Controlling Settlement Due to Adjacent Loading Using Sheet-Pile Walls: Insights from Finite Element Analysis

Abstract Surcharge loads from construction, such as highway embankment widening, can cause unwanted settlements in nearby preexisting structures. Traditional design approaches mitigate these settlements by limiting load magnitude, increasing bearing capacity, or placing loads farther from preexisting structures. This study explores an alternative: using deformation barriers, specifically sheet-pile walls, to reduce induced settlements. While sheet-pile walls are commonly used for excavation-related settlement control, their effectiveness without excavation has not been well studied. A plane-strain finite element model is employed to investigate the performance of a sheet-pile wall positioned between a newly applied load and a preexisting structure. A parametric study assesses the influence of key factors, including wall depth, bedrock depth, interface reduction factor ( IRF ), groundwater level, load magnitude, load offset, and soil type, on the resulting settlement. Results show that normalized wall depth and IRF have the greatest impact on settlement reduction. Based on the findings, a design chart is developed relating load offset and magnitude to the required wall depth to achieve a target reduction in settlement on the adjacent side. These results offer practical guidance for optimizing sheet-pile wall designs to mitigate construction-induced settlements in adjacent infrastructure.