Corner and partition wall effects on the settlement of a historical building near a supported subway excavation in soft soil

Abstract

This paper discusses the settlement characteristics of a historical building near the corner of a supported excavation made in soft soil during the construction of a subway. Measurements from the study site at Daliang Station, Foshan, China are analysed, and the effects of partition walls are explored. The complexity of the corner effects of braced excavations is considered, and deformation forms and damage to buildings near the corners are analysed. Depression, arching, deflection, torsion, differential settlement, and inclination are studied. Finally, partition walls are proposed to reduce the impact of the corner effect on the buildings. We found that the corner effect limits the deflection and deformation of a corner building and has little effect on torsional deformation. Partition walls can significantly reduce the horizontal deformation of underground diaphragm walls and the settlement of corner buildings. The results help to understand the stress behaviour and deformation mechanism of buildings near the corners of braced excavations and on ways to control such deformation.