Tag Archives: Bridge Foundations

Load Testing

Video: Lateral Load Test with Statnamic Device

One area of work we are frequently involved in is data analysis and evaluation of lateral load tests performed by the Statnamic testing device (learn more at the website of Applied Foundation Testing).  The mathematics involved in the data reduction can be quite formidable as you interpret the dynamic load-response to an equivalent static load-response.  Regardless of the math behind it, watching a test can be pretty cool.  It is a whole lot of work for a brief moment of load, but in some situations it can be more economical than a traditional load test. 

The video below is from a test on 170-foot long, 32-inch outside diameter steel pipe pile with 0.75"-inch wall thickness.  The pile was filled with concrete that included an instrumented rebar cage.

Enjoy!

Drilled Shafts

More Drilled Shaft photos at Huey P. Long Bridge

2 Comments

Steve just can’t get enough of the state of Louisiana.  Now that the Audubon Bridge foundations are complete, he needed an excuse to get back and found himself in the Crescent City observing production shaft base grouting at the Huey P. Long Bridge project.  Here area few more good construction photos to supplement my previous post.

Here is an interesting story in the New Orleans Times-Picayune about the bridge project explaining how they are widening the bridge.

DBA News

34th Annual DFI Conference – DBA photos!

DFIKC%20132

Dan, Paul and Erik were at the 34th Deep Foundations Institute Annual Conference in Kansas City last month.  Dan was one of the keynote speakers where he presented our paper on the drilled shafts for the Missouri River Bridge on the kcICON project in Kansas City.   Paul was also able to receive the Special Recognition Award (honorable mention) in the annual project awards for the pile foundations at the Biloxi Bay Bridge project.

More photos from the conference are at this link.

DBA News, Drilled Shafts

Foundation Work is Finished at Audubon Bridge!!!

Yes, you read that right – the last drilled shaft has been installed on the John James Audubon Bridge near New Road, Louisiana.  The project has been quite an adventure for us, especially Steve.  He spent the most time on the site during shaft excavation, tip grouting, load testing, and even pile driving.  Robert got to spend a fair amount of time, too, over the last couple of years.  Paul was even lucky enough to make a couple of trips.

The shaft construction was concluded with one last O-cell test on Shaft 3W South.  Dan was present for the last load test which went fabulously well.

If you are going to the Geo-Institute congress GeoForida 2010 next February in West Palm Beach, you can hear Steve present the paper he and Dan wrote on the tip grouting and load test program.

The bridge is still under construction, of course, and will be an awesome structure when completed.  It was an exciting project for us to be a part of the team.  We’ll have a project summary posted in the near future to highlight the details of the foundations.  For now, you will have to be satisfied with the slideshows below (in reverse chronological order) from some of our visits this summer and fall.

Load Test at Shaft 3W South – October 2009

Excavation of Shaft 3W South – September 2009

Shaft Grouting and other Construction – June 2009

Shaft Excavation, Pile Driving, and Cofferdams – May 2009

DBA News, Drilled Shafts, Site updates

kcICON Bridge Paper Added

clip_image002

 

I have added the paper that we wrote and Dan presented at the Deep Foundations Institute 34th Annual Conference on Deep Foundations that was held in Kansas City, MO late last month.  The paper highlights how the design-build process was successful in the design and construction of the large diameter drilled shafts supporting the bridge.  We discuss the installation methods used, the load test program, and how we evaluated the durability of the shale rock sockets under drilling fluid.

You can check out the progress of the bridge at the project website.

Axtell, P.J., Thompson, W.R., and Brown, D.A., 2009. “Drilled Shaft Foundations for the kcICON Missouri River Bridge”, Deep Foundations Institute 34th Annual Conference on Deep Foundations, Conference Proceedings 2009, October 21-23, 2009, Kansas City, Missouri, pp. 3-12.

 

DBA News, Drilled Shafts

Recent Project Photos – (or) What have we been up to the last few months (Part 1)?…… Drilled Shafts!

