SYSTEMS BUILDING: FOUNDATIONS

A SURVEY OF EUROPEAN HIGH-RISE CONCRETE PREFABRICATION PLANTS DETERMINED THAT NO RESEARCH ON THE FOUNDATION SUBSYSTEM HAS BEEN UNDERTAKEN BECAUSE IT WAS CONSIDERED THAT THE FOUNDATION PROBLEMS WERE UNIQUE FOR EACH SITE. ON THE OTHER HAND, WORK HAS BEEN DONE TO REDUCE FOUNDATION SITES TO A LIMITED SET OF SUBSYSTEM TYPES BEST SUITED FOR VARIOUS FOUNDATION SOIL CONDITIONS ON A WORLDWIDE BASIS. ACCORDING TO THE CLOSED-SYSTEM APPROACH, A SINGLE FIRM SHOULD HANDLE THE DESIGN, CONSTRUCTION, AND POSTCONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT. BY CONTRAST, THE OPEN SYSTEM WITH MODULAR COORDINATION PERMITS WIDE INTERCHANGEABILITY OF COMPONENTS OR SUBSYSTEMS BY VARIOUS MANUFACTURERS. LARGER AND LARGER COMPONENTS ARE BEING PREFABRICATED: IN THE SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA, 900-FOOT CONTINUOUS CASTING BEDS FOR PRESTRESSED CONCRETE PILES WERE USED FOR THE SAN MATEO--HAYWARD BRIDGE. THE MOVE TO LARGER PREFABRICATION IN URBAN AREAS HAS BEEN PRIMARILY FOR WATER CROSSINGS, WHERE WATER TRANSPORT TO THE SITE PERMITS LARGE COMPONENTS. A BRIDGE BETWEEN SIBERIA AND ALASKA HAS BEEN PROPOSED FOR WHICH A BRIDGE PIER 300 FEET HIGH WOULD BE PREFABRICATED AT A SITE SUCH AS SEATTLE, TOWED TO THE BRIDGE SITE, PLACED UPRIGHT, AND SUNK INTO THE FOUNDATION SOILS. FROM A SYSTEMS STANDPOINT, COMPUTER SOFTWARE IS INCREASINGLY BEING USED TO DETERMINE THE MOST ECONOMICAL COMBINATIONS OF DECK SPANS AND OTHER PRECAST COMPONENTS. GREATER ATTENTION SHOULD BE GIVEN TO MOBILE OR RELOCATABLE BRIDGES.

• Record URL:
  http://onlinepubs.trb.org/Onlinepubs/sr/sr132/sr132-002.pdf
• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/isbn/0309020638
• Supplemental Notes:
  • Distribution, posting, or copying of this PDF is strictly prohibited without written permission of the Transportation Research Board of the National Academy of Sciences. Unless otherwise indicated, all materials in this PDF are copyrighted by the National Academy of Sciences. Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.
• Corporate Authors:

  Highway Research Board

  2101 Constitution Avenue, NW
  Washington, DC    20418
• Authors:
  • Wigginton, William B
• Conference:
  • Workshop on Systems Building for Bridges
  • Date: 1971-5-17 to 1971-5-19
• Publication Date: 1972

Media Info

• Media Type: Digital/other
• Features: Figures;
• Pagination: p. 6-8
• Monograph Title: SYSTEMS BUILDING FOR BRIDGES
• Serial:
  • Highway Research Board Special Report
  • Issue Number: 132
  • Publisher: Highway Research Board

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Bridge foundations; Bridges; Construction; Prefabricated structures; Systems engineering
• Subject Areas: Bridges and other structures; Construction; Highways;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00215588
• Record Type: Publication
• ISBN: 0309020638
• Files: TRIS, TRB, ATRI
• Created Date: Apr 2 1973 12:00AM