Settlement Prediction due to Diaphragm Walls Installation at Heliopolis Metro Station in Cairo, Egypt

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Soil Mechanics Lecturer at Civil Engineering Dept., Faculty of Engineering, Helwan University, Cairo, Egypt

2 . Project Manager at IESCO Geo-engineering and Mining Consulting, Cairo, Egypt

3 . Assistance professor at Department of Mineral Resources, Faculty of Earth Science, Beni-Suef University, Beni Suef, Egypt

Abstract

This paper presents a case history in Heliopolis, Egypt which is an underground metro
station serving a high densely populated area in northeastern Cairo. This station was planned to 
maintain and attract density population (job-housing) in the nearby areas. The tunnel excavation and 
the constructed station resulted in a lateral soil displacement component and a reverse pressure 
affecting the side supporting system along the station sections. This displacement depends on many 
factors such as soil profile, subsoil properties, depth of excavation inside the diaphragm walls (Dwalls), type and stiffness of supporting system, time period of construction, surrounding structures, 
and surcharge loads. The present paper is comparing the observed horizontal displacement data 
(more than 2 years monitoring) with the corresponding estimated values of the soil model for 
detecting the deviation in predicted settlements in the long run and for the evaluation of any 
hazardous damages on buildings near excavations. It is concluded that the horizontal displacement 
behind the wall is about 0.06% of the excavation depth and the surface settlement is about 6 – 24% 
of the horizontal displacement behind the wall if all construction stages are included. Also, the 
surface settlement is about 0.004 – 0.014% of the excavation depth of the underground station.

Keywords