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Passive Force-Deflection Behavior of Geosynthetic-Reinforced Soil Backfill Based on Large-Scale Tests
A correct understanding of passive force-deflection response is important for lateral load evaluations of bridges during extreme events such as earthquakes and during in-service conditions resulting from thermal expansion and contraction of the superstructure. The goal of this study was to better understand this behavior for abutments backfilled with both gravel and geosynthetic reinforced soil (GRS). Large-scale testing was performed with non-skewed and 30° skewed abutment configurations. Two tests were performed at each skew angle, one with gravel backfill and one with GRS backfill. The test abutment backwall was 3.35 m wide, non-skewed, and 1.68 m high and loaded laterally into the backfill. Both backfills exhibited greater passive resistance than sand backfills owing to increased internal friction angle and unit weight. Skew angle reduced the passive force in both cases by about 40%. The GRS backfills had reduced initial stiffness and only reached 79% to 87% of the passive force developed by the unreinforced gravel backfill. This reduction was considered to be a result of reduced interface friction at the geotextile-backwall interface due to wrapping. Reduced stiffness may be favorable for abutment configurations because it allows thermal movement without developing excessive induced stresses in the bridge superstructure.
Passive Force-Deflection Behavior of Geosynthetic-Reinforced Soil Backfill Based on Large-Scale Tests
A correct understanding of passive force-deflection response is important for lateral load evaluations of bridges during extreme events such as earthquakes and during in-service conditions resulting from thermal expansion and contraction of the superstructure. The goal of this study was to better understand this behavior for abutments backfilled with both gravel and geosynthetic reinforced soil (GRS). Large-scale testing was performed with non-skewed and 30° skewed abutment configurations. Two tests were performed at each skew angle, one with gravel backfill and one with GRS backfill. The test abutment backwall was 3.35 m wide, non-skewed, and 1.68 m high and loaded laterally into the backfill. Both backfills exhibited greater passive resistance than sand backfills owing to increased internal friction angle and unit weight. Skew angle reduced the passive force in both cases by about 40%. The GRS backfills had reduced initial stiffness and only reached 79% to 87% of the passive force developed by the unreinforced gravel backfill. This reduction was considered to be a result of reduced interface friction at the geotextile-backwall interface due to wrapping. Reduced stiffness may be favorable for abutment configurations because it allows thermal movement without developing excessive induced stresses in the bridge superstructure.
Passive Force-Deflection Behavior of Geosynthetic-Reinforced Soil Backfill Based on Large-Scale Tests
Fredrickson, Amy (author) / Rollins, Kyle M. (author) / Nicks, Jennifer (author)
Geotechnical Frontiers 2017 ; 2017 ; Orlando, Florida
Geotechnical Frontiers 2017 ; 23-32
2017-03-30
Conference paper
Electronic Resource
English
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