The Long-Term Performance of a Drilled Shaft Retaining Wall in an Expansive Clay

The purpose of this research is to advance the understanding of the behavior of drilled shaft retaining walls installed through expansive clay. The primary source of information for this study is data from a full-scale instrumented test wall, which was installed through highly overconsolidated, expansive clay in Manor, Texas, and monitored for a period of 4 years. This study includes a summary of existing research, technical information on the design and construction of the instrumented test wall, an analysis of the relationship between soil behavior and wall deformation during the 4-year monitoring period, and preliminary recommendations on how to account for the effects of expansive soil in design of drilled shaft retaining walls.