If you frequent this blog, you have noticed that posts have been rare the last few months.  That is mostly to my being in the field a lot this summer and very busy on lost of projects.  While that is good, it meant I did not have time for updates.  Below are some slide shows from a few drilled shaft projects we worked on this summer.

 

Garden State Parkway Mullica River Bridge, New Jersey – Test Shaft Installation

Paul took a trip to lovely New Jersey to observe a large diameter test shaft on the Mullica River Bridge.  DBA worked as a consultant for Parsons Brinckerhoff on an 8-foot diameter, 220-foot deep test shaft.  CASE was the drilled shaft contractor and Agate was the general contractor.  DBA consulted on the design of the test shaft program, as well as the use of Self Consolidating Concrete (SCC).

 

 

Drilled Shaft Lateral Load Test Research with the University of Kansas

Paul took a ride out west to Kansas City, Kansas (close to home!) to observe a drilled shaft lateral load test in Wyandotte County, near the Cabela’s store on I-435.  The test is part of ongoing research by the University of Kansas for the Kansas DOT.   DBA was involved in previous research concerning laterally loaded shafts behind MSE walls (see previous post, click here for more information on the project).  This research continues on the same theme of investigating the behavior of laterally loaded shafts socketed into the sedimentary rocks in eastern Kansas.  DBA does not have an active role in this project, just an academic interest. 

 

 

 

Huey P. Long Bridge Improvements, New Orleans, Louisiana – Test Shaft Installation

The Huey P. Long Bridge in New Orleans (built in the 1930s) is undergoing a major rehab and expansion.  The vehicle traffic will increase from 2 9-foot lanes in each direction to 3 11-foot lanes in each direction.  This is a very interesting combined highway and railroad bridge with a fascinating history.  The bridge is actually a private bridge owned by the New Orleans Public Belt Railway (click the link to see some cool photos from the construction of the bridge in the 1930s). The project website is here. 

DBA was consulting with the joint venture building the bridge for the base-grouted drilled shafts under one new pier.  A test-shaft was built and tested with O-cells.  Robert was on site while they excavated the test shaft.  Steve was on site during grouting.

Miscellaneous

Biloxi Bay Bridge Test Pile Program – DFI Journal Volume 3, May 2009

 

 

Robert’s paper with Lloyd Held (retired from Eustis Engineering) and Steve Saye of Kiewit Engineering Company on the Biloxi Bay Bridge test pile program has been published in the latest issue of the DFI Journal, published by the Deep Foundations Institute.  A total of 22 indicator piles were installed on the project using the pile driving analyzer to monitor the pile behavior. Five load tests were performed: two axial Statnamic, two lateral Statnamic, and one static axial. The results of the test pile program established driving criteria for production piles that included end of drive blow counts and pile tip elevations with an appropriate allowance for setup.

 

Click on the image below or go to our Publications page.

 

Test Pile Program to Determine Axial Capacity and Pile Setup for the Biloxi Bay Bridge_ThompsonHeldSaye - DFI Journal Vol3-May09

 

The bridge was recently featured on the cover of Civil Engineering Magazine along with a feature article by Pat Cassity, P.E., S.E. of Parsons Transportation Group.  Source: ASCE

0709Cover

Drilled Piles, Drilled Shafts

kcICON Bond Bridge Update – Drilled Shafts Complete!

UPDATE (5/19/09): Here is an article the Kansas City Star on-line.  It has links to photos and video.
Main Pylon under construction for Bond Bridge, Kansas City, MO
Main Pylon under construction for Bond Bridge, Kansas City, MO

Work by DBA is all but compete on the kcICON project.  All drilled shafts have been installed and base grouted. Construction of the shafts went very well, with no significant issues.  Hayes Drilling installed all of the land-based shafts.  AFT performed all of the base grouting.

The main pylon in the river continues to take shape.  It won’t be long before PCC will have it looking like a bridge!

Paul has been “enjoying” observing drilled shafts at night and base grouting during the day.  A collection of some of his photos from the last bits of shaft construction are below.  He got some great shots of the pylon, including some out in the river.

More pictures here.

Previous post here.