Allowable Bearing Pressures of Bridge Sills on GRS Abutments with Flexible Facing
Publication: Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering
Volume 132, Issue 7
Abstract
Compared to geosynthetic-reinforced soil (GRS) retaining walls, GRS abutment walls are generally subjected to much greater intensity surface loads that are fairly close to the wall face. A major issue with the design of GRS abutments is the allowable bearing pressure of the bridge sill on the abutments. The allowable bearing pressure of a bridge sill over reinforced soil retaining walls has been limited to in the current NHI and Demo 82 design guidelines. A study was undertaken to investigate the allowable bearing pressures of bridge sills over GRS abutments with flexible facing. The study was conducted by the finite element method of analysis. The capability of the finite element computer code for analyzing the performance of GRS bridge abutments with modular block facing has been evaluated extensively prior to this study. A series of finite element analyses were carried out to examine the effect of sill type, sill width, soil stiffness/strength, reinforcement spacing, and foundation stiffness on the load-carrying capacity of GRS abutment sills. Based on the results of the analytical study, allowable bearing pressures of GRS abutments were determined based on two performance criteria: A limiting displacement criterion and a limiting shear strain criterion, as well as the writers’ experiences with GRS walls and abutments. In addition, a recommended design procedure for determining the allowable bearing pressure is provided.
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Acknowledgments
This study is part of a National Cooperative Highway Research Project (NCHRP) Study 12-59 to develop guidelines for design and construction of flexible facing GRS bridge-supporting structures. The writers wish to acknowledge the financial support of the NCHRP. They also wish to express gratitude to Bob Barrett of Soil Nail Launchers, Inc. and Michael Adams of the Federal Highway Administration for their assistance, encouragement, and advice throughout this study.
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Information
Published In
Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering
Volume 132 • Issue 7 • July 2006
Pages: 830 - 841
Copyright
© 2006 ASCE.
History
Received: Aug 1, 2005
Accepted: Jan 4, 2006
Published online: Jul 1, 2006
Published in print: Jul 2006
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