Lessons Learned for Ground Movements and Soil Stabilization from the Boston Central Artery
Publication: Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering
Volume 132, Issue 8
Abstract
This paper summarizes lessons learned about soil stabilization with the deep mixing method (DMM) as it was developed and applied over 10 years during construction of the Boston Central Artery and Tunnel (CA/T). It also summarizes lessons about the control of excavation-induced ground movements and their characteristics. Deep deposits of marine clay were stabilized with DMM for large open cuts at Bird Island Flats and Fort Point Channel, both of which are described with respect to site conditions, soil properties, DMM installation and characteristics, and measured field performance. Topics addressed in this paper include water pressure distribution behind DMM walls, statistical characterization of soil cement properties, quality control/quality assurance procedures, comparison of measured and numerically simulated deformation in clay stabilized with various configurations of soil cement elements, shear modulus degradation characteristics of in situ soil cement, and ground movement patterns. Recommendations are made for soil cement properties, installation procedures, analytical modeling, design, and inspection.
Get full access to this article
View all available purchase options and get full access to this article.
Acknowledgments
A significant part of the work summarized in this paper was performed under a research project sponsored by Bechtel/Parsons Brinckerhoff (B/PB). B/PB was responsible for the preliminary design and construction management of work at Fort Point Channel (FPC) under construction Contract No. UNSPECIFIEDCO9A7. The writers thank B/PB for its support, and extend special thanks to David Druss and Justice Maswoswe of B/PB for their assistance. Special recognition is also extended to other engineers who are or were part of the B/PB team, including Joseph Baka, Dominic Cerulli, and Michael Bertoulin. Original design for the FPC construction was performed by the Maguire/Harris Joint Venture, and the application of the Deep Mixing Method (DMM) and installation of the excavation support system at FPC were performed by the Nicholson-Kajima-Seiko/Cashman-Perini-Kiewit-Atkinson Joint Venture. Special thanks are extended to Robert Jakiel of SMW Seiko, Inc., who provided information and data pertaining to design and construction, respectively. The writers also thank the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority, Massachusetts Highway Department and Federal Highway Administration (FHwA) for their support. Special recognition is extended to Al Dimillio, Richard Cheney, and Jerry DiMaggio of FHwA. The writers are especially grateful to David Yang of Raito, Inc. for his insights and guidance regarding DMM. They recognize Seth Pearlman of the Nicholson Construction Company for his assistance in obtaining information and data at BIF. They also thank Nancy Jerabek for her assistance in preparing the manuscript. They deeply appreciate the assistance of Yu Wang and Peixin Shi, who were Graduate Research Assistants at Cornell University, for their contributions in interpreting pressuremeter and plate load test data, and assisting with derivations for soil mix composition.
References
Ahnberg, H., and Holm, G. (1986). “Kalkpelarmetoden. Resultat av 10 års forskning och praktisk användning samt framtida utveckling.” (The lime column method. Results of 10 years of research, practical use and future development.) Rep. 31, Swedish Geotechnical Institute, Sweden.
ASCE. (1997). “In situ ground improvement, reinforcement and treatment: A twenty year update and a vision for the 21st century.” Proc., 2.5 Deep Mixing, Ground Reinforcement Committee, Geo-Institute Conf., Logan, Utah, 130–150.
ASTM. (1994). “Standard test method for determining in situ modulus of deformation of rock mass using rigid plate loading method.” Annual ASTM Book of Standards, D 4394, Vol. 4.08, Philadelphia, 554–562.
Atkinson, J. H., and Bransby, P. L. (1978). The mechanics of soils, McGraw–Hill, U.K.
Benjamin, J. R., and Cornell, C. A. (1970). Probability, statistics, and decision for civil engineers, McGraw–Hill, New York, 406–407.
Bruce, D. A. (2000a). “An introduction to the deep soil mixing methods as used in geotechnical applications.” FHwA-RD-99-138, Federal Highway Administration, McClean, Va.
Bruce, D. A. (2000b). “An introduction to the deep soil mixing methods as used in geotechnical applications: Appendices.” FHwA-RD-99-144, Federal Highway Administration, McClean, Va.
