STABILITY OF BRACED

CUTS
• A braced-cut may fail as a unit due to unbalanced external forces or heaving
of the bottom of the excavation.

• If external forces acting are unequal, the stability of the entire system has to
be analyzed.

• If soil on one side of a braced cut is removed, stability of the system will be
impaired.

• Two cases may arise. They are

1. Heaving in clay soil

2. Heaving in cohesionless soil

Heaving in Clay Soil
• The danger of heaving is greater if the bottom of the cut is soft clay.

• Two types of failure are possible. They are:-

Case 1: When the clay below the cut is homogeneous at least up to a

depth equal 0.7B

Case 2: When a hard stratum is met within a depth equal to 0.7B

Case 1: Formation of full plastic failure zone below the bottom of cut
Anchorage load block of soil
𝒄
ഥ ഥ
𝑸 = 𝜸 𝑯 𝑩 − 𝐜𝑯 = 𝑩 𝑯 𝜸 − ഥ
𝑩

Vertical pressure q per unit length

𝑸 𝒄
𝒒= ഥ
=𝑯 𝜸 − ഥ
𝑩 𝑩

Bearing capacity qu per unit area at level ab

𝒒𝒖 = 𝑵𝒄𝒄 = 𝟓. 𝟕𝒄
Factor of safety against heaving is
𝒒𝒖 𝟓.𝟕𝒄
𝑭𝒔 = = 𝒄
𝒒 𝑯 𝜸−𝑩
ഥ

Further,
𝟓.𝟕𝒄
𝑭𝒔 = 𝒄
𝑯 𝜸 − 𝟎.𝟕𝑩

ഥ 𝟐 = 𝟎. 𝟕𝑩
This indicates that the width of the failure slip is equal to 𝑩
Case 2: When the formation of full plastic zone is restricted by the
presence of a hard layer
If a hard layer is located at a depth D,
width of the strip sink is also equal to
D.
𝟓.𝟕𝒄
𝑭𝒔 = 𝒄
𝑯 𝜸−𝑫
For cut in soft soil with const. value
of Cu ,
𝟓.𝟕𝒄𝒖 𝟓.𝟕
𝑭𝒔 = =
𝜸𝑯 𝑵𝒔
BJERRUM AND EIDE METHOD OF ANALYSIS

• This method is used when, braced cuts are rectangular, square or

circular in plan or the depth of excavation exceeds the width of the cut.
• For rectangular footings, the value of Nc may be computed by the
expression
𝑵𝒄 𝒓𝒆𝒄𝒕 = 𝟎. 𝟖𝟒 + 𝟎. 𝟏𝟔 𝑩Τ𝑳 𝑵𝒄

• Factor of safety for bottom heave is

𝒄𝑵𝒄
𝑭𝒔 = ≥ 𝟏. 𝟓
𝜸𝑯 + 𝒒