WORKSHOP 1: BASEMENTS – WORKED SOLUTIONS AND

DISCUSSION ITEMS FOR STUDENTS

Aims
In this workshop, you are expected to gain an appreciation for the design and construction
of basements, including the management of groundwater. Key expected outcomes
include:

Basic soil classification skills

Understanding the relationships between basement depths, groundwater

conditions, soil types and dewatering options

Ability to calculate the capacity of a ground anchor

Ability to use flow nets to calculate hydraulic pressure and flow rates

Background

This workshop will run through a variety of simplified case studies so that the basic
principles of basement design and construction are fully understood.

Task:
Identify sample type for both samples 1 and 2 [10 minutes]
For this workshop we would normally provide you with some soil/rock material samples
to look at. Given the current constraints we have instead provided you with photos for
each of the two samples in the appendix of this report1 as well as a borehole log for
sample 1 (But don’t look at the borehole log yet – wait untill you have compelted the three
steps below. Have a look over photos for Sample 1 and Sample 2 in the appendix.
In your breakout group discuss the following:
Does the sample appear to be a rock or loose material?
If it’s a rock discuss what kind of rock (igneius, sedimentary or metamorphic)?
Does it have lots of fratures?
Does it appear to be a high or low strength rock?
Would you anticipate a high or low water permiability?
If it’s a loose material discuss weather you think it is mostly a sand, silt or clay and if you
were in the field and had access to it what further checks could you do to confirm
your assesment
Geological map of Melbourne:
http://earthresources.efirst.com.au/product.asp?pID=725&cID=58

Notes from Teaching Discussion:

Sample 1:
High degree of weathering
Less weathered as we go deeper
There are lots of fractures, this is particularly relevant to permeability and water flow. These
fractures allow waterflow through the material at higher than expected rates.
Dark coloured material = Dykes or iron oxide. These will also have different permeabilities.
Dyke = vertical fissure of rock (sedimentary or igneous), associated with different permeability
and strength properties.
Main point: Self-supporting, low permeability but be wary of fractures, not to re-teach soil class
Sample 2:
Sand
Higher permeability and not self-supporting
Solider piles inappropriate, contiguous ok for sand but need to also need to consider GW
Other Figures
Fig 8: Course material, high water inflow
Fig 11: Organic mix, it will rot and it’s engineering properties will change over time, remove this
Fig 12: In the field, add water to it, is it grainy or silty, what is its plasticity like
Case Study 1
Using the attached borehole log by Golder Associates and photos of Sample 1 in the
appendix with the assumption that groundwater has been encountered at 15m depth.
A client wishes to build a two-storey car parking basement of depth 6m.

Step 1 [5 minutes]
Discuss in your team the likelihood of each of the following in a ground assessment as
presented in Nics’ Lectures (modified for clarity):
Is the ground so loose that it will settle during wall installation?
No, Sample 1 is siltstone, generally stiff, expect settlement when dewatering CIS or
within softer materials

If there are gaps in the wall, will the ground flow through them?
No, siltstone is generally well self-supporting, larger issue finer materials like silts and
sands.

Is the ground easily penetrable for wall construction?

Relatively stiff material, ground penetration more difficult than sands/silts, may need
Bored Piles over CFA.

Is the ground so loose that protrusions (holes) >100mm should be expected?

Weathering/fractures indicate some protrusions greater than 100 mm but generally not
the case, this is relevant to variations in soil permeability.

Is the ground so wet/dry that it affects the installation process?

Water table (15 m) well below basement final level (6 m). Rain events may prompt
surface run off into basement but unlikely to change ground water conditions given
siltstone’s low permeability (unlikely to infiltrate through ground and raise GW or pass
through walls).

Step 2 [5 minutes]
Discuss in your team the likelihood of each of the following in a water assessment as
presented in Nics’ Lectures:
Likelihood of water flow through the wall above the excavation level (assuming a
drained wall);
Low, siltstone has low permeability and GW is well below basement final level.

Likelihood of upward water flow through the ground and up through the basement floor
(assuming drained floor slab)
Low, siltstone has low permeability and GW is well below basement final level.
Likelihood of water flow through the wall above cut off level or surface water over the
wall;
High under a large rainfall event, siltstone has low permeability, this encourages surface
runoff.

