Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Full-scale lateral load test'

Although it is well established that spacing of piles within a pile group influences the lateral load resistance of that group, additional research is needed to better understand trends for large pile groups (greater than three rows) and for groups in sand. A 15-pile group in a 3x5 configuration situated in sand was laterally loaded and data were collected to derive p-multipliers. A single pile separate from the 15-pile group was loaded for comparison. Results were compared to those of a similar test in clays. The load resisted by the single pile was greater than the average load resisted by each pile in the pile group. While the loads resisted by the first row of piles (i.e. the only row deflected away from all other rows of piles) were approximately equal to that resisted by the single pile, following rows resisted increasingly less load up through the fourth row. The fifth row consistently resisted more than the fourth row. The pile group in sand resisted much higher loads than did the pile group in clay. Maximum bending moments appeared largest in first row piles. For all deflection levels, first row moments seemed slightly smaller than those measured in the single pile. Maximum bending moments for the second through fifth rows appeared consistently lower than those of the first row at the same deflection. First row moments achieved in the group in sand appeared larger than those achieved in the group in clay at the same deflections, while bending moments normalized by associated loads appeared nearly equal regardless of soil type. Group effects became more influential at higher deflections, manifest by lower stiffness per pile. The single pile test was modeled using LPILE Plus, version 4.0. Soil parameters in LPILE were adjusted until a good match between measured and computed responses was obtained. This refined soil profile was then used to model the 15-pile group in GROUP, version 4.0. User-defined p-multipliers were selected to match GROUP calculated results with actual measured results. For the first loading cycle, p-multipliers were found to be 1.0, 0.5, 0.35, 0.3, and 0.4 for the first through fifth rows, respectively. For the tenth loading, p-multipliers were found to be 1.0, 0.6, 0.4, 0.37, and 0.4 for the first through fifth rows, respectively. Design curves suggested by Rollins et al. (2005) appear appropriate for Rows 1 and 2 while curves specified by AASHTO (2000) appear appropriate for subsequent rows.

The soil-structure interaction models associated with laterally loaded deep foundations have typically been based on load tests involving relatively small diameter foundations. The lateral soil resistance for larger diameter foundations has been assumed to increase linearly with diameter; however, few, if any load tests have been performed to confirm this relationship. To better understand the lateral resistance of large diameter deep foundations in sand, a series of full scale, cyclic, lateral load tests were performed on two 1.2 m diameter drilled shafts and a 0.324 m diameter steel pipe pile in sand. Although the tests involve two different foundation types, the upper 2.4 m of the profile, which provides the majority of the lateral resistance, consists of sand compacted around both foundation types. Therefore, these test results make it possible to evaluate the effect of foundation diameter on lateral soil resistance. The drilled shafts were first loaded in one direction by reacting against a fifteen-pile group. Subsequently a load test was performed in the opposite direction by reacting against a 9-pile group. The soil profile below the 2.4 m-thick layer of compacted sand consisted of interbedded layers of sand and fine-grained soil. For the drilled shaft load tests, pile head deflection and applied load were measured by string potentiometers and load cells, respectively. Tilt was also measured as a function of depth with an inclinometer which was then used to calculate deflection and bending moment as a function of depth. For the pipe pile, deflection and applied load were also measured; however, bending moment was computed based on strain gauges readings along the length of the pile. The lateral response of the drilled shafts and pipe pile were modeled using the computer programs LPILE (Reese et al., 2000), SWM6.0 (Ashour et al., 2002), and FB-MultiPier Version 4.06 (Hoit et al., 2000). Comparisons were made between the measured and computed load-deflection curves as well as bending moment versus depth curves. Soil parameters in the computer programs were iteratively adjusted until a good match between measured and computed response of the 0.324 m pipe pile was obtained. This refined soil profile was then used to model the drilled shaft response. User-defined p-multipliers were selected to match the measured results with the calculated results. On average very good agreement was obtained between measured and computed response without resorting to p-multipliers greater than 1.0. These results suggest that a linear increase in lateral resistance with foundation diameter is appropriate. LPILE typically produced the best agreement with measured response although the other programs usually gave reasonable results as well. Cyclic loading generally reduced the lateral resistance of the drilled shafts and pile foundation by about 20%.

