Effect of a corner in a three-dimensional excavation

Abstract

The main objective of the present thesis is to gain a better understanding of how a corner affects an excavation. The study concentrated on the development of a new 3D in-flight excavator, so that 3D in-flight excavation test can be carried out in the centrifuge. The effects of ground beam, soil strength and depth of excavation on how a corner affected an excavation were evaluated. It was found that the corner effect can be mainly characterized by two factors, namely the effect of a beam restrained at the corner and the variation of earth pressures from the corner. It was also found that the influence range of the corner is also decided by the flexural capacity of the wall. If the capacity is exceeded, the wall would develop a constant movement zone at a certain distance away from corner and a pure plane strain condition would not occur.