Step 3 [15 minutes]

In your team discuss what kind of basement you feel would be most appropriate:
Tanked, Drained or Hybrid? Consider basement depth, the permeability of soil, the
height of water table and the opportunity to reduce flow into the basement in your
decision
Select the most appropriate wall type for this case study

Drained / Soldier Piles – GW not an issue and siltstone is relatively self-supporting, go cheapest option

Forgetting about this case study for a moment; discuss in your group an appropriate
wall for each of these 4 general scenarios for a two-storey basement:

• A strong self-supporting material like a firm clay with no water table present?
Drained / Soldier Piles – GW not an issue and soil self-supporting, go cheapest option

• A weak non-self-supporting material like a weak sand with no water table present?
Drained / Contiguous Piles - GW not an issue but soil not self-supporting, too difficult to erect
soldier with soil falling through gaps of Soldier, Contiguous more expensive but mitigates this
issue

• A firm uniform sandy material with moderate to high permeability and a high water table
present?
Tanked or Hybrid / Secant – Moderate permeability indicates potential for hybrid (cheaper,
lower wall pressures) but high water table and high permeability suggests tanked solution (need
to form TWA otherwise to dispose of GW through floor).

• A variable material with the possibility of boulders and high water table where the client has
specified completely watertight seal is relevant?
Tanked / D-Wall - Boulders pose issues in skewness / watertight seal for Secant, client probably
willing to pay more for D-Wall given specification of completely watertight.

• A firm mudstone with very low permeability and a high water table?
Hybrid / Secant – High water table generally unsuitable for drained solution (and solider or
contiguous system). Very low permeability suggests hybrid solution appropriate.
 Phils comments in green – could potentially get away with drained if flow is low enough but we
would need to be very confident that there are not a lot of fractures etc. in the rock. And also be
careful regrading drawing down the groundwater table and causing surrounding settlement.

Step 4 [15 minutes]

You are given the following information regarding your basement:
A constant lateral earth pressure of 36 KPa on your basement wall.
Anchor spacing in a grid of 3m both horizontal and vertical with anchors inclined at
30 degrees to the horizontal and a grouted diameter of 150mm
Your sample was found in a consolidated and firm/stiff form, select an allowable
grout kPa rating (see table) select an allowable grout bond stress for the anchor
Calculate the required bonded anchorage length for each anchor either using Figure 1
Below for Rocks and Clays or Figure 2 for Sands and Silts.
FIGURE 1: BOND STRESS FOR ROCKS AND CLAYS IN KPA
FIGURE 1: GENERALISED ALLOWABLE BOND STRESS FOR COHESIVE AND COHESIONLESS SOIL
(PTI 1996)
Want to find Lb (assuming all anchors share load equally)

Anchor Demand:

Constant pressure along wall = 36 kPa

Trib area of each anchor = 3 m x 3 m = 9 m2

Anchor Load = 36 kPa x 9 m2 = 324 kN # no load factor, FoS method

Anchor Capacity:

FA = Lb * pi * D * Su / FoS # if anchor was perpendicular to wall

FAH = (Lb * pi * D * Su / FoS) / cos(30)

# anchor inclined 30 deg from hoz, wall pressure acts directly outward, some of the anchor capacity will
be resolved in ver. direction and some in hoz.
Assumed Silurian (as it is siltstone), borehole logs indicated highly weathered, range 150 – 350, took 150
(conservative).

FoS not given, taken as either 2.0 or 2.5

Lb = 13.2 m ask students if they think this is reasonable? (generally less than 10m is preferred as it gets
more difficult to bond this length) - also ask them what they could do reduce this anchor length

Step 5 [10 minutes]

Detail a construction method using sketches for the first 7 steps of basement
construction appropriate for you soil type. Include dewatering methods as deemed
appropriate.
Direct the students to the time lapse video on the lecture capture on the LMS – get them
to think about the construction process of piles as well not just excavation.

