Assessment of Load Test Results on a Sheet Pile Quay Wall: The Potential of 3D Numerical Modeling
Publication: Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering
Volume 150, Issue 9
Abstract
A full scale load test on the apron is a very effective method for validating the design of a new operative quay wall. The availability of the monitoring data from the load test on a sheet pile wall of a major Italian port and the well-known geotechnical context of the site made it possible to explore the potential of three-dimensional (3D) numerical modeling to understand the response of the work to the applied load. In order to achieve a good match between real observations and numerical results, the limited impact of the working load on a robust geotechnical structure, the use of advanced constitutive models for soils and careful modeling of the construction phases and details of the work were taken into consideration. For this reason, the procedure adopted to calibrate the numerical model based on geotechnical test results is presented after the description of the load test monitoring data. Thanks to these efforts, the 3D numerical model, validated on the monitored data, allowed us to gain further insights on the structural behavior of the quay wall during construction and loading phases, underlining the relevant role played by some apparently marginal and often ignored details.
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Data Availability Statement
The data that support the finding of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.
Acknowledgments
This work benefited from the Research Project Grant 2021 (Ruggerate 2021) of the Università Politecnica delle Marche. The Port Authority of Ravenna is greatly acknowledged for the provided data.
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Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering
Volume 150 • Issue 9 • September 2024
Copyright
© 2024 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Oct 9, 2023
Accepted: Mar 22, 2024
Published online: Jul 3, 2024
Published in print: Sep 1, 2024
Discussion open until: Dec 3, 2024
ASCE Technical Topics:
- Coasts, oceans, ports, and waterways engineering
- Design (by type)
- Engineering fundamentals
- Field tests
- Foundations
- Geotechnical engineering
- Hydraulic engineering
- Hydraulic structures
- Load factors
- Load tests
- Models (by type)
- Numerical models
- Pile foundations
- Pile tests
- Ports and harbors
- Structural design
- Structural engineering
- Structural members
- Structural systems
- Structures (by type)
- Tests (by type)
- Three-dimensional models
- Walls
- Water and water resources
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