Basementconstruction

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BBAASSEEMMEENNTT
CCOONNSSTTRRUUCCTTIIOONN
Dincel Construction System Pty Ltd
101 Quarry Road
ERSKINE PARK NSW 2759
PO Box 104, ST CLAIR NSW 2759
Phone: (612) 9670 1633 Fax: (612) 9670 6744
Email: construction@dincel.com.au
COPYRIGHT
© Dincel Construction System Pty Ltd
All rights reserved. No part of the information contained in this document may be reproduced
or copied in any form or by any means without written permission from Dincel Construction
System Pty Ltd.
DISCLAIMER
The information contained in this document is intended for the use of suitably qualified and
experienced architects and engineers and other building professionals. This information is not
intended to replace design calculations or analysis normally associated with the design and
specification of buildings and their components. The information contained in this document is
not project specific. Building professionals are required to assess construction site conditions
and provide design/details and appropriate safe work method statements accordingly. Dincel
Construction System Pty Ltd accepts no liability for any circumstances arising from the failure
of a specifier or user of any part of Dincel Construction System to obtain appropriate project
specific professional advice about its use and installation or from failure to adhere to the
requirements of appropriate Standards, Codes of Practice, Worker Health & Safety Act and
relevant Building Codes.

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IINNTTRROODDUUCCTTIIOONN
The following document must be read in conjunction with download – Dincel Wall
Waterproofing Warranty
Basement walls require protection to prevent water/moisture ingress to avoid steel
reinforcement corrosion, damage to stored goods, mould, mildew development and sick
building syndrome.
Conventional concrete, reinforced concrete masonry walls and shotcrete walls that are in
direct contact with the ground cannot stop water/moisture ingress. They are porous and
will develop cracks even if they incorporate joints.
Water ingress through the walls causes corrosion and eventually may even cause
structural failure. The common prevention method for water/moisture ingress of basement
walls is the application of waterproof membrane systems. However, there is no 100%
guarantee with conventional membrane systems.
The steel reinforcement in basement walls will corrode when in contact with the following
conditions:
1. In air, relative humidity of over 50% provides the necessary amount of water and at
80% or above, the corrosion of bare steel is worse.
2. Water (potable, gray, waste water), salts (e.g. sea water), aggressive soil conditions
(e.g. acid sulphate soils), storage of sewage, acids, oils and chemicals in liquid or
gas form.
3. Stray current corrosion by electrified rail systems or corrosion protection systems
(e.g. cathodic protection). Refer for further information download – Dincel Solution
for Stray Current Corrosion Protection.
To avoid the above the best possible solution is offered by Dincel Walls which is tested by
the CSIRO – Australia as waterproof walls (download – Waterproof walls) without the
need of membranes.
The benefits of Dincel Wall are summarised in the following page.

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DDIINNCCEELL WWAALLLL BBEENNEEFFIITTSS
BASEMENT WALLS
DINCEL-WALL ELIMINATES:
• Loss of valuable land use
• Waterproofing need for the wall
• Stray Current Corrosion damage
• Excavation behind the wall
• Backfilling the excavation
• Wall joints
• Agricultural lines
• Conventional footings
• Horizontal wall reinforcement
• Scaffolding
• Painting of the internal wall face
• Cleaning costs
• Wastage
• Builder’s Liability for wall
cracking, water damages
DINCEL-WALL ALLOWS:
• Habitable spaces in basements
• Minimum 100 years wall life
• Stronger structural walls in
comparison to reinforced
masonry walls
• Fastest wall construction

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BBAASSEEMMEENNTT EEXXCCAAVVAATTIIOONNSS
The basement excavation may take place with the following methodologies:
To utilise Dincel-Wall in basement construction the contractor will need to finalise the
basement excavation.
(i) GROUND EXCAVATION BY SHORING (Refer Figure A)
Shoring may take place in the form of discrete concrete or steel piles to stabilise the
basement soil excavation for a temporary period during construction until the
permanent structure incorporating Dincel-Wall is erected. The excavation in sand or
sandy soils or even medium to soft clay soils may require a continuous shoring
system. This may consist of contiguous piles (piles as close as possible to each
other) or secant piles (soft and hard piles overlapping each other which are normally
used for construction below the permanent water table) or alternatively, as shown on
Figure A which is a sheet piling system may be used. The sheet piling normally
engage ground anchors until the placement of the permanent structure. Sheet piling
similar to secant piles are also used when basement construction is subject to high
water table conditions or having granular soil excavation.
The sheet piles in association with are treated as temporary shoring
purposes as they can be either removed or left in place to rust away. The supply of
sheet piling is determined by its thickness and how well the joints of the sheet piling
will retain the water. The sheet piling suppliers in association with do not
need to consider the additional corrosion allowances for sheet thicknesses. Their
sheet thicknesses can be determined by the drivability issue rather than corrosion.
However, drivability issues can be easily overcome by pre-drilling the ground where
required. The joints of the sheet piling can be allowed to leak as long as the leakage
is within the de-watering limits. Today’s sheet piling technology is well advanced
and soft to medium clays can be shored with the assistance of vibrationless
hydraulic rams pushing into the soil, where required ground is pre-drilled to assist the
drivability.
Experience shows that permanent sheet piles incorporating shotcrete
concrete walls often fail to achieve a waterproof basement structure. This
combination cannot be relied on, especially in permanent water conditions due
to the following reasons:
(1) Total waterproofing at the clutches of the sheet piling cannot be achieved
due to many reasons.
(2) Cracking of the shotcrete concrete wall is unavoidable.
(ii) GROUND EXCAVATION BY BATTERING (Refer Figure B)
The ground may be excavated vertically, varying slopes and steps, depending on the
soil conditions.

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