Numerical Modeling of Settlement Behavior of Treated and Untreated Foundation Soils Underlying MSE Walls for the I-15 Reconstruction Project, Salt Lake City, Utah

As urban environments become more populated, it is becoming more common to construct larger highway embankments in close proximity to existing facilities. For such embankments constructed on soft, compressible soils, the design engineers must consider the settlement impacts to adjacent structures. During the recent I-15 Reconstruction Project in Salt Lake City, Utah, several large mechanically stabilized earth (MSE) walls were constructed over compressible soils. In order to increase the stiffness and strength of very soft foundation materials in some locations along the corridor, these soils were treated with prefabricated vertical (PV) drains, and in one location, foundation soils were treated with lime cement columns (LCCs). Various types of instrumentation were installed and monitored during and following construction to collect settlement data. These performance data have been used along with a suite of numerical modeling analyses as part of this research to evaluate the effectiveness of numerical modeling as a tool to predict primary consolidation settlement. Two sites along the I-15 Reconstruction Project alignment were evaluated. Performance data collected from the 200 South Site, treated with PV drains, were used to back-calculate soil parameters for numerical analysis of the I-80 Site, treated with LCCs. Linear elastic (LE) and hyperbolic non-linear elastic (HNLE) models were considered. As expected, the HNLE model is a better predictor of primary consolidation settlement than the LE model; however, this approach may only be warranted for critical facilities because a significant amount of effort is required to produce reasonably accurate results. In addition to conducting numerical analyses, this study established guidelines for settlement versus embankment height based on the performance data. As a conservative approximation, embankments should be constructed a distance of at least 1.5 times the maximum embankment height to limit settlements to 25 mm (1 in.) or less.

• Record URL:
  • https://drive.google.com/file/d/1sjPlIvAXwM8G6vvfqMxm6oj7Ue03wPbC/view?usp=sharing
• 
• Corporate Authors:

  University of Utah, Salt Lake City

  Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
  122 South Central Campus Drive
  Salt Lake City, UT  United States  84112

  Utah Department of Transportation

  Research and Development Division, 4501 South 2700 West, P.O. Box 148410
  Salt Lake City, UT  United States  84119-8410
• Authors:
  • Cline, Michelle D
  • Bartlett, Steven F
• Publication Date: 2006-8

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Web
• Edition: Final Report
• Features: Figures; Photos; References; Tables;
• Pagination: 72p

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Compressible soils; Foundation soils; Lime cement; Mathematical models; Mechanically stabilized earth; Retaining walls; Settlement (Structures); Vertical drains
• Uncontrolled Terms: Prefabricated vertical drains
• Geographic Terms: Salt Lake City (Utah)
• Subject Areas: Bridges and other structures; Design; Geotechnology; Highways; I24: Design of Bridges and Retaining Walls; I42: Soil Mechanics;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01127410
• Record Type: Publication
• Report/Paper Numbers: UT-04.18
• Contract Numbers: 02-9021
• Files: TRIS, STATEDOT
• Created Date: Apr 29 2009 4:09PM