CONTROL MEASURES FOR WATER DRAWDOWN

BCA-GeoSS Seminar 2017

28 September 2017
By Er. Dr Chin Kheng Ghee
Building Engineering Group
Building & Construction Authority
 Presentation Outline
Definition:
Groundwater drawdown = drop in pore water pressure
(not necessary only applies surface water level)

1 Issues with Groundwater Drawdown

2 Drawdown Mechanisms

3 Case Studies

4 Control Measures

5 Summary
Stress Reduction
Strut
settlement
Water level

H TSP: BCDE
X
Heave ESP: B’C’D’E’
(Undrained)

Y ESP (Drained)

TSP: BFGH
ESP: B’F’G’H’ u
(Undrained)
u
Stress Reduction
Strut
settlement
Water level

H X
Heave

ehind wall, overburden remains the same, so 1 = 0

u = 0.67 (for B=1; A=0.33)

Suction is created within soils, and repacking of particles (thus

deformation) will happen in long term for undrained soils

Within soils, the  is related to the changes of horizontal stress

from ko to ka (control lateral soil movement behind wall)
Seepage Strut
settlement

H
Heave

• For relatively permeable soils, seepage is formed due to excavation

• From hydrostatic to steady state pore pressure distribution
• Changes of pore pressure will induce repacking of soils (thus
deformation) – the effect may quite instant due to relative permeable
soils
 (a)
Seepage
Recharge case (a)

• No drop in phreatic level

• Pore pressure still drop
(due to seepage)

Recharge case (b)

• Drop in phreatic level (b)

• Seepage pore pressure

distribution drop further

The higher the pore pressure

drop, the higher the stress
changes and thus ground
deformation
 Couple Consolidation
Biot Consolidation
• Coupled compressibility (stress deformation) and hydraulic
pore fluid continuity (seepage) into equation solver
• Applicable to sophisticate Finite Element (FE) analysis
 Case Study 1

Excavation in Soft Marine Clay

late 1980s Shirlaw & Wen (1999)

From GeoSS SRMEG TUCSS Presentation by Dr. Wen Dazhi

 Excavation & Monitoring Results
S o u th N o rth
CL
23522
C u :v a n e
G .L . P iez o m eter 0 40 80
0 0
F ill

10 U p p er 10
M a rin e
C la y
V P3A
F lu v ia l C la y 20

L o w er V P5A
M a rin e C u :v a n e
C la y V P5B 30
F lu v ia l S a n d 80
V P3B 40 SPT
O ld 150
A llu v iu m
130
50 50

Section through IP13 60

0 80 160 240
S P T B lo w s / 3 0 0 m 10
From GeoSS SRMEG TUCSS Presentation by Dr. Wen Dazhi
 Case Study 2
Excavation in Soft Marine Clay
late 1990s

From GeoSS SRMEG TUCSS Presentation by Dr. Wen Dazhi

  
Excavation & Ground Profile 42m 

28m

12m
103.0 

102.0  FILL
Fluvial SAND 
99.5 

97.0 

94.5  Marine CLAY 

91.0  85.5

82.5 82.6 
GWP GWP 3051‐1 
Jet grout 
3041‐1
800 thick   75.6 
GWP 3051‐2 
diaphragm wall
Old Alluvium 

66.6 66.6 
King Post 
65.0  GWP GWP 3051‐3 

3041‐2

Typical Section of C&C Tunnel

From GeoSS SRMEG TUCSS Presentation by Dr. Wen Dazhi
12
 Ground Settlement (behind wall)
0 1st strut 0
2nd strut
5 3rd strut 50
4th strut
100
10 5th strut (mm
6th strut Settlement at
15 Consolidation Total settlement
final excavation
settlement level 21 months after
casting base
20 slab

25
Wall deflection at final
excavation level
30

35 40 20 0 (mm)
(m)

From GeoSS SRMEG TUCSS Presentation by Dr. Wen Dazhi

13
Ground Settlement & Piezo Readings
1 10 100 1000
0 Days

Typical Surface Settlement

vs Time (log scale)
20

Excavation at 3rd strut

level
40
Settlement (mm)

