Search Documents

By Ryan C. Linthicum

A system of steel sheeting and multiple levels of high capacity double corrosion protected soil anchors were used to restrain a major slope failure that occurred at the base of the Watchung Mountains mid-way through construction of a 650,000 SF retail center along Route 22 in Watchung, New Jersey. The implementation of a design-build earth retaining structure was necessary to stabilize and repair the disturbed mountainside in a timely fashion to permit completion of the retail center on a fast track schedule. The tied back steel sheetpile wall was approximately 2,000 feet long and varied in height from 12 to 25 feet. The hillside extended approximately 350 feet above and 600 feet beyond the wall with the main failure scarp extending 50 feet above and 90 feet beyond. The wall was constructed in a top-down manner and required the installation of 475 anchors to resist loads of up to 70 kips/ft produced by the creeping hillside and groundwater flows from both a series of springs and steady state seepage through an inclined zone of fine sand. Incorporation of a unique tie point connection eliminated the need for a waler, facilitating and simplifying modifications to anchor locations based on anchor load test results and conditions encountered during construction. Post grouting also proved to be an essential element in the successful construction. This paper presents the design and the construction methods used to restrain the significant earth lateral loads produced by a slope failure using steel sheeting tied back with high capacity soil anchors with anchor loads distributed to the sheeting through a unique tie point connection on a fast track schedule. Installation techniques, testing programs, and construction quality control are also discussed.

Jan 1, 2003

By Nathan W. Iverson, David S. Graham, Paul J. Axtell

"The Highway 53 relocation project in Virginia, Minnesota, involves construction of a very tall bridge across a currently inactive iron ore mine pit. The inactive pit is partially flooded and serves as the community’s drinking water source. The 1,132-ft long new bridge is a three-span, plate girder structure. Two intermediate, approximately 200-ft tall piers are located within the pit.The foundations for the two piers consist of groups of 30-in diameter piles which, despite the contradiction in terms, are essentially very large micropiles. Extremely challenging and highly variable subsurface conditions exist at the site, ranging from uncontrolled iron ore mine waste fill to some of the hardest rock on earth that can also be highly fractured and abrasive. Despite the conditions, large diameter (30-in) micropile foundations up to 175 ft deep were successfully installed using down-the-hole hammer methods and full-length permanent casing under an extremely aggressive construction schedule.Full-scale foundation load testing using the Statnamic rapid loading method was also conducted in support of the design and construction but under a separate pre-design phase contract. This paper describes the unique aspects of this foundation project, including design, construction, and load testing of the large micropiles.INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUNDIn 1960, a segment of Trunk Highway 53 (TH-53) in Virginia, Minnesota, was built on land owned by iron ore mining interests. As part of the roadway easement agreement, Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) was to be given notice three years prior to termination of the easement. In 2010, MnDOT received notice that the mining interests wished to access the ore. Through negotiations in 2010, MnDOT and the mining interests agreed to a 2017 date for abandoning the existing section of roadway. During this period, MnDOT needed to procure project funding, satisfy environmental permitting requirements, and acquire new right-of-way to permanently reroute TH-53 and keep it open to traffic. This was no easy task due to the existing mine pits surrounding the area.The E-2 alignment option shown in Fig. 1 was ultimately selected for the rerouted highway in 2014. The new highway segment includes a three-span bridge across the currently inactive Rouchleau Mine Pit. The inactive pit is partially flooded and serves as Virginia’s drinking water source. The 1,132- ft long new bridge is a three-span, plate girder bridge. Two intermediate approximately 200-ft tall piers are located within the pit. Fig. 2 is a conceptual rendering of the bridge."

