Increased Lateral Abutment Resistance from Gravel Backfills of Limited Width

Lateral pile cap tests were performed on a pile cap with three backfills to evaluate the static and dynamic behavior. One backfill consisted of loose silty sand while the other two consisted of 0.91- and 1.82-m-wide dense gravel zones between the pile cap and the loose silty sand. The 0.91- and 1.82-m-wide dense gravel zones increased the lateral resistance by 75 to 150% and 150 to 225%, respectively, relative to the loose silty sand backfill. Despite being thin relative to the overall shear length, the 0.92- and 1.82-m-wide gravel zones increase lateral resistance to approximately 54 and 78%, respectively, of the resistance that would be provided by a backfill entirely composed of dense gravel. The dynamic stiffness for the pile cap with the gravel zones decreased about 10% after 15 cycles of loading, while the damping ratio remained relatively constant with cycling. Dynamic stiffness increased by about 10 to 40% at higher deflections, while the damping ratio decreased from an initial value of about 0.30 to around 0.26 at higher deflections.     

Lateral Resistance of Full-Scale Pile Cap with Gravel Backfill

A static lateral load test was performed on a full-scale 3×3 pile group driven in saturated low-plasticity silts and clays. The steel pipe piles were attached to a concrete pile cap which created a “fixed-head” end constraint. A gravel backfill was compacted in place on the backside of the cap. Lateral resistance was therefore provided by pile–soil–pile interaction, as well as base friction and passive pressure on the cap. In this case, passive resistance contributed about 40% of the total resistance. The log–spiral method provided the best agreement with measured resistance. Estimates of passive pressure computed using the Rankine method significantly underestimated the resistance while the Coulomb method overestimated resistance. The cap movement required to fully mobilize passive resistance in the gravel backfill was about 6% of the cap height. This is somewhat larger than reported in other studies likely due to the underlying clay layer. The p-multipliers developed for the free-head pile group provided reasonable estimates of the pile–soil–pile resistance for the fixed-head pile group once gaps adjacent to the pile were considered.     

Nonlinear Soil–Abutment–Bridge Structure Interaction for Seismic Performance-Based Design

Current seismic design of bridges is based on a displacement performance philosophy using nonlinear static pushover analysis. This type of bridge design necessitates that the geotechnical engineer predict the resistance of the abutment backfill soils, which is inherently nonlinear with respect to the displacement between soil backfill and the bridge structure. This paper employs limit-equilibrium methods using mobilized logarithmic-spiral failure surfaces coupled with a modified hyperbolic soil stress–strain behavior (LSH model) to estimate abutment nonlinear force-displacement capacity as a function of wall displacement and soil backfill properties. The calculated force-displacement capacity is validated against the results from eight field experiments conducted on various typical structure backfills. Using LSH and experimental data, a simple hyperbolic force-displacement (HFD) equation is developed that can provide the same results using only the backfill soil stiffness and ultimate soil capacity. HFD is compatible with current CALTRANS practice in regard to the seismic design of bridge abutments. The LSH and HFD models are powerful and effective tools for practicing engineers to produce realistic bridge response for performance-based bridge design.     

State-of-the-Art of Integral Abutment Bridges: Design and Practice

The superstructure for integral abutment bridges is cast integrally with abutments that are supported by a single row of piles. Thermal expansion or contraction and concrete creep and shrinkage induce bending stresses in the piles. Very limited design and construction guidelines are available and no unified design procedures exist nationwide; hence, there is a lack of enthusiasm to adopt integral abutment bridges for long spans. Current design and construction practices of integral abutment bridges have been reviewed. Important design parameters are identified with an emphasis on temperature, creep, and shrinkage effects of concrete bridge decks, varying soil strata, and the pile-soil interaction. A parametric study is described regarding the effects of a predrilled hole, the type of fill in the predrilled hole, elevation of the water table, soil type, and pile orientation. The results from the parametric study should aid in the selection and design of piles for integral abutment bridges.     

