Diaphragm Wall Construction

Diaphragm Walls are mostly used in mass construction sites where deep excavation is required. Such walls are used as retaining walls, underground structures, as well as a type of supporting foundation. Diaphragm walls also allow top-down construction method. Brief steps of construction are as follows:

Firstly, guide walls are required along the side of the diaphragm walls as a guide for excavation. Grab excavation is then required for the trenches. Then, bentonite slurry is used to stabilise the sides of the excavated trenches. Reinforcements are added into the trench and steel tubes are used as stop-end. Concrete is then filled into the trenches using tremie pipe.

The following pictures are taken on site, unless referenced.

(Photograph courtesy of Bouygues Construction International (France) & Taisei Corporation (Japan); Site location: Yangon, Myanmar).

Rebars from the diaphragm wall.

(Diaphragm Wall Construction, 2015) Image source: http://www.railsystem.net/diaphragm-wall-construction/