Jan 1, 2017

By Howard A. Perko

Soldier pile and lagging is a conventional means of temporary excavation shoring. Timber lagging design has traditionally been based upon the designer's experience or empirical rules. One such method is the Goldberg Zoino chart used by the Federal Highway Administration. Most of these methods restrict the designer to a consistent soil profile, certain pile spacing, construction grade timber lagging, and limited depth. The methods do not take into account surcharge loads or a variety of other factors that could arise. A designer working outside of ordinary circumstances with unusual loads, varying soil conditions, or alternate lagging materials has difficulty estimating lateral earth pressures. In rigid earth retention systems, lateral earth pressure is generally assumed to be constant along the length of the wall. In soldier pile and lagging systems, the lagging is often considerably less stiff than the steel soldier piles. As the lagging deflects, the soil tends to bridge between the stiffer elements resulting in a lower pressure on the lagging. Several previously published methods by others for determining this reduced pressure are summarized and discussed. These methods typically consist of using a portion of the active earth pressure in several different pressure distributions. A simple theoretical model is presented for determination of lateral earth pressures on wood lagging. The model is based on a three-dimensional "silo" shaped sliding wedge analysis. Results of the model are compared with other published methods. The model compares well with these methods which cover the normal spectrum of design situations. In addition, the model can be used to estimate lateral earth pressures outside typical situations.

Jan 1, 2008

By M. A. El-Sohby

The paper describes some problems encountered with the foundation of a deep drainage caisson constructed on the Nile Bank in Cairo. The use of suction dredging while sinking the caisson led to a piping failure of the sandy soil in the base which was loosened during the process of pumping. A study was carried out to investigate the problem and a procedure was adopted to retain the stability of the caisson.

Jan 1, 2010

By Lisa R. Papandrea, David Chen, Walter E. Kaeck

"Construction of the University at Buffalo’s new School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences (UB-SMBS) required excavation in variable ground to a depth of more than 40 ft adjacent to the NFTA Metro subway and Allen Street Station. Complicating the building design and construction, the new medical facility incorporates the at grade Station entrance building, requiring a combination of temporary and permanent excavation support structures, a complex sequence of ground support installation, and a mix of shallow and deep foundations to accommodate the large floor spans and concentrated column loads introduced by building over and adjacent to the Station entrance. Excavation and foundation construction was challenged by a stratified soil profile with interlayered and sensitive sands, silts and clays and complicated groundwater regime with perched and regional water tables. Efficient construction required ongoing coordination between the design team and contractor, careful field observation, and construction monitoring in several facets of below grade construction. This paper describes the design and construction of excavation support structures and foundations to manage the variable ground, congested site conditions, and complications of building adjacent and above an active subway station. Use of site instrumentation and monitoring data to provide guidance in construction when unanticipated field conditions arise is illustrated. Lessons learned in installation and sequencing of excavation support, groundwater control and foundation construction are also discussed.INTRODUCTIONUniversity at Buffalo President Satish K. Tripathi heralded the new School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences (UB-SMBS) as a future linchpin of UB’s downtown campus that will revitalize the area and enhance western New York’s emerging bio-sciences corridor. The $375 Million, 628,000 square foot, eight story building with two basements is expected to house 2,000 faculty, student and staff allowing UB to increase class size from 140 to 180 students. It will be constructed above the Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority’s (NFTA) Allen Street Station, creating a direct connection to Buffalo’s light rail system. The 200 ft x 400 ft site is bounded by Main Street, High Street, Washington Street and the Roosevelt Apartments and adjoining parking lot at the west, north, east and south respectively, as shown in Figure 2. Groundbreaking for the new building was in October 2013 with the facility scheduled to open in early 2017."

Jan 1, 2016

By Maurizio Siepi, Stefano Trevisani, Pagliaccim Federico, Daniele Vanni

"Abstract: The paper describes a large innovative project completed in 2012-20123 by Trevi Group, to develop equipment capable to install ultra-deep diaphragm wall. The project highlights the capacity of SOILMEC to design and build a new hydromill able to reach an unprecedented depth of 250 m, including new devices for monitoring and correct the verticality. The entire project can take advantage of the long and solid experience matured by Trevi and Rodio (now part of Trevi Group), developing in house or, else, select the elements necessary for a high quality product in the ground.The paper describes the results of different systems used to monitor and control the verticality and the twist of panel during excavation, together with the method used to pour concrete. Finally, the results of verification coring and lab tests on concrete samples recovered at various depths are discussed. The test field has been supervised by representatives of three of the major Italian Universities, and lasts almost one year from August 2012 to June 2013.The verification holes made use of an innovative combination of directional drilling and coring, to check the quality of the plastic concrete for the full length of the panel. The data confirmed that the test panel has high quality concrete, meeting or exceeding to the prefixed requirements.With this test, super-deep cut-off walls reaching depths of 250 m have become a reality. This would change the perspectives of dam engineering both for existing dams rehabilitation and for new dams design and construction. With the execution of this test panel, the technology of milled concrete cutoffs has made a ”quantum leap”, pushing the limit of practicable dams."