Excavation resumed from

3rd to 4th struts
60

Excavation at final formation

80
10-Ma y-99
11-Nov-98

11-Ma r-99

27-Aug-01
30-Dec-00

29-Apr-01
12-Sep-98

28-Feb-01
31-Oct-00

28-Jun-01
10-Ja n-99

4-Ma y-00
6-Nov-99

5-Ma r-00
7-Sep-99

1-Sep-00
5-Ja n-00
9-Jul-99

3-Jul-00
100 -2

0
Dra wdown (m)

2
120
4

8
Piezometric Head Changes
outside Excavation vs Time
10
GWP3071 GWP3081 GWP3051-1 GWP3051-2 GWP3051-3

From GeoSS SRMEG TUCSS Presentation by Dr. Wen Dazhi

 Case Study 3

BLK B
(~7m BLK A
away) (~10m away)

• ~10-storey building
• Steel driven H-
Piles
23m excavation
 Sections and Ground Profile

BLK BLK
A B 7m
10m

~5m FILL
~6m FILL
~2m E
23m 23m
~ 17m G(VI) depth ~ 14m G(VI) depth
SPT 10-20 SPT <15

2m G(II)
Beyond FEL above FEL
G(VI)
SPT >30

Section A Section B
 Excavation below S2 – Peaty Clay

Excavation below S3

Excavation below S5
Building Settlement Trend (with Excavation Stages)

Exc S3 Exc S5a

Exc S4

BLK A

BLK B
Wall Inclinometer Readings

~40mm
~30mm

WSL@
75mm WSL@
75mm
Water Standpipe Readings
Activation of
recharge Wells

+2m

-1.5m
Piezometer Readings Activation of
recharge Wells
@-7.6m

+2m
Activation of
recharge Wells
@-16.6m

-2.5m Activation of
recharge Wells
@-26.1m

-3.5m -4m
Investigation Model
• Case 1 – without seepage (hypothetical
situation)
• Case 2 – with full seepage
• Case 3 – with seepage and recharge wells
BLK-A Analysis

Case 1
<10mm
Case 3
Case 2 ~23mm
>30mm >30mm
BLK-B Analysis

Case 1
<10mm

Case 3 Additional 8-9mm

~25mm for remaining 7m
exc
Recharge Wells

Iw
Iw

WP

BLK A
BLK B

- Existing Recharge Well

- Additional Recharge Well

Long Section Along Dwall (near to building side)

Estuarine clay

Grouting @ Rock-Soil
Interface (Short Dwall)
FEL
G(III)

10m
G(II)
Fissure
Wall Toe grouting
Grouting Works
BLK A Settlement @ FEL

Creep
during
design
review

~14mm
~15mm

~19mm (~4mm)
@ FEL
BLK B Settlement @ FEL

Creep
during
design
review

~17mm
~20mm

~26mm (~6mm)
 Case Study 3
Building A
(1-storey)
(~25m away)

Exc A
Exc B

• Semi top-down
• 30m exc. completed
• Top-Down (30m)
Only 12m
Exc; 18m
to go
 Building Settlement
17.8mm
20.2mm
10.9mm
12.8mm
8.1mm

Building
10 A

0
Settlement (mm)

-10

-20 20mm

10
-30
Building B
Settlement (mm)

-10
13mm

-20
 Section & Ground Profile
~18m Building B

G(VI) – Current
N~15 Depth ~12m

G(V) – 30m
N~35

G(V) –
N~55

G(III) – 5m
below FEL
Review of I&M
WSL@ WSL@
WSL@ 0
37mm 33mm
52mm
5.2mm
5

10

Depth (m) 9.2mm 12mm

15

@ 14m
23mm 20

25

30

35

Exc A (30m exc. 40 Exc B (Only 12m Exc; 18m to go)

completed)
-35 -30 -25 -20 -15 -10 -5 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35
45
-40 -35 -30 -25 -20 -15 -10 -5 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40
 Review of I&M
Pore Water Pressure (kPa)

107.00

@ -7.5m
105.00

103.00
RW activated
101.00

99.00

97.00
-6m
95.00
Pore Water Pressure (kPa)

