CLIMATE CHANGE IMPACT ON THE CONSOLIDATION OF DEEP FOUNDATION PITS

11th International Multidisciplinary Scientific GeoConference SGEM2011, www.sgem.org, SGEM2011 Conference Proceedings/ ISSN 1314-2704, June 20-25, 2011, Vol. 1, 391-398 pp

ABSTRACT

Climate change causes disastrous floods and temperature changes. In case of floods, the
deep foundation pits become standages to which water from the adjacent catchment area
is discharged. The walls of such a pit are directly influenced by the weather conditions.
In these conditions, the support of pits is subject to force majeure geological loads and
the impact of the air environment. These loads and impacts are caused by the increase of
hydrostatic pressure, worsening of physico-mechanical characteristics of the geological
varieties and the sharp frosting and defrosting of the earth slopes’ surface.
The paper contains a case study of emergency caused by flooding of a consolidated pit
in the Autumn/Winter season. The analysis of reasons and demolitions results in
recommendations for the design and maintenance of consolidated foundation pits,
consistent with the climate change.

Keywords: Flood, pit, support, accident, reconstruction, drainage