TECHNICAL PAPERS
Mar 15, 2011

Reliability of Settlement Prediction—Case History

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Publication: Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering
Volume 137, Issue 4

Abstract

A geotextile-reinforced embankment was built over soft ground. Staged construction and vertical prefabricated drains were used to obtain strength gain via consolidation of the foundation material. Settlement and pore pressure were measured as a part of construction control. Settlement, differential settlement, and rate of consolidation were predicted by simple models. Uncertainties in the predictions were evaluated to assess the reliability of the predictions. The estimated errors were compared with the measured values, and major contributors to prediction errors were identified.

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Acknowledgments

The I-670 embankment was a project of the U.S. Dept. of Transportation (USDOT), the Ohio Dept. of Transportation (ODOT), Franklin County, and the City of Columbus. The embankment was designed by STS Consultants (STS) and Gale-Tec Engineering (GTE). GTE provided monitoring and evaluation during construction. Measurement and analysis of performance were done jointly by the ODOT, GTE, and Ohio State University (OSU). The work at OSU was partly supported by the ODOT and USDOT. We thank D. T. Bergado, J. M. Duncan, R. D. Holtz, B. Indraratna, and C. C. Ladd for providing details on various sites cited in the paper, as well as the ASCE reviewers for their comments and suggestions.

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Published In

Go to Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering
Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering
Volume 137Issue 4April 2011
Pages: 312 - 322

History

Received: Nov 11, 2009
Accepted: Sep 13, 2010
Published online: Mar 15, 2011
Published in print: Apr 1, 2011

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Authors

Affiliations

Tien H. Wu, M.ASCE [email protected]
Hon.
Professor Emeritus, Ohio State Univ., 2070 Neil Ave., Columbus, OH 43210 (corresponding author). E-mail: [email protected]
Stephan M. Gale, F.ASCE
Principal, Gale-Tec Engineering, 801 Twelve Oaks Center Dr., Wayzata, MN 55391.
Steven Z. Zhou, M.ASCE
Senior Assoc., Terracon, 611 Lunken Park Dr., Cincinnati, OH 45226.
Eugene C. Geiger
Administrator, Office of Geotech. Eng., Ohio Dept. of Transp., 1600 Broad St., Columbus, OH 43223.

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