Introduction to Shoring Systems
by
Dr. Magdy Thabet Elsheikh
Consultant Engineer & Assistant Professor
at
Faculty of Engineering, Cairo University
Dr. Magdy ElSheikh
Outline
• Introduction
• Types of Shoring:
– H-Beam & Planks
– Sheet Piling
– Secant Piles & Contiguous Piles
– Diaphragm Wall
• Important Notes
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Dr. Magdy ElSheikh
Introduction
Shoring ()سند جوانب الحفر:
• Provides temporary support
during the construction process
• Essential when there is no room
for open excavation due to:
• Existence of roads next to
plot
• Existence of building next to
plot
Traditional Excavation at an angle
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Dr. Magdy ElSheikh
Introduction
Shoring ()سند جوانب الحفر:
• Provides temporary support
during the construction process
• Essential when there is no room
for open excavation due to:
• Existence of roads next to
plot
• Existence of building next to
plot
Example of a Shoring Method
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Types of Shoring: H-Beams & Planks
• H-beams & Planks are preferably used in case the structure has one • H-beams could also be
basement level (3 – 5.5 m) referred to as piles or
• Types of planks could be: soldier beams
• Wooden • Planks could be
• RC slabs (10 to 12 cm) referred to as lagging
• Length of plank is ≤ 2 m
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Dr. Magdy ElSheikh
Types of Shoring: H-Beams & Planks
• Tie backs or struts provide additional • H-beam could be substituted for 2 back to
hinge support to the shoring wall, back C-Channels for ease of construction in
allowing them to go to greater depths case of tie-backs
• Depths of 3-4 m w/o tie back
• Depths of 4-5.5 m w/tie back
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Types of Shoring: Sheet Piling
• Sheet piling is preferably used in case the structure has
one or two basement levels (3 – 7 m)
• A Waller beam provides additional linear support, i.e. acts
as a linear hinge along the length of the sheet pile
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Types of Shoring: Sheet Piling
• Sheet Piling is not commonly used in
buildings in the UAE due to the high
prices of steel
Sheet Piling with Waller Beams and Struts
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Types of Shoring: Secant Piles & Contiguous Piles
Secant Piles Contiguous Piles
• Consist of:
• Secondary or Soft Piles which are • Row of Reinforced piles with minimum
drilled first (No reinforcement) spacing between two consecutive piles
• Followed by Primary or Hard Piles
(Reinforced)
Primary Pile Fcu = 20 Secondary Fcu = 40
Pile
Secant & Contiguous piles are preferably used in case the Diameter of Piles (m)
structure has two or three basement levels (6 – 14 m) 0.5 0.75 0.90 1.00 1.20
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Dr. Magdy ElSheikh
Types of Shoring: Secant Piles & Contiguous Piles
Advantage of Secant Piles Disadvantage of Contiguous Piles
• Blocks the flow of water (water • Does not block the water flow due to
block/water cut) the pile spacing, hence is not used often
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Dr. Magdy ElSheikh
Types of Shoring: Secant Piles & Contiguous Piles
Advantage of Secant Piles Disadvantage of Contiguous Piles
• Blocks the flow of water (water • Does not block the water flow due to
block/water cut) the pile spacing, hence is not used often
Used with soil
with low or no
cohesion such as
sand, i.e. More
applicable in UAE
Rock, or soil with
low permeability
High Water Flow Used with soil with
Low Water Flow high cohesion such
as clay
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Struts & Tie-Backs
Struts Tie-Backs
Could be used in cases where tie-
backs are not favorable due to
neighboring buildings or structures.
Ø=2m
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Struts
In cases where the length of the strut is too
long (L > 60 m), they are connected to block of
concrete or piles
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Types of Shoring: Diaphragm Wall
• Diaphragm Wall is preferably used if the
structure has three or more basement
levels (12 – 20 m)
• Consists of:
• Secondary segments which are
constructed first (shorter RFT cage)
• Followed by Primary segments
(Long RFT cage)
• Length of each segment is 2 – 3 m
Secondary Primary
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Types of Shoring: Diaphragm Wall
Diaphragm Wall
Depth (m) Avg. Thickness
of wall (m)
12 1.0
15 1.2
20 1.5
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Important Notes
• All shoring walls are temporary structures
• Except underground metro structures in Egypt and other countries
• Tie-back life span due to corrosion and deterioration is 2 years unless it is initially corrosion
protected, for example: Intercontinental Project
• No columns should be allowed to rest over shoring wall
• Retaining wall should be used as the permanent structural wall, i.e. design assumes that no
shoring exists
• For table below: H-Beam, Secant Piles, Diaphragm Wall
Approximate Values
Height of Excavation (m) 3 4 5 6 7 8 10 12 14 16 18
Shoring Wall Thickness (m) 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.8 0.9 1.0 1.0 1.2 1.0 1.2
Shoring + Retaining Wall 0.7 0.8 0.9 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.6 1.5 1.7
Thickness (m)
• Approximate values depending on: type of soil, water level, no. of tie-back rows, etc.
• All the thicknesses must be subtracted from land perimeter
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Important Notes
Top 1.5 to 2.0 m should not be
“Secant Pile” or “Diaphragm
Wall”
H-Beams & Planks • This is to allow entry of
services inside the project
from connection points
Secant Piles or
Diaphragm Wall
Excavation level
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Important Notes
Waterproofing
Secant Piles • If waterproofing is next to sheet pile, it
cannot be extracted from the soil.
Shotcrete to make
surface plane Shotcrete to make
surface plane
RW
RW
Secant Piles
Waterproofing Waterproofing
membrane membrane
Raft
Retaining Wall
P.C.
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Important Notes
Capping Beam
• Used for Secant Piles and Diaphragm Wall to connect all parts together
Introduction to Shoring Systems
Dr. Magdy ElSheikh
Important Notes
Capping Beam
• Used for Secant Piles and Diaphragm Wall to connect all parts together
Introduction to Shoring Systems
Dr. Magdy ElSheikh
Important Notes
Making use of lost shoring areas
• The slabs in ground floor and above could be
Plot limit
cantilevered to reach the plot limit
• Slabs cannot rest on shoring
GF
~5 cm
Shoring Wall
Basement
Introduction to Shoring Systems
Dr. Magdy ElSheikh
Example of one project
Introduction to Shoring Systems
Dr. Magdy ElSheikh
Example of one project
Introduction to Shoring Systems
Dr. Magdy ElSheikh
CUT AND COVER (top-to-bottom)
• 1. Installation of
shoring wall
• 2. Installation of
decking and roof
slab
• 3. Construction
of station box
• 4. Installation of
side walls and
base slab
• 5. Backfilling and
reinstatement
Introduction to Shoring Systems