Jan 1, 2014

By Eric M. Klein

As part of the Woodrow Wilson Replacement Bridge project several damaged wetland and environmental areas were to be mitigated. One of the mitigation projects consisted of constructing a Denil fish ladder around Peirce Mill Dam in Rock Creek National Park, Washington, D.C. The dam is a historic structure operated by the National Park Service. The fish ladder is located between the east abutment of the dam and Beach Drive, a major collector road. Construction of the fish ladder required removal of a portion of the east abutment and an excavation that extended about 22-ft below the pavement of Beach Ave. It was not possible to close Beach Drive except for very brief intervals or at night; therefore, a support of excavation system that would minimize disruption to the public was required. The high groundwater required that the groundwater be cut off prior to excavation; the random rubble and soil fill, and shallow but erratic rock surface precluded driving sheet piling. A jet grout system was selected because the grout probe could penetrate the rubble fill, stabilize a variety of soil conditions, and cut off the ground water prior to excavation. It was not possible to construct a stable wall without tiebacks or soil nails. Given the schedule and tight working conditions it was decided that soil nails through the jet grout wall facing would be the most cost effective method, as it did not reduce the working space as rakers would and would be more cost effective than prestressed tiebacks.

Jan 1, 2006

By François G. Bernardeau

Cement-bentonite (C-B) slurry walls have been used for ground water cutoff in deep excavations, contamination containment, and other applications. Hydraulic conductivity is of great concern for cement-bentonite slurry walls. The quality control program usually specifies permeability and strength tests to be performed in a laboratory on samples cast in the field and cured for a certain time. Currently there is no widely accepted in-situ test method for the performance of the constructed slurry wall. A recently constructed cement-bentonite slurry wall in South Carolina included a 200-foot-long test section done in advance of the production of an 8,300 foot-long wall. Intensive tests and investigation were conducted during and after the test section construction: Monitoring piezometers were installed using wet insertion method and packer tests were conducted in boreholes drilled in the post-28-day-cure slurry wall. The permeability measured from the packer tests was about two orders of magnitude higher than the design and the laboratory test values. Additional investigation was performed using a video camera to inspect the borehole walls especially the packer test sections. Test pits were excavated to observe both sides of the cement-bentonite slurry wall. A thorough inspection was conducted to evaluate the integrity of the wall. The lessons learned and issues regarding the disturbance effects of in-situ testing of cement bentonite slurry walls is presented and discussed.

Jan 1, 2008

By M. Kumaran, A. Vetriselvan, A. Purantharan

"This paper presents a case history of evaluating the stability of a distressed earth bund and rectification measures carried out. A 5.45 km long, 7m high earth bund for drinking water storage was constructed in Andhra Pradesh. During construction of the bund following were observed – (a) a longitudinal crack at the downstream side (b) Bund on the downstream side along the crack settled to a max of 700 mm and (c) downstream rock toe level area raised by heave up to 175 mm. Investigation of the events made important contributions to the fundamental understanding of the behaviour of large earthworks of this type. It was found that the variation in subsoil strata was not addressed during the execution.After careful evaluation, stone columns were recommended as a suitable ground improvement technique. Stone columns were used as a reinforcement to improve the shearing resistance of foundation and in turn ensure stability. By using and applying advanced geotechnical engineering analysis tools and modelling techniques, earth bund and its foundation was analysed and examined against failure by slope instability. Stone column design was carried out using in-house computer program GEOSTONECOL and stability of earth bund was analysed using TALREN software. Earth bund construction was completed after ground improvement and is performing satisfactorily.INTRODUCTIONIn order to supply water during summer season, Government of Andhra Pradesh decided to construct a 7m high and 5.45km long earth bund summer storage tank. It was one of the largest earth bund summer storage tanks in whole of South India at the time of its construction. During construction, the earth bund has undergone sudden distresses. Investigation of the series of events occurred during construction has made important contributions to the fundamental understanding of the behaviour of large earthworks of this type. This paper presents the reasons for earth bund failure, slope stability assessment of the distressed earth bund and recommendation of stone column as a suitable ground improvement remediation technique.DESCRIPTION OF STUDY SITEThe characteristics of the original construction are briefly described as follows. A shallow cut-off trench was excavated below existing ground level at the centreline of bund as shown in Fig. 1. Below the base of the trench a cut-off grout curtain was installed. Upstream and downstream shell earth filling was carried out using Clayey Sand ‘SC’ type soil. At some locations, bottom of cut-off trench has reached as deep as 12m from the existing ground level."

