The article provides the definition of a deep pit. The authors substantiated the need for fixing the walls of excavations with a depth of 3-5 meters and the development of methodological recommendations and reference data for the selection of optimal methods and structures used for enclosing the excavation. Wooden sheet pile is the most affordable and technically simple solution for fixing the walls of excavations with a depth of 3-5 meters. The authors calculated the structural characteristics of a wooden sheet pile for various soil conditions according to the method proposed by Professor E.K. Jacobi. The results are presented in a reference table, a fragment of which is given in the article. The developed reference data make it possible to assess the feasibility of using a wooden sheet pile without additional calculations. Engineers can determine the required cross-sections of the fence and struts, the immersion depth of the wooden sheet pile, the step of installing the struts according to the reference data.

Keywords: deep pit, fixing the walls of the pit, sheet pile, E.C. Jacobi method, pit collapse, pit slopes, earthworks, work safety, wooden sheet pile, accident