Journal of Performance of Constructed Facilities

On October 17, 1989, the Loma Prieta earthquake took place near Santa Cruz, Calif. Damage occurred as far as 100 km from the earthquake's epicenter. Of particular concern was damage to transportation systems and widespread disruption of utilities and lifeline facilities. Damage to airports in the vicinity of a major natural disaster, such as the Loma Prieta earthquake, is critical because airports are a major link in our national transportation system that can deliver emergency supplies and help. An investigation into a case history such as the damage that occurred at the Metropolitan Oakland International Airport provides valuable experience. The damage that occurred to the runway pavement was a result of liquefaction occurring in an underlying zone of dredged sand fill. Only the western 900 m of the 3,000-m Runway 11-29 was significantly damaged. This paper discusses the conditions that led to the failure of 900 m of Runway 11-29, describes the damage that occurred, and summarizes the repairs that were made to the runway.

The potential use of the dynamic cone penetrometer (DCP) for evaluation of the pavement distress state is investigated. A model to predict the distress level of pavement layers using penetration rate (PR) values of the subgrade and aggregate base course (ABC) layers is proposed based on the coupled contribution of the subgrade and the ABC materials. The developed distress model is validated using field data from four test sites. The two sites with good condition rating values (equal to 4 and 3) are found to have an unconfined PR-ABC value <4 mm/blow, a PR-subgrade value <25 mm/blow, and an ABC layer thickness that exceeds 152 mm (6 in.). A discrepancy that seems to appear in the field data (a high field California bearing ratio value corresponding to a PR-ABC value >4 mm/blow) is explained by the fact that field-measured California bearing ratio values for the ABC layer are affected by the strength of the underlying subgrade soils. This is especially observed in cases where the thickness of the ABC layer is <102 mm (4 in.). The framework of the established procedure can generally be used at other sites, properly taking into account differences in material properties.

Countless miles of aged interstate highway pavement in the United States and significant expenditures associated with reconstruction highlight the importance of cost-effective rehabilitation measures. However, the prescription of ill-posed rehabilitation strategies due to improper assessment can be costly. This paper details a forensic investigation of a 22.5-km (14-mi) stretch of interstate highway in Oklahoma, consisting of multiple asphalt concrete (AC) overlays accumulated over a 40-year period. A thorough nondestructive investigation was carried out using falling weight deflectometer testing and ground penetrating radar. This was followed by a detailed invasive investigation involving coring, drilling and sampling, laboratory testing, and trenching. The pavement profile deduced from nondestructive test results alone failed to reveal a significantly weakened subsurface AC layer that was clearly revealed during invasive testing. Mechanistic analysis of the perceived pavement and actual pavement profiles reveal a significant difference in fatigue life. The reliance on nondestructive testing alone for pavement analysis and rehabilitation design would have been in significant error.

This paper deals with the renovation of a factory building in Nellore, India. The plan dimensions of this building are 25.7 × 52.5 m. It has concrete columns and the roof is made up of Pratt trusses with hot-rolled steel sections. Because the building is used as a cold storage facility, it is covered with a 130-mm-thick slab, which consists of the following four layers: (1) Roladeck trapezoidal sheeting; (2) one layer of 50-mm-thick concrete; (3) a layer of 40-mm-thick polyurethane foam; and (4) another layer of 40-mm-thick reinforced cement concrete (RCC). A significant amount of deflection was noticed when the scaffolding for the concrete was removed. The reason for this deflection was that most of the members of the trusses were overstressed due to the error of assuming that the truss would support traditional asbestos concrete sheet roofing. The rehabilitation measures included welding of additional steel plates to the members of the trusses. Proper precautions were not taken during welding repairs, which resulted in local buckling of the main members of the trusses. This buckling was mainly due to implementing the welding of the extra plates without providing temporary supports for the trusses, which were already carrying heavy loads. Finally it was decided to introduce intermediate columns that will reduce the force in some truss members. These remedial measures are discussed.

The collapse of the L'Ambiance Plaza building, under construction in Bridgeport, Conn., in 1987, killed 28 construction workers. A number of concurrent investigations were undertaken to attempt to determine the cause. At least six separate theories were developed. However, a prompt legal settlement kept these investigations from being completed. This paper reviews the collapse and discusses the competing theories. The failure focused controversy on the safety of the lift-slab construction method. Because there is a need in civil engineering education for case studies to illustrate ethical and professional issues as well as technical principles, this paper also addresses these aspects. Ways for civil engineering educators to use this case study to address these issues also are discussed.