Waler / Bracing SOE System
As an excavation deepens, supports must be added to the Support Of Excavation (SOE) system in order to resist increasing earth and water pressures. Walers, rakers and cross-struts are common bracing elements used in most SOE designs. Walers are beams that span across the face of the sheeting disturbing the earth/water pressures to either a raker or cross-strut. Struts are structural elements that transfer the load from an SOE wall to an adjacent parallel structure. Rakers are struts that are positioned at an angle extending from an SOE wall to a foundation block or supporting substructure.