Location
Arlington, Virginia
Date
14 Aug 2008, 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm
Abstract
For a large scale expansion of an existing wastewater treatment plant in Virginia, constructing shallow foundations after surcharging to pre-consolidate the compressible soils at the site was found to be the most attractive foundation option. A detailed geotechnical investigation was performed to characterize the site stratigraphy and soil properties. Many of the tall and steep surcharge embankments were in close proximity of existing operating structures and utilities. Such tall and steep surcharge slopes were designed and constructed of mechanically stabilized earth (MSE). Due to the complex slope geometries, subsurface conditions and nearby critical utilities and existing structures, each MSE slope design required multiple analyses to determine the required geo-synthetic strength and embedment lengths, which were larger than what would be required for typical projects. A detailed investigation was also performed to investigate sources adjacent to the plant site, for procurement of the large volume (over one million cubic yards) of borrow material required for the surcharge embankments. Monitoring was performed during construction to ensure that the surcharging program performed as designed and did not adversely impact the existing plant facilities.
Department(s)
Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering
Meeting Name
6th Conference of the International Conference on Case Histories in Geotechnical Engineering
Publisher
Missouri University of Science and Technology
Document Version
Final Version
Rights
© 2008 Missouri University of Science and Technology, All rights reserved.
Creative Commons Licensing
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.
Document Type
Article - Conference proceedings
File Type
text
Language
English
Recommended Citation
Shah, Hiren J.; Lacy, Hugh S.; and Van Rensler, Matthew B., "Mechanically Reinforced Earth for Steep Surcharge Slopes in Proximity of Adjacent Structures to Improve Compressible Soils" (2008). International Conference on Case Histories in Geotechnical Engineering. 5.
https://scholarsmine.mst.edu/icchge/6icchge/session08/5
Mechanically Reinforced Earth for Steep Surcharge Slopes in Proximity of Adjacent Structures to Improve Compressible Soils
Arlington, Virginia
For a large scale expansion of an existing wastewater treatment plant in Virginia, constructing shallow foundations after surcharging to pre-consolidate the compressible soils at the site was found to be the most attractive foundation option. A detailed geotechnical investigation was performed to characterize the site stratigraphy and soil properties. Many of the tall and steep surcharge embankments were in close proximity of existing operating structures and utilities. Such tall and steep surcharge slopes were designed and constructed of mechanically stabilized earth (MSE). Due to the complex slope geometries, subsurface conditions and nearby critical utilities and existing structures, each MSE slope design required multiple analyses to determine the required geo-synthetic strength and embedment lengths, which were larger than what would be required for typical projects. A detailed investigation was also performed to investigate sources adjacent to the plant site, for procurement of the large volume (over one million cubic yards) of borrow material required for the surcharge embankments. Monitoring was performed during construction to ensure that the surcharging program performed as designed and did not adversely impact the existing plant facilities.
