Reinforced Earth acting on Abbutment

[zliazmei]

HI everybody,

My new project is going on, and the decision made for abutments is a reinf Earth ramp.

My abutment will be made from 2 columns and the ramp between and around them will be reinf. So My question is: Can reinf Earth sustain to all horizontal forces.
or, If the ramp is reinf will be there any horizontal forces acting on my columns?

Also , Can you give me advice with any good reference about aditional forces to my columns during the compacting of the ramp.

Thanks in Advice.

Zmei
Scetch:

I Reinf EArth I
I Ramp I
I I
+--------XXXXXXXX------------XXXXXXXX---------+
Abutment Abutment
Wall Column Wall Column Wall

 

[Qshake]

You should take a look at the Federal Highway (FHWA) publication on reinforced earth applications. Some applications allow for you to place a spread footing atop the reinforced earth.

In other cases, the loads are too large or settlement is too large for the bridge so deep foundations are used. These foundations pass through the reinforced earth. In many cases, the engineer will chose to isolate the columns or piling buy placing a zone of loosely compacted sand around the column or piling. This will allow the structure to move while lessening the impact on the wall.

Each of these methods are discussed in the above publication.

 

[BigH]

Check out Ontario highway works - I believe that nearly all new bridge abutments are now put on top of MSE walls unless there is an unusual condition, viz., soft compressible ground situations. (I am in a situation presently where we have to be careful not to call a MSE wall a RE wall - which, of course, is trademarked.)

 

[BigH]

One added thought some time later [fumanchu] - if your abutment is on columns, place a parallel wall of MSE, say 2 to 3m behind it - that way the loads won't be transferred to columns - then use a small slab founded on a grade beam on the MSE for bridging over the column hammerhead to the MSE structure.

 

[doresh]

Also check out the British Standard BS8006 which guide you through all the loading cases of the reinforced earth structure.
Also compaction requirements etc.

Doron