The lateral resistance of pile foundations is typically based on the performance of round piles even though other pile types are used. Due to lack of data there is a certain level of uncertainty when designing pile foundations other than round piles for lateral loading. Theoretical analyses have suggested that square sections will have more lateral resistance due to the increased side shear resistance, no test results have been available to substantiate the contention. Full-scale lateral load tests involving pile shapes such as circular, circular wrapped with high density polyethylene sheeting, square, H, and circular with a corrugated metal sleeve have been performed considering the influence of soil-pile interaction on lateral load resistance. The load test results, which can be summarized as a p-y curve, show higher soil resistance from the H and square sections after accounting for differences in the moment of inertia for the different pile sections. The increased soil resistance can generally be accounted for using a p-multiplier approach with a value of approximately 1.25 for square or 1.2 for H piles relative to circular piles. It has been determined that high density polyethylene sheeting provides little if any reduction in the lateral resistance when wrapped around a circular pile. Circular piles with a corrugated metal sleeve respond to lateral loading with higher values of lateral resistance than independent circular piles in the same soil.

Full-scale lateral load tests were performed on a pile cap with five backfill conditions: no backfill, densely compacted fine gravel, loosely compacted fine gravel, densely compacted coarse gravel, and loosely compacted coarse gravel. Static loads, applied by hydraulic load actuators, were followed by low-frequency, actuator-driven cyclic loads as well as higher frequency dynamic loads from an eccentric mass shaker. Passive resistance from the backfill significantly increased the lateral capacity of the pile cap. Densely compacted backfill materials contributed about 70% of the total system resistance, whereas loosely compacted backfill materials contributed about 40%. The mobilized passive resistance occurred at displacement-to-height ratios of about 0.04 for the densely compacted gravels, whereas passive resistance in the loosely compacted materials does not fully mobilize until greater displacements are reached. Three methods were used to model the passive resistance of the backfill. Comparisons between calculated and measured responses for the densely compacted backfills indicate that in-situ shear strength test parameters provide reasonable agreement when a log-spiral method is used. Reasonable agreement for the loosely compacted backfills was obtained by either significantly reducing the interface friction angle to near zero or reducing the soil's frictional strength by a factor ranging from 0.65 to 0.85. Cracking, elevation changes, and horizontal strains in the backfill indicate that the looser materials fail differently than their densely compacted counterparts. Under both low frequency cyclic loading and higher frequency shaker loading, the backfill significantly increased the stiffness of the system. Loosely compacted soils approximately doubled the stiffness of the pile cap without backfill and densely compacted materials roughly quadrupled the stiffness of the pile cap. The backfill also affected the damping of the system in both the cyclic and the dynamic cases, with a typical damping ratio of at least 15% being observed for the foundation system.

The lateral resistance of pile foundations has typically been based on the resistance of circular pipe piles. In addition, most instrumented lateral load tests and cases history have involved circular piles. However, piles used in engineering practice may also be non-circular cross-section piles such as square and H piles. Some researchers have theorized that the lateral resistance of square piles will be higher than that of circular piles (Reese and Van Impe, 2001; Briaud et al, 1983; Smith, 1987) for various reasons, but there is not test data to support this claims. To provide basic comparative performance data, lateral load tests were performed on piles with circular, square and H sections. To facilitate comparisons, all the tests piles were approximately 12 inches in width or diameter and were made of steel. The square and circular pipe sections had comparable moments of inertia; however, the H pile was loaded about the weak axis, as is often the case of piles supporting integral abutments, and had a much lower moment of inertia. The granular fill around the pile was compacted to approximately 95% of the standard Proctor maximum density and would be typical of fill for a bridge abutment. Lateral load was applied with a free-head condition at a height of 1 ft above the ground surface. To define the load-deflection response, load was applied incrementally to produce deflection increments of about 0.25 inches up to a maximum deflection of about 3 inches. Although the square and pipe pile sections had nearly the same moment of inertia, the square pile provided lateral resistance that was 20 to 30% higher for a given deflection. The lateral resistance of the H pile was smaller than the other two pile shapes but higher than what it is expected based on the moment of inertia. Back analysis with the computer program LPILE indicates that the pile shape was influencing the lateral resistance. Increasing the effective width to account for the shape effect as suggested by Reese and Van Impe (2001) was insufficient to account for the increased resistance. To provide agreement with the measured response, p-multipliers of 1.2 and 1.35 were required for the square pile and H piles, respectively. The analyses suggest that the increased resistance for the square and H pile sections was a result of increases in both the side shear and normal stress components of resistance. Using the back-calculated p-multipliers provided very good agreement between the measured and computed load-deflection curves and the bending moment versus depth curves.

