A self-supported double soldier pile wall system used in the vertical excavation is eminent for its superiority on easy and rapid construction and its capability of reducing the deformation of retaining wall. A series of centrifuge model tests in an acceleration of 30 g were conducted to study the behaviors of self-supported single and double soldier pile wall system in sandy soils. The models were performed to investigate the external stability of wall and deformation behaviors in the different test conditions. The double soldier pile wall system can effectively reduce the surface settlement, horizontal displacement and tilt angle of wall and maximum bending moment on the wall to more than a half of those experienced in the single solider pile wall system. In the study, a relation of the maximum horizontal displacement on the wall and the surface settlement trough are proposed to evaluate the degree of impact on neighboring buildings.
Many excavation methods are used to construct different types of infrastructure. The majority of excavation works in urban areas utilize wales and struts for lateral supports; however, the strutted vertical excavation is not an economical way when a large area of open excavation is required. Installing and removing struts one by one during construction always slow the construction processes down. Since most of the supporting walls in an open cutting work are considered only as temporary structures, large deformation may be acceptable as long as failure states are prevented and the stability of the wall is the main interest in the design. However, excess deformation behind the wall sometimes causes serious damages to neighboring buildings. Therefore the deformation of wall and the settlement of surrounding ground must be one of concerned issues in the design and construction of such a retaining wall system.