Jan 1, 2017

By Joseph T. Coe, Siavash Mahvelati, Alireza Kordjazi

This paper introduces recent advances in stress-wave NDT systems for use in assessments of in-service foundation integrity and drilled shaft construction. The primary results of the laboratory experiments are very promising, as the acquired image was capable of differentiating changes in pile cross section as low as 0.3 cm. The preliminary results with the same hardware components on a relatively large scale cemented sand model were also promising. A brief overview is provided of both systems including hardware, survey methods, and data processing techniques, followed by a discussion on application of the results to QA/QC of deep foundations. INTRODUCTION There are two main applications in which current QA/QC NDT technology fails to provide sufficient information regarding deep foundation conditions: (1) detection of flaws in outside cover concrete of drilled shafts and corrosion in steel piling; and (2) evaluation of anomalies beneath the bottom of drilled shaft excavations. Previous studies have demonstrated the capabilities of high frequency stress waves for geotechnical and foundation evaluation purposes (Lee and Santamarina 2005; Coe and Brandenberg 2010; Coe and Brandenberg 2012; Coe and Kermani 2016). Higher frequency waves can visualize smaller anomalous features at the expense of higher attenuation and smaller propagation distance. Therefore, the goal of this study was to advance the state of NDT practice by development of a prototype high resolution stress-wave imaging system as proof-of-concept. The equipment and hardware were modular, which allowed simultaneous development of two system configurations for application to in- service foundations as well as drilled shaft excavations during construction. Results are presented based on two large scale soil models. The first laboratory model simulated section loss in an in-service steel pipe pile and drilled shaft foundation (Fig. 1a). The second model simulated anomalous conditions beneath drilled shafts excavations as might be encountered in areas with significant karst (Fig. 1b). For both models, evaluation of foundation conditions relied on the propagation of small amplitude seismic stress waves using hardware similar to those described in Coe and Brandenberg (2010) and Coe and Brandenberg (2012).

Jan 1, 2018

By John P. Davis

The use of conventional, circulatory air rotary and fluid rotary, cased and uncased drilling methods in the vicinity of sensitive infrastructure can have deleterious effects on the ground conditions surrounding and supporting structures and the structure itself. Furthermore, the use of these conventional methods offers the engineer or contractor little information about the condition of the subsurface during geotechnical applications. Conversely, sonic drilling measurements and samples can be used to evaluate actual conditions during the progress of exploration and construction across a given site. This paper will discuss the history and properties of sonic drilling and explore case histories of geotechnical applications for the advancement of boreholes within vulnerable structures and on sensitive sites for several recent infrastructure projects ? a tunnel and railroad project, a dam grout curtain project, a bridge micropile exploration project and a tunnel instrumentation project. Project summaries will discuss the advantages realized when the application of sonic drilling techniques demonstrated superior accuracy, quality control, efficiency, productivity, penetrability, waste minimization and adaptability when drilling adjacent to or within existing infrastructure. Finally, the discussion will address the current testing and application of sonic drilling to the installation of micropiles, earth retention anchors, grout injection and instrumentation installation where the quality control benefits provided by the inherent soil cores, measurement while drilling systems, accuracy and non-destructive production drilling features will be advantageous.

Jan 1, 2006

By B. H. Moore

Foundation and excavation problems associated with lock construction projects vary widely. Each lock requires a different foundation to respond to a unique geologic setting. The range of heights and founding materials are illustrated thru description of selected structures encountered in the United States. Examples range from 113-ft high John Day Lock on the Columbia River founded on basalt rock to the 17-ft high Lock No. 5 on the Arkansas River floated on a clay foundation. A description of the basic elements of design and construction is presented. Several case histories involving lock design and construction are assessed to aid in recognition of potential problem areas on forthcoming construction. In the past decade there have been many improvements in construction materials and techniques. The application of these new approaches to lock construction is discussed.

