Numerical Modelling of Construction Processes in Geotechnical Engineering for Urban Environment

Book excerpt: It has become increasingly important, particularly in an urban environment, to predict soil behaviour and to confine the settlement or deformation of buildings adjacent to construction sites. One important factor is the choice of construction procedure for the installation of piles, sheet pile walls, anchors or for soil improvement techniques, ground freezing and tunnelling methods. The modelling of construction processes, which are frequently associated with large deformations of the soil and with strong changes in the structure of the soil around the construction plant, in the case of, for example, a drill, a bit, a vibrator, or an excavation tool, requires sophisticated and new methods in numerical modelling. Often the simulation of the construction procedure is neglected in the calculations. Such methods are described and discussed in this book, as are examples of the methods applied to geotechnical practice, field and laboratory testing as well as case studies. This volume provides a valuable source of reference for scientists in geotechnical engineering and numerical modelling, geotechnical engineers, post graduate students, construction companies and consultants, manufacturers of geotechnical construction plants and software suppliers and developers of geotechnical construction methods.