110.00
93.00
@ -28.5m -6m
Time 107.00
12-Dec-15 10-Feb-16 10-Apr-16 09-Jun-16 08-Aug-16 07-Oct-16 06-Dec-16 04-Feb-17
104.00
RW activated
101.00
98.00
95.00
92.00
89.00
86.00

Time
83.00 -17m
80.00
12-Dec-15 10-Feb-16 10-Apr-16 09-Jun-16 08-Aug-16 07-Oct-16 06-Dec-16 04-Feb-17
Pore Water Pressure (kPa)

116.00

112.00
@ 40.5m
108.00
RW activated
104.00

100.00

96.00

92.00

88.00

Time
84.00
-17m
80.00
12-Dec-15 10-Feb-16 10-Apr-16 09-Jun-16 08-Aug-16 07-Oct-16 06-Dec-16 04-Feb-17
 Causes leading to Building Settlement

• Inclinometers (both in wall and in soil) are within WSL.

• Piezo monitoring showed pore pressure drop.

• Observed water ingress from Diaphragm wall joints & base of exc.

Majority of Building Settlement is due to pore

pressure drop (Seepage)
ADDITIONAL RECHARGE WELLS

Original RW installed : 24 Additional 4 Nos. of RWs

Additional New RW : 16

Additional 4 Nos. of
RWs Additional 8 Nos. of
RWs

Building A

Exc A
Exc B
Dwall Joint Grouting

FEL

Area of Dwall
joint grouting

Dwall Toe
~18m

Fissure Grout
Depth (initial
design) >30m
Dwall Joint Grouting (Section Details )

TAM Grouting @
Dwall Joints Below
Water Stop

Fissure Grouting
below Dwall Toe –
k = 1x10-8m/s
Latest Piezo Readings Additional recharge well
@ -7.5m & progressive Dwall
Joint Grouting

-3m

-6m

@ -28.5m

-5m

-17m

@ 40.5m

-5m

-17m
Latest Building Settlement Readings
Additional recharge well
Building A & progressive Dwall
Joint Grouting

Building B

Limit
with
stage
exc.
Advisory Note 1/09 on earth retaining or stabilising
structures (ERSS) – issued 2 April 2009
• Comprehensive Desk Study – Fault Zones

Ground water flow in

conductive channel

• The conditions of rock

 Highly fracture
 Low RQD
• Comprehensive Pre-con survey and I&M

30 Jan 2015

Provide adequate monitoring instruments

to detect sign of water drawdown and
ground movement as well as building
settlement
• Stiffer wall (to reduce changes from K0 to Ka – Drawdown due to Stress Reduction)

Example

• 30m excavation in 40m

Kallang Formation
follow by OA

• Dwall with Top down

method

• Xwall and sacrificial

Xwall
• Water Cut-off Wall

Watertight ERSS system

Curtain wall for Caisson construction to be at least 2

layers of grouting

Adequate wall embedment depth

For wall terminated in rock with short embedment length, QP to specify
other means of seepage cut-off, e.g. rock fissure grouting to provide
effective seepage cut-off.

45
• Recharge wells

Preferably behind
retaining wall and in-
front of critical
buildings &
structures

46
• Groutings

• Rock fissure grouting

• TAM grouting
• Joint grouting
• Base grouting
• Curtain wall grouting
• Interface grouting
• Spot grouting
• Jet grouting
• Deep mixing
• Wet speed mixing
• Compensation grouting

47
• Groutings (in rock)

Water fall in Rock

• Verification Test

For large scale deep excavation in highly sensitive site (e.g. with
presence of F1/E or highly permeable soil and rock interface), QP
may consider to conduct pumping test to verify the effectiveness of
the ERSS system prior to the main excavations.
Wehrhahn-Line - Germany
Approval for Groundwater Pumping

49
1) Ground water drawdown due to excavation shall not be
overlooked
2) Both drawdown due to stress reduction and seepage will cause
ground settlement behind retaining wall and thus damage to
the adjacent buildings and structures
3) Some of the strategies and measures include
a) Comprehensive desk study, pre-con survey and I&M
b) Stiffer wall and water cutoff wall
c) recharge wells and groutings
d) Verification test
THANK
YOU