Deep foundations such as driven piles are often used to bypass liquefiable layers of soil and bear on more competent strata. When liquefaction occurs, the skin friction around the deep foundation goes to zero in the liquefiable layer. As the pore pressures dissipate, the soil settles. As the soil settles, negative skin friction develops owing to the downward movement of the soil surrounding the pile. To investigate the magnitude of the skin friction along the shaft three driven piles, an H-pile, a closed end pipe pile, and a concrete square pile, were instrumented and used to measure soil induced load at a site near Turrell, Arkansas following blast-induced liquefaction. Measurements were made of the load in the pile, the settlement of the ground and the settlement of piles in each case. Estimates of side friction and end-bearing resistance were obtained from Pile Driving Analyzer (PDA) measurements during driving and embedded O-cell type testing. The H-pile was driven to a depth of 94 feet, the pipe pile 74 feet, and the concrete square pile 72 feet below the ground surface to investigate the influence of pile depth in response to liquefaction. All three piles penetrated the liquefied layer and tipped out in denser sand. The soil surrounding the piles settled 2.5 inches for the H-pile, 2.8 inches for the pipe pile and 3.3 inches for the concrete square pile. The piles themselves settled 0.28 inches for the H-pile, 0.32 inches for the pipe pile, and 0.28 inches for the concrete square pile. During reconsolidation, the skin friction of the liquefied layer was 43% for the H-pile, 41% for the pipe pile, and 49% for the concrete square pile. Due to the magnitude of load felt in the piles from these tests the assumption of 50% skin friction developing in the liquefied zone is reasonable. Reduced side friction in the liquefied zone led to full mobilization of skin friction in the non-liquefied soil, and partial mobilization of end bearing capacity. The neutral plane, defined as the depth where the settlement of the soil equals the settlement of the pile, was outside of the liquefied zone in each scenario. The neutral plane method that uses mobilized end bearing measured during blasting to calculate settlement of the pile post liquefaction proved to be accurate for these three piles.

Deep foundations like auger-cast piles and drilled shafts frequently extend through liquefiable sand layers and bear on non-liquefiable layers at depth. When liquefaction occurs, the skin friction on the shaft decreases to zero, and then increases again as the pore water pressure dissipates and the layer begins to settle, or compact. As the effective stress increases and the liquefiable layer settles, along with the overlaying layers, negative skin from the soil acts on the shaft. To investigate the loss of skin friction and the development of negative skin friction, soil-induced load was measured in three instrumented, full-scale auger-cast piles after blast-induced liquefaction at a site near Christchurch, New Zealand. The test piles were installed to depths of 8.5 m, 12 m, and 14 m to investigate the influence of pile depth on response to liquefaction. The 8.5 m pile terminated within the liquefied layer while the 12 m and 14 m piles penetrated the liquefied sand and were supported on denser sands. Following the first blast, where no load was applied to the piles, liquefaction developed throughout a 9-m thick layer. As the liquefied sand reconsolidated, the sand settled about 30 mm (0.3% volumetric strain) while pile settlements were limited to a range of 14 to 21 mm (0.54 to 0.84 in). Because the ground settled relative to the piles, negative skin friction developed with a magnitude equal to about 50% of the positive skin friction measured in a static pile load test. Following the second blast, where significant load was applied to the piles, liquefaction developed throughout a 6-m thick layer. During reconsolidation, the liquefied sand settled a maximum of 80 mm (1.1% volumetric strain) while pile settlements ranged from 71 to 104 mm (2.8 to 4.1 in). The reduced side friction in the liquefied sand led to full mobilization of side friction and end-bearing resistance for all test piles below the liquefied layer and significant pile settlement. Because the piles generally settled relative to the surrounding ground, positive skin friction developed as the liquefied sand reconsolidated. Once again, skin friction during reconsolidation of the liquefied sand was equal to about 50% of the positive skin friction obtained from a static load test before liquefaction.

