Compaction-Induced Earth Pressures against a Sheet Pile Wall in Peat

Abstract

With vibrating-wire total pressure cells instrumented on sheet pile walls in peat bogs, lateral earth pressures developing in peat against the supporting faces of sheet pile walls were measured during deep dynamic compaction (DDC). The measured total lateral earth pressures induced by impaction at different tamping points were examined. Analyses of field data indicated that during DDC, pressure increments increased linearly with blow counts. Under the same compaction energy, pressure increments were determined by both the horizontal tamping distance, X (distance from a tamping point to sheet pile walls), and the vertical depth, Y (distance to ground surface). Compaction-induced earth pressure increments could be modeled by an exponential relationship with both X and Y. Finite element method simulation showed a similar tendency as field measurements, verifying that the developed exponential relationships reasonably interpret the mechanism of soil–structure interaction under dynamic compaction conditions.