Cyclic Lateral Load Behavior of a Pile Cap and Backfill

A series of static cyclic lateral load tests were performed on a full-scale 4×3 pile group driven into a cohesive soil profile. Twelve 324-mm steel pipe piles were attached to a concrete pile cap 5.18×3.05?m in plan and 1.12?m in height. Pile–soil–pile interaction and passive earth pressure provided lateral resistance. Seven lateral load tests were conducted in total; four tests with backfill compacted in front of the pile cap; two tests without backfill; and one test with a narrow trench between the pile cap and backfill soil. The formation of gaps around the piles at larger deflections reduced the pile–soil–pile interaction resulting in a degraded linear load versus deflection response that was very similar for the two tests without backfill and the trenched test. A typical nonlinear backbone curve was observed for the backfill tests. However, for deflections greater than 5 mm, the load-deflection behavior significantly changed from a concave down shape for the first cycle to a concave up shape for the second and subsequent cycles. The concave up shape continued to degrade with additional cycles past the second and typically became relatively constant after five to seven cycles. A gap formed between the backfill soil and the pile cap, which contributed to the load-deflection degradation. Crack patterns and sliding surfaces were consistent with that predicted by the log spiral theory. The results from this study indicate that passive resistance contributes considerably to the lateral resistance. However, with cyclic loading the passive force degrades significantly for deflections greater than 0.5% of the pile cap height.     

“Underlying” Causes for Settlement of Bridge Approach Pavement Systems

A comprehensive field study of 74 bridges in Iowa was conducted to characterize problems leading to poor performance of bridge approach pavement systems. Subsurface void development caused by water infiltration through unsealed expansion joints, collapse and erosion of the granular backfill, and poor construction practices were found to be the main contributing factors. To characterize the problem, International Roughness Index and profile measurements from several sites were used to show that approach pavement roughness is several times higher than the average roadway condition and are most severe at the abutment-to-approach pavement intersection and transverse expansion joints due to large (5–10?cm) joint widths. Further, a settlement time history was documented at one bridge site by measuring the approach slab pavement elevations periodically after completion of bridge construction, revealing a progressive settlement problem under the approach pavement. To better understand the void development under the approach pavement, laboratory compaction tests were performed on granular backfill materials from various bridge sites to quantify their saturated collapse potential in the postconstruction phase. These tests revealed collapse potential of backfill materials in the range of 5–18% (based on volume) with the high values for poorly graded sandy backfill materials, indicating significant settlement problems. Based on the research findings, some relatively simple design and construction modifications are suggested which could be used to alleviate field problems for similar bridge approach pavement systems.     

Integral Abutment Bridge Behavior: Parametric Analysis of a Massachusetts Bridge

Integral abutment bridges are often a preferred bridge type for moderate spans throughout the United States. However, design methods and construction details vary from state to state. Variations between states are noted in the methods employed to accommodate deformations in the piles. The significance of these differences was evaluated through a finite-element study. The effects of backfill properties and soil restraint on piles were evaluated with regard to bridge distortions and maximum moment realized in the piles. Results show that bridge expansion is predominantly affected by backfill conditions, whereas contraction is influenced by pile restraint conditions. Pile moments are minimized when denser backfill and lower pile restraint are provided. The influence of abutment soil-structure spring modeling assumptions is addressed. Models were calibrated to the reference bridge at Orange-Wendell, Mass, which has been instrumented and data collected for 4 years.     

Optimum Design of Bridge Abutments under Seismic Conditions: Reliability-Based Approach

The paper focuses on the reliability-based design optimization of gravity wall bridge abutments when subjected to active condition during earthquakes. An analytical study considering the effect of uncertainties in the seismic analysis of bridge abutments is presented. Planar failure surface has been considered in conjunction with the pseudostatic limit equilibrium method for the calculation of the seismic active earth pressure. Analysis is conducted to evaluate the external stability of bridge abutments when subjected to earthquake loads. Reliability analysis is used to estimate the probability of failure in three modes of failure viz. sliding failure of the wall on its base, overturning failure about its toe (or eccentricity failure of the resultant force) and bearing failure of foundation soil below the base of wall. The properties of backfill and foundation soil below the base of abutment are treated as random variables. In addition, the uncertainties associated with characteristics of earthquake ground motions such as horizontal seismic acceleration and shear wave velocity propagating through backfill soil are considered. The optimum proportions of the abutment needed to maintain the stability are obtained against three modes of failure by targeting various component and system reliability indices. Studies have also been made to study the influence of various parameters on the seismic stability.     