Bruce, D. A. (2000c). “An introduction to the deep soil mixing methods as used in geotechnical applications: The verification and properties of treated ground.” FHwA-RD-99-167, Federal Highway Administration, McClean, Va.
Bruce, D. A., Bruce, M. E. C., and DiMileo, A. (1998). “Deep mixing method: A global perspective.” GSP No. 81, A. Maher and D. S. Yang, eds., ASCE, Reston, Va., 1–15.
Clarke, B. G. (1995). Pressuremeters in geotechnical design, Blackie and Sons, Ltd., Glasgow, U.K.
Coastal Development Institute of Technology, Ed. (2002). The deep mixing method, A. A. Balkema, Lisse, The Netherlands.
Haley and Aldrich, Inc. (1995). “Central artery (I-93)/Tunnel (I-90) project draft supplemental geotechnical data report, design section D009A, Boston, Massachusetts.” Rep. Prepared for the Massachusetts Department of Public Works, File No. 11220-052, Vols. 1–4, Boston.
Haley and Aldrich, Inc. (1996). “Geotechnical interpretive report on engineering properties, central Artery (I-93)/Tunnel (I-90) project design section D009A, Boston, Massachusetts.” Rep. Prepared for Maquire/Harris Joint Venture, File No. 11220-013, Boston.
Hashash, V. M. A., and Whittle, A. J. (1996). “Ground movement prediction for deep excavations in soft clay.” J. Geotech. Eng., 122(6), 474–486.
Itasca Consulting Group, Inc. (1996). FLAC: Fast Lagrangian analysis of continua, version 3.3, Vols. 1–IV, Minneapolis.
Jakiel, R. (2000). “Case history: Deep soil cement mixing at the I-90/I-93 NB interchange on the central artery/tunnel project, Contract C09A7 at Fort Point Channel Site, Boston, MA.” Proc., 25th Annual Meeting and 8th Int. Conf. and Exhibition, New York, Deep Foundations Institute, Englewood Cliffs, N.Y., 569–593.
Jardine, R. J., Potts, D. M., Fourie, A. B., and Burland, J. B. (1986). “Studies of the influence of nonlinear stress–strain characteristics and soil–structure interaction.” Geotechnique, 36(3), 377–396.
Ladd, C. C., and Foott, R. (1974). “New design procedures for stability of soft clays.” J. Geotech. Eng. Div., Am. Soc. Civ. Eng., 100(7), 763–786.
Ladd, C. C., and Luscher, V. (1965). “Engineering properties of soils underlying M.I.T. campus.” Research Rep. R65-58. Soil Mechanics Publication 185, Dept. of Civil Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Mass.
Lambrechts, J. R., and Nagel, S. (2003). “Coring soil–cement installed by deep mixing at Boston’s CA/T project.” Grouting and Ground Treatment, GSP No. 120, L. E. Johnson, D. A. Bruce, and M. J. Byle, eds., ASCE, Reston, Va., 670–680.
Lambrechts, J. R., and Roy, P. A. (1997). “Deep soil–cement mixing for tunnel support at Boston’s I-93NB/I-90 interchange.” Ground Improvement, Ground Reinforcement, Ground Treatment, GPS No. 69, Y. R. Schaefer, ed., ASCE, Reston, Va., 579–603.
Lambrechts, J. R., Roy, P. A., and Wishart, E. J. (1998). “Design conditions and analysis methods for soil–cement buttress in Fort Point channel.” GSP No. 83, R. J. Finno, Y. Hashash, C. L. Ho, and B. P. Swenney, eds., ASCE, Reston, Va., 153–174.
Li, X. S., Yang, J., and Liu, H. L. (1998). “Differentiation of noisy experimental data for interpretation of nonlinear stress–strain behavior.” J. Eng. Mech., 124(7), 705–712.
Massachusetts Turnpike Authority. (2006). “Project maps and plans.” http://www.masspike.com/bigdig/multimedia/plans.html .
Maswoswe, J. J. G. (2001). “QA/QC for CA/T deep soil cement.” GSP No. 113, T. L. Brandon, ed., ASCE, Reston, Va., 610–624.