To investigate the passive force-displacement relationships provided by a transitional zoned backfill consisting of cement treated aggregate (CTA) and compacted gravel, a series of full-scale lateral abutment load tests were performed. The transitional zoned backfill was designed to minimize differential settlement adjacent to bridge abutments for the California High Speed Rail project. Tests were performed with a 2-D or plane strain backfill geometry to simulate a wide abutment. To investigate the effect of skew angle on the passive force, lateral abutment load tests were also performed with a simulated abutment with skew angles of 30º and 45º. The peak passive force developed was about 2.5 times higher than that predicted with the California HSR design method for granular backfill material with a comparable backwall height and width. The displacement required to develop the peak passive force decreased with skew angle and was somewhat less than for conventional granular backfills. Peak passive force developed with displacements of 3 to 1.8% of the wall height, H in comparison to 3 to 5% of H for conventional granular backfills.The skew angle had less effect on the peak passive force for the transitional backfill than for conventional granular backfills. For example, the passive force reduction factor, Rskew, was only 0.83 and 0.51 for the 30º and 45º skew abutments in comparison to 0.51 and 0.37 for conventional granular backfills. Field measurements suggest that the CTA backfill largely moves with the abutment and does not experience significant heave while shear failure and heaving largely occurs in the granular backfill behind the CTA backfill zone.