Field Behavior of an Integral Abutment Bridge Supported on Drilled Shafts

The abutments of integral bridges are traditionally supported on a single row of steel-H-piles that are flexible and that are able to accommodate lateral deflections well. In Hawaii, steel-H-piles have to be imported, corrosion tends to be severe in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, and the low buckling capacity of steel-H-piles in scour-susceptible soils has led to a preference for the use of drilled shaft foundations. A drilled shaft-supported integral abutment bridge was monitored from foundation installation to in-service behavior. Strain gauge data indicate that drilled shaft foundations worked well for this integral bridge. After 45 months, the drilled shafts appear to remain uncracked. However, inclinometer readings provide a conflicting viewpoint. Full passive earth pressures never developed behind the abutments as a result of temperature loading because thermal movements were small and the long term movements were dominated by concrete creep and shrinkage of the superstructure that pulled the abutments towards the stream. In the stream, hydrodynamic loading during the wet season had a greater effect on the abutment movements than seasonal temperature cycling. After becoming integral, the upright members of the longitudinal bridge frame were not vertical because the excavation and backfilling process caused deep seated movements of the underlying clay resulting in the drilled shafts bellying out towards the stream. This indicates the importance and need for staged construction analysis in design of integral bridges in highly plastic clays. Also, the drilled shaft axial loads from strain gauges are larger than expected.     

Large-Scale Flume Tests of Riprap-Apron Performance at a Bridge Abutment on a Floodplain

Laboratory tests using a large-scale model of a spill-through bridge abutment led to important findings about the performance of a riprap apron as an abutment scour countermeasure. Riprap stone is widely used for protecting side slopes of embankments against erosion, and several design guidelines are available in the literature. In contrast, only a few guidelines exist for the design of a riprap apron around an abutment. These guidelines focus only on the armoring effect of riprap, neglecting other effects. This study shows that apron performance involves several mechanisms: armoring the bed, dissipating large-scale turbulence shed from the abutment, reducing the peak unit discharge, reducing the average shear stress, and shifting the scour region away from the abutment. Together, these mechanisms substantially reduce the maximum scour depth. The test findings are compared with those from a much smaller model of riprap-apron performance.     

Predicted and Measured Response of an Integral Abutment Bridge

This project examined several uncertainties of integral abutment bridge design and analysis through field-monitoring of an integral abutment bridge and three levels of numerical modeling. Field monitoring data from a Pennsylvania bridge site was used to refine the numerical models that were then used to predict the integral abutment bridge behavior of other Pennsylvania bridges of similar construction. The instrumented bridge was monitored with 64 gages; monitoring pile strains, soil pressure behind abutments, abutment displacement, abutment rotation, girder rotation, and girder strains during construction and continuously thereafter. Three levels of numerical analysis were performed in order to evaluate prediction methods of bridge behavior. The analysis levels included laterally loaded pile models using commercially available software, two-dimensional (2D) single bent models, and 3D finite element models. In addition, a weather station was constructed within the immediate vicinity of the monitored bridge to capture environmental information including ambient air temperature, solar radiation, wind speed and direction, humidity, rainfall, and barometric pressure. Laterally loaded pile models confirmed that inclusion of multilinear soil springs created from p-y curves is a valid approach for modeling soil–pile interaction within a finite element program. The 2D and 3D numerical models verified the field data indicating that primary accommodation of superstructure expansion and contraction is through rotation of the abutment about its base rather than longitudinal translation, as assumed in the original design of this bridge. Girder axial forces were suspected to be influenced by creep and shrinkage effects in the bridge superstructure. Pile strains were found to be well below strains corresponding to pile plastic moment. Overall, the 2D numerical model and the 3D numerical model predicted very similar behavior.     