Jan 1, 2010

By Andreas Brandner

"At the beginning of 2007 the Austrian contractor PORR was awarded with remediation works for a 48-km long part of the railway line from Campina to Predeal – part of the Trans European main Corridors TEN-T priority line 22 Bucurest – Brasov, connecting the southeast European countries with the heart of Europe.Due to partly new realignment and change of regular sections as well as protection against rockfall and slope slide a huge bunch of slope stabilization works became necessary, which were awarded to the contractor PORR and their designer IB-Brandner.Following the studies of the tender documents for the planned protection measures responsible managers of PORR decided to propose an alternative protection design by IB- Brandner. Changing the original design a more flexible and environmentally compatible solution consisting of high performance net, soil nailing and rockfall protection systems (fences) was elaborated and adapted to local needs. During design process, several critical areas were identified and additionally taken into account.In the paper examples of the design and erection process show how difficulties in implementation starting with the presentation of the idea continuing to the realization on site were managed and a technically more sophisticated and commercially competitive solution could be delivered to the customer Romanian Railway – case study.The European Commission awarded – following an election process in which all citizens of the EU could join - the remediation project Railway line Campina – Predeal in Romania as the environmentally best EU co-financed infrastructure project. GENERAL PROJECT EVALUATIONDue to original design slope stabilization should be done by concrete slabs fixed with prestressed anchors and shotcrete cover.The area to be secured was limited to a 12-meter strip left and right from the railway track without reference to nature and local needs. Discussions with the client and his designer and rising awareness for the hazards to address took several months. Site visits in Austria to provide insight in the problems of dealing with natural hazards helped to convince the client of the needs and our alternative design."

Jan 1, 2017

By Dennis Nottingham

Spin-fin pipe piles can develop large loads in tension, thus have evolved as a foundation product of great potential. Currently, over 500 spin-fin piles have been used successfully in dolphins, docks, buildings and bulkheads. Spin-fin piles are pipe piles with plates welded near the tip at a batter-in-screw fashion. Thus, as the pile is driven, the pile screws into position. Tests show this pile type to have highly unusual stress/strain relationships, wherein plunging failure is usually never reached either at normal or large deformations. Tension capacity can approach pile capacity in bearing; thus, large reserves are usually available for tension. Tests have been performed on 8-5/8-inch to 24-inch-diameter piles in silt, sand, and gravelly soil, to provide a broad spectrum of data.

Jan 1, 1990

By Helen D. Robinson

The seawalls that surround Ellis Island were constructed in the early 1900s and now show varying degrees of deterioration. An innovative approach to the structural repair of the seawalls was developed, which consisted of the use of micropiles for stabilization of vertical and horizontal seawall movements. The micropiles were installed through the existing seawalls and penetrated through a thick overburden, consisting of soft alluvial deposits and relatively hard glacial till, and were bonded into Manhattan Schist. Drilling of the micropiles often encountered timber and other obstructions. The selection of micropiles for stabilization of the seawalls offered significant advantages over other foundation systems and over alternative soil improvement techniques. They allowed drilling through a variety of materials without the need for significant retooling or changes to the drilling procedure. This reduced the impact of foundation construction on the sensitive historical landscape and structures, and prevented the need for significant foundation work from the water side of the seawalls. In addition, micropiles offered relatively high installation rates and flexibility to adapt to the varying conditions along the seawalls.

