Impacts of Deep Excavations in the Greater Cairo Area on the Nearby Structures

Abstract

The deep braced excavation with the use of concrete diaphragm walls, as side supports, has been increasingly applied in the Greater Cairo for several purposes such as basements, underground garages, cut-and-cover tunnels, and subway stations. The most challenging task for geotechnical engineers is to estimate the settlement associated with the trenching process, especially if the diaphragm wall is constructed near existing structures. The escalating needs for an acceptable estimate of the deformations associated with deep excavations in the Greater Cairo call for gaining more perception of the behavior of deep excavation including the combined actions of trenching, excavation, dewatering and their effect on buildings. Consequently, reliable estimates of ground movements in future projects that have similar conditionscan be made using the semi-empirical relationships developed from the geotechnical dedicated studies.