ABSTRACT
The base stability of circular excavation is conventionally evaluated with the two-dimensional method, and some modification is made to consider the shape effect. In this paper, the finite element method with reduced shear strength is used to evaluate the base stability of circular excavation. The numerical results indicate that the base stability of circular excavation is significantly influenced by the ratio of the depth to width of circular excavation, the thickness of the soft soil layer between the excavation base and hard stratum, and the depth of the walls inserted below the excavation base.
