of surcharge boundary condition (flexible or rigid) has a significant influence on laboratory measurements of both the axial resistance and circumferential pressure distribution of a buried pipe section. Application and subsequent reduction of surcharge pressure is also shown to produce 'locked in' normal stresses on the pipe, thereby increasing the axial resistance. The results show that careful treatment of the surcharge boundary conditions and the surcharge pressure history are required to avoid inaccurate predictions of field behaviour. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]