L’énergie solaire photovoltaïque concentré (CPV) est une solution de remplacement prometteuse aux structures solaires conventionnelles. Ce type de structure modulable doit être optimisé afin d’être compétitif par rapport aux autres types de production d’énergie. Les forces de vent demeurent la première préoccupation dans la conception de la structure porteuse en acier d’un tel système. L’objectif principal de cette recherche est d’assembler des outils numériques et analytiques afin de prédire les caractéristiques de sa réponse dynamique sous charges de vent turbulent. La maîtrise de cette étape est essentielle afin d’étudier d’une façon plus générique des solutions d’optimisation de la structure support par rapport à sa réponse dynamique sous charges de vent. Pour ce faire, la méthodologie principale de cette étude est composée en trois parties : (i) étude expérimentale à grandeur nature de la réponse globale sous les conditions réelles du vent ; (ii) développement des modèles d’analyse numérique dans lesquels les caractéristiques de structures réelles et des modèles de forces aérodynamiques adéquates sont prises en compte ; (iii) application des outils développés dans une étude paramétrique pour évaluer plusieurs solutions à partir de cas d’étude dans le contexte d’une conception préliminaire. Cette thèse est présentée sous forme de deux articles qui ont été soumis dans des revues évaluées par des comités de lecture ainsi que d’un article soumis et présenté dans un congrès international qui démontrent les contributions de cette recherche pour améliorer les pratiques de calcul des charges de vent sur des structures de concentration solaire non conventionnelles. Ces articles sont présentés comme suit (a) Étude expérimentale à échelle réelle de la réponse d’un prototype de concentrateur solaire sous charges de vent. Ce premier article a permis la validation de calcul des coefficients de forces aérodynamiques statiques et la révision des hypothèses de l’application du code ASCE 7-10 pour prédire les forces maximales agissant sur la structure dans la direction du vent ; (b) l’analyse temporelle de la réponse dynamique d’une structure de concentrateur solaire sous charges de vent. Cette étude a montré que le modèle et la méthode d’analyse développés selon des hypothèses simplifiées permettaient de prédire correctement les caractéristiques statistiques de la réponse dynamique mesurée en cohérence avec la méthode spectrale stochastique ; (c) Étude des effets des configurations structurales et des paramètres de vent sur l’optimisation de structure solaires sous charges de vent. Cette étude paramétrique a mis en évidence l’importance de l’effet des paramètres structuraux et ceux définissant le vent sur l’optimisation de la conception structural pour ce type de structure. Des recommandations pour optimiser l’action dynamique dans une phase de conception préliminaire ont été proposées. Ce projet de recherche a démontré finalement l’importance d’étudier d’une façon juste et pratique la réponse dynamique sous charges de vent qui mène à résoudre des préoccupations d’optimisation liées à différents types de structures d’énergie solaire en adoptant des hypothèses pratiques pour les ingénieurs.
Abstract : Concentrated Solar Photovoltaic (CPV) is a promising alternative to conventional solar structures. These solar traking structures need to be optimized to be competitive against other types of energy production. Wind action is the main concern in the design of the steel support structure of such movable system. The main purpose of this research is to assemble advanced numerical and analytical tools that allows realistic dynamic study of structures under wind loading. This help to study accurately optimized alternative in term of selecting structural and wind site conditions parameters. The methodology of the present study involves three main steps : (i) experimental full-scale study of the global response under real life wind conditions ; (ii) numerical modeling that captures the characteristics of the real structures and include the aerodynamic force models to conduct time-domain dynamic analyses ; (iii) preliminary design application that include the study of the effect of stuctural and wind parameters in optimizing the dynamic wind action and consequently the steel support structure. The thesis is presented as an ensemble of three articles written for refereed journals and a conference that showcase the contributions of the present study to thoroughly understand the wind load effect on these nonconventionnel structures. The articles presented are as follow (a) full-scale measurement of the response of a CPV tracker structure prototype under wind load. The results presented in this first article help design engineers to evaluate the use of the aerodynamic force coefficients for calculating wind load on similar structures and to apply properly the ASCE7-10 in evaluating the maximum design wind force using the equivalent static approach ; (b) time-domain analysis of solar concentrator structure under gust wind. This study showed that the developed time-domain model using simplified hypothesis could successfully predict the statistical parameters of the measured dynamic response in coherence with the stochastic spectral approach ; (c) effect of structure configurations and wind characteristics on the design of solar concentrator support structure under dynamic wind action. This parametric study highlighted the importance of selecting structural and wind parameters in order to minimize the dynamic action and the steel support structure. Recommendations for optimizing dynamic wind action in a preliminary design phase were proposed. The present research project has shown the need to study accurately wind response to solve optimization concerns related to different type of solar system structures. In addition, this study proposes simplified methods that are useful for practical engineers when there is the need to solve similar problems.

