Year: 2026 | Month: October | Volume: 13 | Issue: 10 | Pages: 134-140
DOI: https://doi.org/10.52403/ijrr.20261012
A Comparative and Parametric Study of Reaction Coefficients: The Balay, Schmitt and Chadeisson Methods for Diaphragm Walls
Salif SY1, Cheikh Ibrahima Tine2, Oustasse Abdoulaye Sall2
1Department of Civil Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Information Sciences – Iba Der Thiam University, Thiès, Senegal
2Department of Civil Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Information Sciences – Iba Der Thiam University, Thiès, Senegal
Corresponding Author: Salif SY
ABSTRACT
The increase in the number of excavation projects in highly dense urban areas, coupled with advances in numerical analysis, has sparked engineers’ interest in using soil-structure interaction to calculate diaphragm walls. However, the calculation of the soil reaction coefficient kh, which is an input parameter for most models (whether single-parameter or two-parameters), remains a point of disagreement among several authors. This article aims to conduct a comparative and parametric study of the kh calculation formulas proposed by Chadeisson, Balay and Schmitt. The aim is to fix one parameter and study the relative variation of the other two. The results obtained show significant differences in approach and indicate that the choice of formula for calculating kh depends on the type of diaphragm walls to be designed, the nature of the in-situ soil, and the desired level of accuracy.
Keywords: diaphragm wall, soil-structure interaction, reaction coefficient, parametric study, Chadeisson, Balay, Schmitt.
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