Use of a robot for in-flight excavation in front of an embedded wall

Abstract

A program of centrifuge tests is engaged in Laboratoire Central des Ponts et Chaussées (LCPC) to study the behavior of diaphragm walls and of the interaction between an embedded wall and a shallow footing. The first series of tests demonstrates that using the LCPC centrifuge robot it is possible to simulate the excavation process and to carry out several other operations without stopping the centrifuge (CPT tests, foundation loading sequences). The model wall tested at 50g simulates a 12m high prototype. It is instrumented with 22 pairs of strain gauges and both wall deflection and soil reaction diagrams may be obtained from the bending moment data. These experimental data will be used to validate and improve the current designing methods based on subgrade reaction models.