Diaphragm Walls
Europe
Diaphragm walls are frequently used as retaining walls in urban areas or for securing deep excavations. Single rectangular panels are excavated and backfilled with reinforcement cages and/or concrete. Any shape of wall can be constructed by combining primary and secondary panels. The method's structural advantages of walls thicker than 2 m, in combination with installation methods that allow an almost watertight construction, serve to integrate the wall into the final building. Heavy loads can easily be transferred into deeper soil layers, since walls can be up to 50 m deep. Combinations with embedded reinforcement cages and single steel beams can provide a high lateral load bearing capacity. Diaphragm walls can also act as cut-off walls when penetrating deep into an impermeable soil layer. When placed as a single panel or cross panel, they provide a structural element with high vertical load bearing capacity.