Assessing existing bridges is an important task in the sustainable management ofinfrastructure. In practice, structural bridge assessments are usually conducted usingtraditional and standardised methods, despite knowledge that these methods oftenprovide conservative estimates. In addition, more advanced methods are available, suchas nonlinear finite element (FE) analysis, that are used for research purposes and cansimulate the structural behaviour of bridges more accurately. Therefore, it would beuseful to develop practical and reliable procedures for refined assessments using theseadvanced techniques.Focusing on the ultimate load-carrying capacity of existing concrete bridges, this thesispresents a procedure for structural assessments. The fundamental idea is to improve theassessment successively, as necessary to predict bridges’ structural behaviour adequately.The procedure involves a multi-level assessment strategy with four levels of structuralanalysis, and an integrated framework for safety verification. At the initial level (Level 1)of the multi-level strategy, traditional standardised methods are used, no failures arecovered implicitly in the structural analysis and action effects are verified using localresistances calculated using analytical models. In the subsequent enhanced levels (Levels2 – 4), nonlinear FE analysis is used for stepwise integration of the verification of flexural,shear-related and anchorage failures into the structural analysis. The framework for safetyverifications includes partial safety factor (PSF), global resistance safety factor (GRSF) andfull probabilistic methods. Within each of these groups, verifications of desired safetymargins can be conducted with varying degrees of complexity.To demonstrate and evaluate the proposed structural assessment procedure, comparativestudies have been carried out, based on full-scale tests of a prestressed concrete bridge.This was the Kiruna Bridge, located in the northernmost city in Sweden, which was duefor demolition as part of a city transformation project, necessitated by large grounddeformations caused by the large nearby mine. Thus, it was available for destructiveexperimental investigation within the doctoral project presented in this thesis. The bridgehad five continuous spans, was 121.5 m long and consisted of three parallel girders with a connecting slab at the top. Both the girders and slab were tested to failure to investigatetheir structural behaviour and load-carrying capacity. Non-destructive and destructivetests were also applied to determine the residual prestress forces in the bridge girders andinvestigate the in situ applicability of methods developed for this purpose. The so-calledsaw-cut method and decompression-load method were used after refinement to enabletheir application to structures of such complexity. The variation of the experimentallydetermined residual prestress forces was remarkably high, depending on the sectioninvestigated. There were also high degrees of uncertainty in estimated values, and thusare only regarded as indications of the residual prestress force.Level 1 analysis of the multi-level assessment strategy consistently underestimatedcapacity, relative to the test results, and did not provide accurate predictions of the shearrelatedfailure observed in the test. With linear FE analysis and local resistance modelsdefined by the European standard, Eurocode 2, the load-carrying capacity wasunderestimated by 32 % for the bridge girder and 55 % for the bridge deck slab. At theenhanced level of structural analysis (Level 3), nonlinear FE analyses predicted thecapacities with less than 2 % deviation from the test results and correctly predicted thefailure mode. However, for existing bridges there are many uncertainties, for instance,the FE simulations were sensitive to the level of residual prestressing, boundaryconditions and assumed material parameters. To accurately take these aspects intoaccount, bridge-specific information is crucial.The complete structural assessment procedure, combining the multi-level strategy andsafety verification framework, was evaluated in a case study. Experiences from theprevious comparative studies were used in an assessment of the Kiruna Bridge followingthe Swedish assessment code. The initial assessment at Level 1 of the multi-level strategyand safety verification, using the PSF method, indicated that the shear capacity of one ofthe girders was critical. The most adverse load case (a combination of permanent loads,prestressing and variable traffic loads) was further investigated through enhancedstructural analyses implicitly accounting for flexural and shear-related failures (Level 3).Nonlinear FE analysis and safety evaluation using the PSF method, several variants of theGRSF method and the full probabilistic analysis for resistance indicated that the permittedaxle load for the critical classification vehicle could be 5.6 – 6.5 times higher than thelimit obtained from the initial assessment at Level 1. However, the study also indicatedthat the model uncertainty was not fully considered in these values. The modeluncertainty was shown to have strong effects on the safety verification and (thus)permissible axle loads. The case study also highlighted the need for a strategy forsuccessively improving structural analysis to improve understanding of bridges’ structuralbehaviour. The refined analysis indicated a complex failure mode, with yielding of thestirrups in the bridge girders and transverse flexural reinforcement in the bridge deck slab,but with a final shear failure of the slab. It would be impossible to capture suchcomplexity in a traditional standardised assessment, which (as mentioned) indicated thatthe shear capacity of the girder limited permissible axle loads. However, nonlinear FEanalyses are computationally demanding, and numerous modelling choices are required.Besides a strategy for rationally improving the analysis and helping analysts to focus oncritical aspects, detailed guidelines for nonlinear FE analysis should be applied to reduce the analyst-dependent variability of results and (thus) the model uncertainty. Clearly, toensure the validity of bridge assessment methods under in situ conditions, theirevaluations should include in situ tests. This thesis presents outcomes of such tests, therebyhighlighting important aspects for future improvements in the assessment of existingbridges.

