Monitoring of a Steel-Reinforced MSE Abutment Wall and Evaluation of its Bearing Capacity Based on the CPT and DCPT

Details

• Creators:
  Sakleshpur, Venkata Abhishek ; Prezzi, Monica ; Salgado, Rodrigo ; Becker, Peter ; Zafari, Yaser
• Corporate Creators:
  Joint Transportation Research Program (Ind.)
• Corporate Contributors:
  Purdue University/Indiana Department of Transportation JHRP ; United States. Department of Transportation. Federal Highway Administration
• Subject/TRT Terms:
  Corrosion Earth Walls Load Tests Mechanically Stabilized Earth Performance Measurement Service Life Soil Stabilization Steel Bridges
• Publication/ Report Number:
  FHWA/IN/JTRP-2025/04
• DOI:
  https://doi.org/10.5703/1288284317845
• Resource Type:
  Tech Report
• Geographical Coverage:
  United States ; Indiana
• Edition:
  Final Report
• Corporate Publisher:
  Purdue University. Joint Transportation Research Program
• Abstract:
  A two-span bridge, supported by steel H-piles and mechanically stabilized earth (MSE) bridge abutments, was constructed as part of a new interchange on I-65 in Whitestown, Indiana. The east and west MSE abutment walls consisted of precast concrete facing panels, ribbed steel strips, and coarse-grained backfill soil. A section near the middle of the east MSE abutment wall was selected for instrumentation and performance monitoring. A variety of sensors, including earth pressure cells, strain gauges, inclinometers, and crackmeters were used to measure the magnitude and evolution of several quantities, such as the vertical stresses at the base of the leveling pad and within the backfill soil, the lateral stresses on the back of the wall facing, the tensile loads in the reinforcement, the lateral deflection of the wall facing, the contraction of the panel joints, and the settlement of the MSE wall foundation. The data was collected continuously, both during and after bridge construction, using multiplexers and dataloggers powered by solar panels. The results indicated that the vertical stresses measured at the base of the leveling pad were greater than those measured along the base of the reinforced fill and those calculated based on the self-weight of the wall facing. The values of key parameters used in MSE wall design were determined from the instrumentation results and compared with those obtained using design methods available in literature. The relationship developed by INDOT between the DCPT blow count and the factored bearing resistance of MSE wall foundations constructed over fine-grained soils was verified based on the results of the DCPTs performed in this study. In addition, a preliminary procedure to estimate the limit unit bearing capacity of the leveling pad in compacted B-borrow material was developed as a function of the pad width and the DCPT blow count for 0–12 in. penetration.
• Format:
  PDF
• Funding:
  SPR-4329
• Collection(s):
  US Transportation Collection
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:387013ddaaad38366260f0dc7b3e78aa5d3c66c30a34e13198f72146122341d408a67e10f3a6d8599b55d8c7bd0fe92d598b7451d6bf6adb980285cacf447a9f
• Download URL:
  https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/88326/dot_88326_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 19.10 MB ]