Abstract: The thick and soft silty soils segment between stations DHTDK2+900 and DHTDK3+120 of Wuhan East Lake Passage Project were used for the study in this paper. The methods for the support of deep excavation in soft soils were compared and it was concluded that the pile frame support with internal support was the optimum supporting method. In order to identify the key factors that affecting the effectiveness of excavation support, the supporting structure was numerically simulated by using three dimensional ABAQUS finite element method. The results indicated that the diameter of the supporting pile was the key factor that affecting the lateral deflection of the supporting structure. The cost of the supporting structure can be minimized by optimizing the diameter of supporting piles.

Key words: east lake passage, deep excavation support, thick silt soils, pile diameters