Taxonomy for Geotechnical Assets, Elements, and Features

The advent of transportation asset management has spawned the need to develop precise definitions on nomenclature regarding the assets under consideration. While definitions for specific geotechnical assets have been discussed for more than 10 years, no classification has been established within the geotechnical or asset management community. Proper classification facilitates effective asset management and the development of best practices by helping ensure that all assets are appropriately recognized and uniquely identified. This paper presents a geotechnical taxonomy for transportation infrastructure assets with the goal that this type of classification will facilitate communication and advancement in geotechnical and transportation asset management. The taxonomy is based on practical definitions and distinctions based on the current state of practice with transportation asset management and the requirements of the Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act (MAP-21) legislation. Geotechnical Assets are defined as physical and independent assets that are within the right-of-way and an integral part of a transportation corridor. Generally they can be considered as one of four types: slope, embankment, subgrade and earth retaining structure. Geotechnical Elements are defined as parts of other managed asset classes (bridges, tunnels, pavements, etc.), and Geotechnical Features exist outside the right-of-way but impact performance of a corridor through their own performance. The classes of independent geotechnical assets, geotechnical elements and geotechnical features are distinguished from one another and from other physical and non-physical geotechnical assets by the way in which they can be managed.

• 
• Supplemental Notes:
  • This paper was sponsored by TRB committee AFS00 Section - Soil Mechanics.
• Corporate Authors:

  Transportation Research Board

  500 Fifth Street, NW
  Washington, DC  United States  20001
• Authors:
  • Anderson, Scott A
  • Schaefer, Vernon R
  • Nichols, Silas C
• Conference:
  • Transportation Research Board 95th Annual Meeting
  • Location: Washington DC, United States
  • Date: 2016-1-10 to 2016-1-14
• Date: 2016

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Digital/other
• Features: Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: 16p
• Monograph Title: TRB 95th Annual Meeting Compendium of Papers

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Asset management; Best practices; Bridges; Classification; Embankments; Geotechnical engineering; Infrastructure; Pavements; Substructures; Taxonomy; Transportation corridors; Tunnels
• Identifier Terms: Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act (MAP-21)
• Uncontrolled Terms: Earth retaining systems; Nomenclature
• Subject Areas: Geotechnology; Maintenance and Preservation; Transportation (General);

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01594139
• Record Type: Publication
• Report/Paper Numbers: 16-5659
• Files: PRP, TRIS, TRB, ATRI
• Created Date: Mar 21 2016 4:41PM