Etude des joints sous sollicitation sismique sur la base de trois essais sur corps d'epreuve de grande dimensionm en analysant les mecanismes des glissements constates des armatures principales dans la partie centrale du noeud, et le type de rupture a laquelle cela donne lieu; etude sur la base d'un essai de la possibilite d'utiliser un beton de fibres metalliques avec ferraillage transversal reduit

碩士
國立成功大學
土木工程學系
105
The impact of fire on buildings is an important issue. However, most of the fire tests are conducted in the laboratory, rarely using the full-scale structure to test. The structure of this experimental study is the full-scale steel building in Cheng Kung University Quy Nhon campus. The main purpose of the experiment is to measure the structure conducting static loading and unloading around the fire test. There are two parts of record in the experiment, the first part is using strain gauges to record the strain at specific positions of beams and columns, and the second part is using the LVDT to record the subsidence displacement of the upper floor. In this paper, we use the ABAQUS structure model established by Professor Chung, Hsin-Yang’s group and use the infinite element analysis program to mesh the interface of each part, then simulate the strain and the displacement of the structure in static loading around the fire test. Finally, use the experimental data to compare and discuss with the program. Due to the experiment was conducted by three students, so the experimental section will take the same data and process, the analysis section will be discussed separately.

Deep foundations, including driven piles, are used to support vertical loads of structures and applied lateral forces. Many pile supported structures, including bridges, are subjected to large lateral loads in the form of wind, wave, seismic, and traffic impact loads. In many practical situations, structures subjected to lateral loading are located near or in excavated and fill slopes or embankments. Full-scale research to examine the effects of soil slope on lateral pile capacity is limited. The purpose of this study is to examine the effects on lateral capacity of piles located in or near cohesionless soil slopes. A full-scale lateral load testing program was undertaken on pipe piles in a cohesionless soil at Oregon State University. Five piles were tested near a 2H:1V test slope and located between 0D to 8D behind the slope crest, where D is the pile diameter. Two vertical baseline piles and three battered piles were also tested in level ground conditions. The cohesionless backfill soil was a well-graded material with a fines content of less than 10% and a relative compaction of 95%, meeting the Caltrans specification for structural backfill. Data collected from the instrumented piles was used to back calculate p-y curves, load-displacement curves, reduction factors, and load resistance ratios for each pile. The effects of slope on lateral pile capacity are insignificant at displacements of less than 2.0 inches for piles located 2D and further from the crest. For pile located at 4D or greater from the slope crest, the effect of slope is insignificant on p-y curves. A simplified p-multiplier design procedure derived from back-calculated p-y curves is proposed to account for the effects of soil slope. Comparisons of the full-scale results were made using proposed recommendations from the available literature. Lateral resistance ratios obtained by computer, centrifuge, and small scale-models tend to be conservative and overestimate the effects of slope on lateral capacities. Standard cohesionless p-y curve methods slightly over predict the soil resistance at very low displacements but significantly under predict the ultimate soil resistance. Available reduction factors from the literature, or p-multipliers, are slightly conservative and compare well with the back-calculated p-y curves from this study.
Graduation date: 2012

Nowadays, many different efficient solutions are being studied to solve engineering problems. Inside this group of solutions we can find the Soil Steel Composite Bridges (SSCB) as an alternative to traditional bridges. SSCB are being used more often every day and they are showing themselves as competitive structures in terms of feasibility and constructability. This project was started to achieve two different goals. The first one was to create a general database of SSCB including few selected tests all around the world and the second one was to compare and discuss full scale tests using the Pettersson-Sundquist design method. To create the database and the following comparisons, twenty-five different full scale tests were used. From this tests all the necessary information was extracted and used to create the database. After creating the database, the project continued with the discussion and comparison of the full scale tests. Specifically those discussions and comparisons were related to the resistance of the soil (the soil modulus) used in the construction of the SSCB. All the values of the different soil modulus of each full scale test used in the comparisons were calculated using the Swedish Design Manual (SDM). Two different types of soil modulus were calculated in this project using SDM, ones are the soil modulus back calculated using the values reported from the live load tests performed on the culverts and the others are theoretical soil modulus calculated using the detailed information of the soil. The report continues with the explanation of the different conclusions ended up with during this project. It can be highlighted within this group of conclusions, the one related to the importance of reporting all the necessary information from the full scale tests including the soil parameters, the measures of the culvert, the cross sectional parameters and the vehicle dimensions among others. Another important conclusions are the effect of using the slabs over the top of the culvert and how it would effect to the sectional forces over the culvert and also the limitations using method B of the SDM regarding the type of soil used as backfilling Finally, the project finishes explaining some proposals for future research about other fields of the study of SSCB.