Simulation failure mechanism of anchored sheet pile walls in a small centrifuge

In this research some case histories of temporarily supported excavations in clay were simulated in a small geotechnical centrifuge. The tests covered both sheet pile walls anchored in the soil and sheet pile walls supported by struts. A prototype depth of approximately 6m was simulated by performing the tests at 100g. To simulate a field accident, struts were removed in flight. The modes of failure were observed in the different model tests by means of an on-board video camera. It was possible, even in small models, to simulate complicated Configurations, and detailed information could be obtained by using image processing techniques. It appeared that failure modes observed in the centrifuge tests show a good agreement with field observations. The centrifuge test proved to be very helpful in understanding the behaviour of soil during excavation.