Numerical Study of an Integral Abutment Bridge Supported on Drilled Shafts

The majority of integral abutment bridges (IABs) in the United States are supported on steel H-piles to provide the flexibility necessary to minimize the attraction of large lateral loads to the foundation and abutment. In Hawaii, steel H-piles have to be imported, corrosion tends to be severe in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, and the low buckling capacity of steel H-piles in scour-susceptible soils has led to a preference for the use of concrete deep foundations. A drilled shaft-supported IAB was instrumented to study its behavior during and after construction over a 45-month period. This same IAB was studied using the finite-element method (FEM) in both two- (2D) and three dimensional (3D). The 3D FEM yields larger overall pile curvature and moments than 2D because in 3D, the high plasticity soil is able to displace in between the drilled shafts thereby “dragging” the shafts to a more highly curved profile while soil flow is restricted by plane strain beam elements in 2D. Measured drilled shaft axial loads were higher than the FEM values mainly due to differences between the assumed and actual axial stiffness and to a lesser extent on concrete creep in the drilled shafts and uneven distribution of loads among drilled shafts. Numerical simulations of thermal and stream loadings were also performed on this IAB.     

Field-Measured Response of an Integral Abutment Bridge with Short Steel H-Piles

Integral abutment bridges (IABs) with short steel H-pile (HP) supported foundations ( ? 4?m of pile depth) are economical for many environmentally sensitive sites with shallow bedrock. However, such short piles may not develop an assumed, fixed-end support condition at some depth below the pile cap, which is inconsistent with traditional pile design assumptions involving an equivalent length for bending behavior of the pile. In this study, the response of an IAB with short HP-supported foundations and no special pile tip details such as drilling and socketing is investigated. Instrumentation of a single-span IAB with 4-m-long piles at one abutment and 6.2- to 8.7-m-long piles at the second abutment is described. Instrumentation includes pile strain gauging, pile inclinometers, extensometers to measure abutment movement, earth pressure cells, and thermistors. Pile and bridge response during construction, under controlled live load testing, and due to seasonal movements are presented and discussed. Abutment and pile head rotations due to self-weight, live load, and seasonal movements were all found to be significant. Measured abutment movements were likely affected by both temperature changes and deck creep and shrinkage. Based on the field study results presented here, moderately short HPs driven to bedrock without special tip details appear to perform well in IABs and do not experience stresses larger than those seen by longer piles.     

Behavior of a Semiintegral Bridge Abutment under Static and Temperature-Induced Cyclic Loading

This paper presents the results of an experimental study of semiintegral bridge abutments. Primary interests were to investigate (1) potential problems with the particular detail tested; (2) rotational characteristics of the semiintegral abutments; and (3) ability of the specimens to withstand cyclic loading induced by temperature variations during the expected life of the bridge. Sixteen experiments were conducted on three large-scale specimens. The results of the tests have shown that semiintegral abutments can significantly reduce the moments transferred from the superstructure to the foundation piles. Test results have also shown that semiintegral abutments can tolerate the number of displacement cycles that a bridge will experience during the course of its economic life.     

Validated Simulation Models for Lateral Response of Bridge Abutments with Typical Backfills

Abutment-backfill soil interaction can significantly influence the seismic response of bridges. In the present study, we provide numerical simulation models that are validated using data from recent experiments on the lateral response of typical abutment systems. Those tests involve well-compacted clayey silt and silty sand backfill materials. The simulation methods considered include a method of slices approach for the backfill materials with an assumed log-spiral failure surface coupled with hyperbolic soil stress-strain relationships [referred to as “log-spiral hyperbolic (LSH) model”] as well as detailed finite-element models, both of which were found to compare well with test data. Through parametric studies on the validated LSH model, we develop equations for the lateral load-displacement backbone curves for abutments of varying height for the two aforementioned backfill types. The equations describe a hyperbolic relationship between lateral load per unit width of the abutment wall and the wall deflection and are amendable to practical application in seismic response simulations of bridge systems.     

Influence of Haunches on Performance of Precast-Concrete, Short-Span, Skewed Bridges with Integral Abutment Walls

Precast-concrete, skewed bridges with integral abutment walls are, typically, designed as simplified plane rigid portal frames, neglecting the degrading effects of the skew angle, the influence of haunches between the abutment walls and the deck, and laterally unsymmetrical vertical loading. This practice produces underdesigned bridges for certain aspect ratios. It is well known that the higher shear and torsional moments near the obtuse corners cause cracking and local deterioration. To evaluate the limitations of this practice, an experimental and analytical study was carried out for the live load response at the linear service level. It has been observed that for certain bridge configurations, both the positive and negative moment stresses are higher than the stresses given by plane frame analysis. The presented qualitative results enable comparison of performance characteristics.     

