Lateral Spreading of Soft Soils - WisDOT Research

Title: Construction-Engineering Techniques for Soft Ground
Author(s): Gale, S. M.
Year: 1998
Source/URL: Geotechnical Fabrics Report, Industrial Fabrics Association International, pages 42-45;
http://tris.trb.org/view.aspx?id=487600
Description: 4 pages
Contents: As granular fills and excavation costs have increased, many municipalities, counties, and state
departments of transportation have chosen the staged-loading approach with a single geotextile layer, or a composite
layer of a geogrid and a geotextile for reinforcing road embankments on soft soil. This article reviews construction
monitoring for this technique. The first step in the construction process is to prequalify the soil and geosynthetic
materials based on the specification. A preconstruction meeting is essential to confirm that specification details are
adhered to; this article includes a checklist of details. Designs for embankments on soft and organic soils typically
are based on limit-equilibrium stability analyses and an evaluation of bearing capacity, lateral spreading, and
undrained and drained creep. The designer should analyze both total and effective stresses. When building on soft
and organic soils, it is also critical to monitor excess pore pressures created within the subsoil as a result of
embankment loading. Pneumatic piezometers are typically used for monitoring. Embankment-settlement monitoring
is usually the least expensive and most meaningful parameter to obtain during construction. Continued settlement
indicates dissipation of excess pore pressure and shear-strength gain. Lateral displacement of soil during
embankment placement should be expected. The degree and location of movement can indicate creep-strain or
potential failure.
Title: Vertical and Horizontal Deformations of Foundations and Embankments
Author(s): Yeung, Albert T. (ed.); Félio, Guy Y. (ed.)
Year: 1994
Source/URL: ASCE conference Settlement ’94; http://cedb.asce.org/cgi/WWWdisplay.cgi?90309
Description: 1940 pages
Contents: These proceedings, Vertical and Horizontal Deformations of Foundations and Embankments
(Geotechnical Special Publication No. 40) consist of papers presented at the Specialty Conference sponsored by the
Geotechnical Engineering Division of the American Society of Civil Engineers held in College Station, Texas, June
16-18, 1994. The prime goals of the conference and the resulting proceedings were: 1) to update the progress made
since the 1964 Speciality Conference on Design of Foundations for Control of Settlement on prediction methods and
mitigation technologies for both vertical and horizontal deformation of different types of foundations and
embankments built on different soils; 2) to provide an effective forum for researchers and practitioners to share
research results, current practice and recent technological advances; 3) to recognize the limitations in current
practice, identify current and future needs of the profession, and assess the potential and feasibility of innovative
technologies; and 4) to provide and effective vehicle for technology transfer. The 137 papers included in this
publication cover such topics as: 1) embankments, deep fills, and landfills; 2) shallow foundations; 3) deep
foundations; 4) soil improvement; 5) numerical and physical modeling; 6) soil dynamics; and 7) expansive soils,
residual soils, and rock. These proceedings provide students, educators, researchers, and practitioners of
geotechnical engineering an opportunity to assimilate new information and to meet new challenges.
Title: Comparison of Predicted and Measured Settlement of a Test Embankment over Soft Soil
Author(s): Chang, Kuo-Hsia; Kovacs, William D.; Wu, Ming-Jiun
Year: 1994
Source/URL: From Vertical and Horizontal Deformations of Foundations and Embankments (see previous
citation), pages 1164-1175; http://cedb.asce.org/cgi/WWWdisplay.cgi?88926
Description: 12 pages
Contents: Abstract not available
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