DIAPHRAGM WALL CONSTRUCTION

Introduction
1. Diaphragm walls are one of the most important technologies of special
foundation engineering.
2. Diaphragm walls are underground structural elements commonly used for:
i. Retention Systems
ii. Permanent Foundation Walls
3. It is a constructed using a trench excavated in ground and supported by a mud
fluids (typically bentonite or polimer mud) until the mud is replaced by
concrete, after the steel cage installation.
4. Walls generally range from 600 to 1500 mm thickness, in wide between 2000
and 3500 mm and can be excavated to depths of 60m or more.
5. For an in-situ reinforced concrete structure that is constructed panel by panel.
6. Diaphragm walls of shallow depths are often left unsupported since they are
classed as semi rigid structures. However for deeper excavations support is
required to restrict lateral deflections.
7. They are ideal for soft clays and loose sands below the water table where
there is a need to control lateral movements.

Benefits Of Diaphragm Walls

1. Can be installed through virtually all soil conditions, to any plan geometry and
to considerable depths.
2. Can be constructed ahead of time and independent of other site activities.
3. Can be constructed in relatively low headroom and in areas of restricted
access walls can be quickly formed several hundred feet deep and through
rock, with good control over geometry and continuity.

Disadvantages
1. They are relatively costly.
2. They are also unsuited to strong soils conditions where penetration is slow
and difficult due to the use of the slurry trench method.

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 Construction Stage Cast In Situ
•Diaphragm wall construction requires that a proper
sequence of works is followed.
• A rectangular-section tool is generally used to remove the
soil, thus creating a rectangular excavation.
•The main digging tool for panels is the grab, which shall
have the same size of the component it shall dig.
• Holes are stabilized with bentonite slurry.
•Concreting is performed using the tremie technique as for
cast n-place piles.

Typical sequence of work includes :

1. Guide Wall Installation

• Guide walls are cast-in-place or pre-cast lightly reinforced concrete elements.
• Guide walls maintain the horizontal alignment and wall continuity of a diaphragm
wall while are adopted to avoid superficial soil collapse, to mark the panels
position and to support the steel cages during the concrete aging.
• As the slurry levels of soil vary largely, it is necessary to have a temporary support
like guide wall.
• The dimensions of the guide wall constructed changes with the type of surface
soil

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 2. Excavation of trenches
• This stage includes soil-removal and stabilization.
• A rectangular excavation tool is used to excavate the panel section.
• A clamshell or grab is used to excavate the trench in normal soil. Grab suspended
by a crane or cable easily moves into the soil.
• If any obstruction is encountered, it is broken by the means of a gravity hammer
and taken out by means of the grab.

The above procedure must be conducted with adequate excavation support,

otherwise, the sides of the excavated trench can collapse. To protect the sides,
bentonite slurry is used.

Bentonite Slurry

• The cement-bentonite slurry preparation is prepared from the following raw

materials in parts by mass: 1 part of water, 0.6-0.8 part of cement, 0.4-0.2 part
of bentonite and 0.005-0.01 part of sodium carbonate.
• The ratio of the water to the sum of cement and bentonite is 1:1.
• Bentonite is a type of clay that has an ability to swell and gel when dispersed in
water .
• It remains under the excavation, and not flow to any great extent into the soil
thereby acting as a sealant and also prevent collapse of retain area.

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 3. Reinforcement
Reinforcement is inserted in the form of a steel cage, but may be required to lap a
few sections in order to reach the required length.

4. Concreting
Placing of concrete is done using tremie pipes to avoid the segregation of concrete.
As concrete being poured down, bentonite will be displaced due to its lower
density than concrete. Bentonite is then collected and reused

Joints
• The steel pipes are installed at both panel
fronts before concreting.
• The pipes rest on the excavation bottom
and match the circular shape of the panel
fronts. The concrete injected takes the
shape of the stop end pipes.
• After execution of panel the end pipes are
removed.

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 Pre Cast Diaphragm wall

1. For precast Diaphragm wall, the panels are precast along with the joint
anchors .
2. The trenches are excavated alternately and then the panels are inserted.
3. First the alternate trenches are inserted with panels and then the secondary
panel is inserted connecting the primary panels.
4. Waterstop are one option to connect the two panels it also prevents water
leakage between the joints.

Hydro Fraise (Reverse Circulation Trench Cutter)

Construction sequences of a Hydro fraise panel-
1. Excavation of the pre trench.
2. Start of drilling of a primary panel, 1st element.
3. Continuation of drilling of a primary panel, 2nd element.
4. End of drilling of primary panel, 3rd element .
5. Pouring the concrete of a primary panel.
6. Construction of the next primary panel.
7. Drilling of an intermediate secondary panel.
8. Pouring the concrete of the secondary panel.
9. Continuation of the excavation of the pre trench.`

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 The hydrofraise is used for the construction of diaphragm and cut-off walls in
difficult conditions: excavation of rock and hard layers of soil, deep panels and
strict tolerance.

Thank You

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