Replacement of Pontesei Bridge, Italy

Pontesei Dam is a major concrete dam built after World War II across the canyon of Maè Creek (Valle di Zoldo) in the Italian Eastern Alps. Just upstream from the dam, a gully discharges water from steep mountains. The only road serving the dam and the entire valley upstream of the dam runs along the mountainside and crosses the gully. In 1959, an exceptionally rainy season caused a flood, which destroyed the bridge. A temporary Bailey bridge was subsequently built by the army, but in 1990 it was decided to design a new bridge. The main challenges posed to the designer included building the new deck and the abutments underneath the Bailey bridge without disrupting traffic, hoisting the deck just to the bottom of the Bailey bridge, and finally substituting the new deck for the Bailey bridge in one day. Other problems included the instability of the rock mass at the abutments and the gravitative convergence of the two sides of the gully. This paper describes the design, construction, and testing of the bridge replacement and the bridge abutments.     

Design and Construction of a Bridge in Very High Performance Fiber-Reinforced Concrete

The design, technology, and construction of a small road bridge made of very high performance fiber-reinforced concrete is described in this paper. The bridge consists of precast prestressed concrete beams with a cast-in-place ordinary concrete deck. A preliminary experimental investigation was conducted to define the mix design, to establish the properties of the material and its durability, and to study the flexural behavior of the prestressed concrete beams with and without the concrete deck. The effect of steel fibers at the structural level, where there is an influence of constitutive behavior and size effects, was analyzed by testing a prestressed beam using very high performance fiber-reinforced concrete without fibers. The establishment of the structural properties of the material then allowed the design of the final section of the bridge beams and the definition of a model to justify the design rules adopted. This project represents an attempt to demonstrate the industrial feasibility of very high performance concrete structural elements manufactured with conventional raw materials and usual production techniques and to evaluate the production technology when utilizing steel fibers.     

Allowable Bearing Pressures of Bridge Sills on GRS Abutments with Flexible Facing

Compared to geosynthetic-reinforced soil (GRS) retaining walls, GRS abutment walls are generally subjected to much greater intensity surface loads that are fairly close to the wall face. A major issue with the design of GRS abutments is the allowable bearing pressure of the bridge sill on the abutments. The allowable bearing pressure of a bridge sill over reinforced soil retaining walls has been limited to 200?kPa in the current NHI and Demo 82 design guidelines. A study was undertaken to investigate the allowable bearing pressures of bridge sills over GRS abutments with flexible facing. The study was conducted by the finite element method of analysis. The capability of the finite element computer code for analyzing the performance of GRS bridge abutments with modular block facing has been evaluated extensively prior to this study. A series of finite element analyses were carried out to examine the effect of sill type, sill width, soil stiffness/strength, reinforcement spacing, and foundation stiffness on the load-carrying capacity of GRS abutment sills. Based on the results of the analytical study, allowable bearing pressures of GRS abutments were determined based on two performance criteria: A limiting displacement criterion and a limiting shear strain criterion, as well as the writers’ experiences with GRS walls and abutments. In addition, a recommended design procedure for determining the allowable bearing pressure is provided.     

Numerical Modeling of Abutment Scour with the Focus on the Incipient Motion on Sloping Beds

A three-dimensional computational fluid dynamics model is applied to predict local scour around an abutment in a rectangular laboratory flume. When modeling local scour, steep bed slopes up to the angle of repose occur. To predict the depth and the shape of the local scour correctly, the reduction of the critical shear stress due to the sloping bed must be taken into account. The focus of this study is to investigate different formulas for the threshold of noncohesive sediment motion on sloping beds. Some formulas only take the transversal angle (perpendicular to the flow direction) into account, but others also consider the longitudinal angle (streamwise direction). The numerical model solves the transient Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes equations in all three dimensions to compute the water flow. Sediment continuity in combination with an empirical formula is used to capture the bed load transport and the resulting bed changes. When the sloping bed exceeds the angle of repose, the bed slope is corrected with a sand-slide algorithm. The results from the numerical simulations are compared with data from physical experiments. The reduction of the bed shear stress on the sloping bed improves the results of the numerical simulation distinctly. The best results are obtained with the formulas that use both the transversal and the longitudinal angle for the reduction of the critical bed shear stress.