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Related Resources
Case Study: Four Seasons Hotel & Residences, Baltimore, MD
Case Study: New York Law School, New York, NY
Case Study: U.S. Capitol Visitor Center, Washington, DC
Technical Paper: Diaphragm Walls
Datasheet: Diaphragm Wall Technique
Article: "Innovative Non Encroaching Retaining Wall", DFI Magazine, Winter
2009

Article: "Tight Fit Tunneling", Civil Engineering Magazine, March 2009

Article: "Laying the Groundwork", Civil Engineering Magazine, May 2009
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Home > Earth Retention Systems > Diaphragm Walls
Diaphragm Walls
Since the 1980s Nicholson Construction Company has been constructing diaphragm
walls to create permanent foundations and temporary earth retention walls for deep
basements. Nicholsons long standing expertise in this technique was greatly enhanced
by the 2005 merging of Soletanche, Inc. into Nicholson by our new parent Soletanche
Bachy.

Soletanche, Inc. was active in slurry wall construction in the U.S. since the 1960s and
introduced hydrofraise technology in the 1980s. As the core technique for their U.S.
operations, slurry walls were completed for major projects at Fontenelle Dam
(Wyoming), Navajo Dam (New Mexico), Arkansas Dam II (Arkansas) and Mud
Mountain Dam (Washington), which set a world record depth of 400 feet.

Diaphragm walls can be used for earth retention schemes for highway and tunnel
projects, as permanent walls for deep shafts for tunnel access, and as permanent cut-off
walls through the core of earth dams.

As construction in areas with dense and historic urban infrastructure becomes
increasingly common and difficult, Nicholson understands the intense considerations
involved in these situations where a very rigid earth retention system is required. Our
team of engineers will then utilize diaphragm walls for projects where movement
control is critical, where groundwater is present and makes conventional shoring
difficult, or where dewatering is not practical.

Diaphragm walls (also known as slurry walls) are basically deep trenches excavated in
the soil into which reinforced concrete is placed. Excavation is accomplished by
digging panels into the ground using mechanical or hydraulic clamshell grabs or
hydrofraise mills, while the trench stability is maintained using thixotropic suspensions
of bentonite or polymer slurries.

Once excavated, three-dimensional reinforcement is set in the trench and followed by
the placement of structural grade concrete using tremie pipes. The result is a structural
wall system that not only provides temporary earth support, but also provides the
permanent foundation system.

The trenches are usually 2' to 4' thick and can be hundreds of feet deep, although few
extend beyond 150'. They are formed in individual panels from 8' to 25' long and, when
contiguously completed, can total thousands of feet in length or perimeter.

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Nicholson Construction Company also uses these same techniques to form individual
panels of various shapes including I, T, X or L. These shaped panels are also called
barrettes and can accommodate top-down construction.

For more information on Nicholsons expertise in the use of diaphragm walls or any
other specialty techniques, please call 1-800-388-2340 or contact us today.
THE FACTS
Common Uses of Diaphragm Walls
Structural support for the construction of building basements with underground
parking.

Add stability to landslides, highway cuts and deep building excavations including
circular shafts.

Provide retaining walls in areas where severe limitations may be posed by noise,
vibration, geology, water table and schedule.

Provide deep diaphragms where geometric precision and continuity at depth are
vital for structural and hydraulic reasons.

Benefits of Diaphragm Walls
Can be installed through virtually all soil conditions, to any plan geometry and to
considerable depths.

Can be constructed ahead of time and independent of other site activities.

Structural stiffness provides reduced ground movements and adjacent settlements
during subsequent excavation.

Can be constructed in relatively low headroom and in areas of restricted access.

Walls can be quickly formed several hundred feet deep and through rock, with
great control over geometry and continuity.

Final composition of wall can vary to meet specific site requirements, e.g., plastic
concrete for cut-offs.

In certain cases, precast panels can be used to provide smooth exposed surfaces.
Provide economic solutions in cases where temporary and permanent support can
be integrated or redesigned into one retaining structure.

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