McGinn, A. J., and O’Rourke, T. D. (2000). “Case study of excavation base stability in deep marine clay.” GSP No. 94, A. J. Lutenegger and D. J. DeGroot, eds., ASCE, Reston, Va., 480–495.
McGinn, A. J., and O’Rourke, T. D. (2003). “Performance of deep mixing methods at Fort Point channel.” Rep. Prepared for Bechtel/Parsons Brinckerhoff, the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority, and the Federal Highway Administration at Cornell Univ., Ithaca, N.Y.
National Research Council. (NRC). (2003) “Completing the ‘big dig’.” Committee for Review of the Project Management Practices Employed on the Boston Central Artery/Tunnel Project, National Research Council, National Academics Press, Washington, D.C.
Nyquist, H. (1928). “Certain topics in telegraph transmission theory.” Trans. Am. Inst. Electr. Eng. 47, 617–644.
O’Rourke, T. D. (1998). “Closure to Deep rotational stability of tiedback excavations in clay.” J. Geotech. Geoenviron. Eng., 124(12), 1125–1228.
O’Rourke, T. D., and McGinn, A. J., (2004). “Case history of deep mixing soil stabilization for Boston Central artery.” Geotechnical Engineering for Transportation Projects, Geotechnical Special Publication No. 126, ASCE, Reston, Va., 77–136.
O’Rourke, T. D., McGinn, A. J., and Dewsnap, J. (1998). “Case history of excavation stabilized by deep mixing methods.” Geotechnical Special Publication No. 83, Design and Construction of Earth Retaining Systems, ASCE, Reston, Va., 41–61.
O’Rourke, T. D., McGinn, A. J., Dewsnap, J., and Stewart, H. E. (1997). “Performance of excavations stabilized by deep soil mixing.” Rep. Prepared for Bechtel/Parsons Brinckerhoff, the Massachusetts Highway Department, and the Federal Highway Administration at Cornell Univ., Ithaca, N.Y.
O’Rourke, T. D., and O’Donnell, C. J. (1997a). “Deep rotational stability of tiedback excavations in clay.” J. Geotech. Geoenviron. Eng., 123(6), 506–515.
O’Rourke, T. D., and O’Donnell, C. J. (1997b). “Field behavior of excavation stabilized by deep soil mixing.” J. Geotech. Geoenviron. Eng., 123(6), 516–524.
Shannon, C. E. (1948). A mathematical theory of communication, Bell Telephone System Technical Publication, American Telephone and Telegraph Co., New York.
Shibuya, S., Tatsuoka, S., Teachavorasinskun, S., Kong, X. J., Abe, F., Kim, Y.-S., and Park, C.-S. (1992). “Elastic deformation properties of geomaterials.” Soils Found., 32(3), 26–46.
Suzuki, Y. (1985). “Deep chemical mixing method using cement as hardening agent.” Recent developments in ground improvement techniques, A. S. Balasubramaniam, S. Chandra, and D. T. Bergado, eds., Balkema, Rotterdam, The Netherlands, 299–340.
Taki, O., and Yang, D. S. (1991). “Soil cement mixed wall technique.” GSP No. 29, Vol. 1, ASCE, New York, 298–309.
Timoshenko, S. (1955). Strength of materials, Krieger, Huntington, N.Y.
Williams, B. P., Smyrell, A. G., and Lewis, P. J. (1993). “Flownet diagrams—The use of finite differences and a spreadsheet to determine potential heads.” Ground Eng., 5(2), 32–38.
Yonekura, R., Terashi, M., and Shibazaki, M., eds. (1996). “Grouting and deep mixing.” Proc., 2nd Int. Conf. on Ground Improvement Geosystems, Vols. 1 and 2, Tokyo, Balkema, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering
Volume 132 • Issue 8 • August 2006
Pages: 966 - 989
Copyright
© 2006 ASCE.
History
Received: Nov 10, 2005
Accepted: Aug 1, 2006
Published online: Aug 1, 2006
Published in print: Aug 2006
Notes
Peck Lecture
Authors
Metrics & Citations
Metrics
Citations
Download citation
If you have the appropriate software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice. Simply select your manager software from the list below and click Download.