Construction and Post-Construction Deformation Analysis of an MSE Wall Using Terrestrial Laser Scanning

Terrestrial laser scanning (TLS) is a surveying technique that uses lasers to measure coordinates of objects in the scanner’s 360° view space. This paper is evaluating the applicability of this technology into monitoring movements of mechanically-stabilized earth (MSE) retaining walls of a newly-constructed bridge interchange and comparing the results to finite element modelling (FEM). Settlements determined from TLS during and post-construction were 61 mm and 104 mm in the North and South walls respectively. Total station surveying provided from the contractor agreed with these settlements with measured values of 56 mm and 113 mm respectively. The FEM results compared well to what was observed with the TLS as it determined maximum movements of 55 mm and 109 mm in the same locations of the walls. With these results, the modelling performed portrays the variability of site conditions well and is a suitable method for this application.