Micropile Load Transfer Monitoring during Construction of Bridge No. 2, Foothills Parkway, TN
Department
Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering
Major
Civil Engineering
Research Advisor
Luna, Ronaldo
Advisor's Department
Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering
Funding Source
Missouri Society of Professional Engineers (MSPE)
Abstract
The Tennessee Central Foothills Parkway is a 16-mile span of scenic highway that winds around the Smokey Mountains. The project was approved by congress in 1944 and remains incomplete, making it the nation’s longest undergoing construction project. Its original approval was tied to the WPA program and was recently restarted as a shovel ready project under the 2009 ARRA initiative. The goal of this research project is to monitor the load transfer and moment distribution in the micro piles used to support the two largest piers of Bridge No. 2 on this steep terrain. The piers are supported on 20-micropiles of (~95-ft length) and tied together by a five-ft thick pile cap. In addition to the superstructure load transfer on the bond zone into rock, the effects of grout hydration on the instrumentation installed in the micro piles were studied. A laboratory sample of the micro pile’s cross section was prepared and monitored to observe possible stresses induced during the hydration of the grout. Results are currently being analyzed.
Biography
Sarah is currently a senior in the Civil Architectural and Environmental Department, and has been working closely with the Geotechnical Division for two years. Her on-campus activities include Chi Epsilon, ASCE, and KMNR 89.7FM. She is also the Co-founder of the Missouri S&T Women’s Ultimate Team.
Research Category
Engineering
Presentation Type
Poster Presentation
Document Type
Poster
Location
Upper Atrium/Hallway
Presentation Date
10 Apr 2012, 1:00 pm - 3:00 pm
Micropile Load Transfer Monitoring during Construction of Bridge No. 2, Foothills Parkway, TN
Upper Atrium/Hallway
The Tennessee Central Foothills Parkway is a 16-mile span of scenic highway that winds around the Smokey Mountains. The project was approved by congress in 1944 and remains incomplete, making it the nation’s longest undergoing construction project. Its original approval was tied to the WPA program and was recently restarted as a shovel ready project under the 2009 ARRA initiative. The goal of this research project is to monitor the load transfer and moment distribution in the micro piles used to support the two largest piers of Bridge No. 2 on this steep terrain. The piers are supported on 20-micropiles of (~95-ft length) and tied together by a five-ft thick pile cap. In addition to the superstructure load transfer on the bond zone into rock, the effects of grout hydration on the instrumentation installed in the micro piles were studied. A laboratory sample of the micro pile’s cross section was prepared and monitored to observe possible stresses induced during the hydration of the grout. Results are currently being analyzed.
