Slurry Walls for Permanent Lateral Resistance in Zones of High Seismicity
Tenth U.S. National Conference on Earthquake Engineering Frontiers of Earthquake Engineering July 21-25, 2014 10NCEE Anchorage, Alaska SLURRY WALLS FOR PERMANENT LATERAL RESISTANCE IN ZONES OF HIGH SEISMICITY Sitotaw Y. Fantaye, P.E.1, Lisa Papandrea, P.E.2, and Jesse Richins, P.E., G.E.3 ABSTRACT Slurry wall construction is commonly used for excavation support, particularly in areas where a hydraulic barrier is needed. However, in areas of high seismicity where significant lateral loads must be resisted, slurry walls are typically used for temporary excavation support only. Interior systems, such as shear walls, moment frames, cross bracing, or a combination of these systems, are typically added for permanent lateral support and load distribution. This paper presents a case study in which an innovative engineered shear connector was used to provide in-plane shear capacity between slurry wall joints for a successfully constructed buttress wall at the Vehicle Security Center, World Trade Center, New York. The challenging site was constrained with limited space and required the excavation support wall to resist typical earth and hydrostatic pressures as well as the additional lateral loads of an adjacent historic highrise. This paper will detail the design of the wall, numerical modeling of wall performance and stresses, and construction challenges. In addition, a hypothetical design of a structural slurry wall in a zone of high seismicity was evaluated as an example of applying this technology in areas with high seismic loads. Future applications of this technology should be considered in areas of high seismicity to integrate slurry wall excavation support into the permanent lateral support system of deep excavations to avoid costly secondary support systems.
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