This paper presents the results of a full-scale field experiment on the stability of a slurry-filled diaphragm wall trench. The objective of this experiment was to observe the failure pattern of a slurry-supported trench excavated in sandy ground. Ground responses, including settlement and lateral deformation of the surrounding ground adjacent to the experimental trench, were carefully monitored during the experiment. The stability of the trench was examined by lowering the slurry level in stages. The trench was deliberately failed. Field observations indicated that the experimental trench failed in 2 h in a progressive sliding pattern that resulted in a near-hemispherical cave-in of the adjacent ground. In this paper, a failure mechanism of the trench is proposed and an analytical method is adopted to back-analyze the stability of the trench. The stability of the trench and the failure pattern can be accurately analyzed using the method of Tsai and Chang.Key words: full-scale experiment, field test, slurry trench, stability analysis.
