Technology for underwriters

6 Diaphragm walls

M Münchener Rück
Munich Re Group
1 Application
Deep excavations are required for the construction of high-rise build-
ings, underground garages and underground mass transport systems
operating at several levels. Frequently it is not possible to use conven-
tional methods when excavating the building pit, e.g. driving sheet piles
to form a continuous sheet pile wall, either because there is not enough
space or because such work would cause excessive noise or vibration.
In such cases the construction of so-called diaphragm walls provides a
good solution:
2 Method
A diaphragm wall consists of reinforced-concrete components construct-
ed in a mechanically excavated trench.The trench is filled with bentonite
mud, a suspension of the clay mineral bentonite in water, to support it
against collapse during excavation. Usually, diaphragm walls are 0.80 m
thick and may be as much as 30 m deep. The walls are concreted in
individual sections, their length varying between approximately 3 m
and 10 m.

– They can be used in the immediate vicinity of existing buildings.

– They can be used not only to secure a building pit but also as a load-
bearing member for the structure to be erected, thus rendering con-
struction more economical.
3 Execution
Basically, diaphragm walls are constructed in the following way: Excavation of the deep trench
First, concrete guide walls are constructed in a shallow trench so that (cross section).
the deep vertical trench for the diaphragm wall may be excavated. After
the formwork for the guide walls has been erected and the concrete
placed, the cavities outside the guide walls are filled with earth and tim-
ber shores are wedged between the walls.

Next, the trench between the guide walls is filled almost completely with
bentonite mud produced in an on-site mixing plant. The bentonite mud
is fed through pipes from storage tanks into the trench.

The deep trench for the diaphragm wall is dug by a special excavator
fitted with a clamshell grab. The earth excavated from the trench is con-
tinually replaced by bentonite mud from the tanks. The bentonite mud,
which at the same time has the effect of reducing friction between the
earth and the grab, also penetrates into the surrounding soil, thus sta-
bilising it and making it impervious. When the trench has reached its full length and depth, a steel pipe or a
prefabricated concrete element is placed at each end of the trench for
Earth that cannot be excavated with a grab must first be broken up by the first wall section. For the next sections, such a pipe or element is
means of a drop chisel (weighing about 8 tons) and may then be only placed at the end opposite to the section already concreted.
removed with the grab. Subsequently, a reinforcement cage is lowered into the trench by means
of a crane, the trench being filled with bentonite mud to hold up its
sides.
Excavation of the deep Lowering of the
trench (longitudinal section). reinforcement cage into
the excavated trench.

3 3

1 Trough
2 Reinforcement cage
3 Wall section 4
4 Steel pipe
5 Hydraulic extraction device
concrete earth 6 Guide walls
Next, the diaphragm wall is concreted by means of a tremie, i.e. a sheet- Concreting of a
metal hopper with a pipe made up of several sections connected to one wall section.
another. The foot of the pipe is held about 1 m above the bottom of the
5
trench and the concrete is poured in through the hopper. To prevent the
concrete from being mixed with the bentonite mud, the pipe must be
arranged in such a way that it is always 0.5 m below the level of the
fresh concrete. It is not necessary to vibrate the concrete as a sufficient
degree of compaction is achieved by the weight of the bentonite mud
above the concrete. As the concrete is filled into the trench, the ben-
tonite mud is displaced upwards and is either forced between the guide
walls to the adjacent trench or returned to the storage tanks.

If steel pipes have been placed at the ends of the wall section, they are
pulled out hydraulically after completion of concreting. If prefabricated
concrete elements have been used, it is not necessary to extract them
afterwards as they can be left in the ground as a part of the diaphragm
wall. After the concrete has been given the usual time to set and harden,
the adjacent trench may be excavated in the same manner.

Excavated trench (top view).

4,5
4 Advantages and entrepreneurial risks
Diaphragm walls offer the following advantages:
– Construction work entails a minimum of noise and vibration.
– The walls can be constructed in practically all types of soil.
– Groundwater lowering is normally not necessary as diaphragm walls
are practically impervious.
The construction of diaphragm walls, however, may entail considerable
entrepreneurial risks:
– Wedging or breaking of the grab during excavation may require large-
scale and expensive fishing work.
– Additional excavation which is necessary if the trench wall is broken
through increases the volume of concrete required and leads to irregu-
larities in the wall surface (reworking).
– More time and additional costs may be necessary if the reinforcement
cage wedges during installation.
– It may not be possible to recover spacer tubes, so that they have to be
abandoned.
– Leaks may result if the excavation is not accurate to dimension or
from faulty concreting.
5 Insurance coverage
The construction of a diaphragm wall usually constitutes part of the con- – Crack formation in neighbouring buildings
tract works covered by a CAR policy. When the policy is being drafted, – Settlement of the surrounding ground surface
care should be taken to exclude indemnifiability of additional costs and
difficulties of the contractor by means of special conditions. Construc- When such risks are being written, special consideration should there-
tion work for a diaphragm wall can lead to enormous liability claims fore be given to hazards that may involve third party liability.
under Section II of the CAR policy if unexpected cavities are cut into and
there is a sudden loss of bentonite from the trench. The least damage
that may result is the soiling of basements and sewers.

Much graver damage may result from reduced trench stability:

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