Step 6 [5 minutes]
Depending upon your results discuss any other aspects of the design you would vary to
make the basement more feasible
Likely solution is drained soldier. Ask students how construction would take place, which type of piling
rig would be used. Suggest bored due to difficulties in penetrating siltsone.
Case Study 2
Repeat steps [1-3] as in case study 1 [10 minutes]
Now assume you have Sample 2 to a depth of 12 m below the surface, but this time
with a water table 2 m below the surface. Repeat steps 1-3, excluding step 3 part 2.
from case study 1. Before moving to step 4 you will need to complete this additional
step:
Sample 2 looks like sandy material.
High permeability, poorly self-supporting (can see this in photo 2 and 3). It seems that
the sample 2 has some cohesion, maybe clayey sand? (Lucas)
May settle during construction of the wall due to changes in soil stress state (high
permeability / high water table / dewatering for construction would cause change in
surrounding soil stress). May need to monitor settlement during construction if sensitive
buildings near site.
If there are gaps in the wall, soil will flow through.
Will be relatively easy to penetrate, given that there are no stronger materials (perhaps
in photo 3).
Would expect it to be without large holes/protrusions?
GW is high and permeability is high. Dewatering during construction is probably needed
to mitigate wet construction environment (spears?)
High likelihood of water flow through walls and floor. High permeability may encourage
less surface runoff, but high GW and high permeability mean soil becomes saturated
more quickly and may still have large surface run off too.
Tanked solution likely needed given both high permeability and high GW. Hybrid
possible with TWA. Secant pile system in both cases, D-Wall if client particularly
concerned with water tightness or boulders/stiff layers affect skewness of piling.. Note
to the students that if there were a more impermeable material underlying the sand it
could be possible to do hybrid.

Step 3b [10 minutes]

Assume a permeability for your soil using the table below note units cm/s
Using your assumed permeability, we will now assess a hybrid basement. Calculate the
inflow into the basement using the following flow net and assuming the basement is
20m by 20m.
q (m3 / s) per lin m wall = (nf/nd) * H * k
q = (3.5/10) * 4 m * ((10^-3)/100) m/sec
q = 1.4 e-5 m3 / s per lin m wall
Q = 1.4e-5 * 20 m x 4 = 0.00112 m3 / s through the floor (67.2 L per min)

Step 3c [10 minutes] Using the same flow net sketch the pressure on the basement
walls and floors.
Sketch lower pressure on walls than hydrostatic due to flow. Note its Non-linear.
Pressure on walls = Head – (# head drops crossed / 10) * 4 m).
No pressure on floor.
Step 3d [5 minutes] Now assume the basement is tanked, again sketch the water
pressure on the floors and walls.
Hydrostatic pressure on walls and uplift force on floors. Triangular pressure dist. on
walls and constant on floor.
Pressure dist on walls =
From 0 – 2 m: 0kPa
From 2-6 m: 0 kPa to 40 kPa (linear)
Uplift force on base slab = 40 kPa (constant across floor)
Step 4 Without re-doing all your calculations, mention how your anchorage length
results will change for case study 1. Which basement type would be most appropriate
for your sample?
Increased pressure on wall, increased demand per anchor, need more capacity per
anchor or more anchors. Lb already long, therefore likely scenario is add more anchors
(decrease anchor spacing) so more anchors sharing load (trib area decreased).
BONUS TASK Calculate the cost of pumping the water for your hybrid basement for 1
year given the cost of electricity is 30 c/kWh
Assume total pumping head = 6 m.
Using kg/L of water and hours.
Power (W) = rho * g * h * Q
Power (W) = 1*10*6*(67.2/60) = 67.2 W
Assume 55% efficiency
Power = 122.2 W @ cost of 30c / kWh
Cost per hour = $0.036 / hr
Cost per year = ~ $321
Appendix – Soil properties
Sample 1 Photos:

FIGURE 3: CORE SAMPLES 10 M THROUGH 14 M

FIGURE 4: CORE SAMPLES 22 M THOUGH 26 M

Sample 2:

FIGURE 5: SAMPLE 2 SITE PHOTO 1

FIGURE 6: SAMPLE 2 SITE PHOTO 2

FIGURE 7: SAMPLE 2 SITE PHOTO 3
Additional Photos for discussion with tutors

FIGURE 8: COURSE MATERIAL

FIGURE 9: CLAY

FIGURE 10: MIX OF LOOSE MATERIAL

FIGURE 11: WHAT IS THIS?