Jan 1, 2008

By Vincent Jue

In December 2009, the Italian High Speed Rail Network AV began running over the full 1000 km system length from Turin, at the foothills of the Alps to Salerno, on the seacoast south of the volcano Mt. Vesuvius. It runs through Alpine rivers, highly seismic active zones, mountains, river plains, and through some of the most densely populated areas in Europe as well as some of its most expensive real estate. The Italian High Speed Network?s technical/economic constraints and its regulatory/socio-environmental concerns well may mirror similar obstacles set to confront the nascent California High Speed Rail Program. The two types of constraints must be dealt with together to reach the best construction solution. It is estimated that more than 20% of Italian High Speed Rail Network costs were spent on ground engineering including over 150 km of tunnels, 200 km of viaducts and bridges and 650 km of embankments and trenches. However, it also is estimated that 25% of costs were spent on social and environmental integration of the new rail lines including over 6 square miles of green offsets, 160 km of anti-noise walls, and 300 agreements for socio-environmental work. This paper will look at four examples of innovative ground engineering solutions, each with its own intricate set of constraints: ? Foundation system for viaducts across the ?Po? and ?Ticino? rivers. ? Soil consolidation under railway embankments ? Requirement of short tunnels for physical and environmental reasons ? Construction of railway stations in a confined right of way

Jan 1, 2010

By C. Y. Liu

This paper principally deals with the application of caisson foundation in the Chinese bridge building industry, the different types of caisson foundation adopted, and their spheres of application. Caisson foundation has been used and speedily developed for bridge works in New China, and a number of new innovations have been made in its design. Especially in deep water foundation, the Nanjing Bridge over Changjiang has attained one of the deepest bridge foundations in the world. There are six types of deep caisson foundation being now in use in China, namely:

Jan 1, 2010

By J. O. Osterberg

The realities of foundation enginering are that the work never proceeds exactly as expected. The various reasons, exploration, design, construction, and legal are discussed. Case histories are presented with an analysis of why the projects did not turn out as expected and how the difficulties might have been avoided.

Jan 1, 2010

By Gray Mullins

This paper presents results from model and full-scale tests to assess the interface bond between a cast-in-place concrete seal slab and steel H-piles in cofferdams. Three different seal slab placement conditions - fresh water, salt water and bentonite slurry - were evaluated and the results compared against controls where no fluid was displaced by the concrete. Normal pile surfaces were investigated. Additionally, the situation of ?soil caked? piles was also tested. In the model tests, eight 15 cm deep, W6 x 15 sections were used for two different embedment depths of 1.5d and 2d, d being the depth of the section. In the full-scale tests, 16 specimens 35 cm deep (W14 x 90 sections) were tested with the embedment varied between 0.5d-2d. The results show that significant bond stresses developed even in the worst placement condition. Recommendations made for revising current values in specifications have already been implemented by the Florida Department of Transportation.

Jan 1, 2013

By Rick Deschamps, Brian Barkauskas, Aled Hughes, Abigail Stein

In central Washington, six miles south of the small town of Vantage, the flow of the Columbia River is harnessed by the Wanapum Dam which is part of the Priest Rapids Hydroelectric Project owned and operated by Grant County Public Utility District (GCPUD). Extending more than 8,300-feet from bank to bank, the dam includes left and right earth embankments, left and right concrete gravity sections and a 10-unit powerhouse. Adjacent to the right embankment is a concrete gravity spillway featuring radial gates measuring 50-feet-wide and nearly 70-feet-high. In the early 1960’s when Wanapum Dam was built, these seven-story spillway gates were the highest in the world. In late February 2014, 50-years into its service life, during a routine maintenance inspection, observant workers noticed a slight misalignment in the roadway deck curbs and handrails located on top of the spillway. Further survey and inspection efforts uncovered a 65-foot-long by two- inch-wide crack that spanned the full length of Monolith 4. On discovering the extent of the damage, GCPUD initiated immediate drawdown of the reservoir to relieve pressure on the spillway monoliths. Wanapum Reservoir and the areas directly downstream of the dam were immediately closed, boat ramps and inlets were left completely dry, campsites were closed and boating activity was banned on the lake until further investigations and remedial procedures were in place and completed. An extensive root cause analysis ultimately led to the conclusion that errors in the initial design calculations and late changes to the final spillway design led to a condition that generated tensile stresses in the concrete at the upstream face, which over a period of 50-years resulted in the formation of a crack along a horizontal lift joint located about 85-feet below normal pool elevation. Further analysis showed that, although visible distress was found at Monolith 4, there was nothing preventing this issue from happening at other locations along the dam spillway. Although no visible cracking was found in the other monoliths, repair procedures for Monolith 4 would have to be replicated at the remaining monoliths.

Jan 1, 2018