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Publication Number:  FHWA-HRT-11-027    Date:  JANUARY 2011
Publication Number: FHWA-HRT-11-027
Date: JANUARY 2011

 

Geosynthetic Reinforced Soil Integrated Bridge System Synthesis Report

Synthesis Report (PDF) (1.65 MB)

PDF files can be viewed with the Acrobat® Reader®

Companion Document: Interim Implementation Guide (PDF)

Related Link: Electronic Distribution of Geosynthetic Reinforced Soil Integrated Bridge System Synthesis Report Memo

FOREWORD

Geosynthetic Reinforced Soil (GRS) technology consists of closely-spaced layers of geosynthetic reinforcement and compacted granular fill material. GRS has been used for a variety of earthwork applications since the U.S. Forest Service first used it to build walls for roads in steep mountain terrain in the 1970s. Since then, the technology has evolved into the GRS Integrated Bridge System (IBS), a fast, cost-effective method of bridge support that blends the roadway into the superstructure. GRS-IBS includes a reinforced soil foundation, a GRS abutment, and a GRS integrated approach. The application of IBS has several advantages. The system is easy to design and economically construct. It can be built in variable weather conditions with readily available labor, materials, and equipment and can easily be modified in the field. This method has significant value when employed for small, single span structures meeting the criteria described in this report.

As a result of the demonstrated performance of GRS-IBS, the technology was selected for the Federal Highway Administration’s (FHWA) Every Day Counts initiative, aimed at accelerating implementation of proven, market-ready technologies. This report is the second in a two-part series and provides the background and other supporting information to substantiate the design method of GRS-IBS. The first document is a manual covering the design and construction of GRS-IBS. This two-part document series designs GRS as a composite material with known and predictable performance and deformations. Both documents are a collaboration between many disciplines within FHWA: geotechnical, structural, hydraulic, maintenance, and pavement engineering.

Jorge Pagán-Ortiz
Director, Office of Infrastructure
Research and Development

Notice

This document is disseminated under the sponsorship of the U.S. Department of Transportation in the interest of information exchange. The U.S. Government assumes no liability for the use of the information contained in this document.

The U.S. Government does not endorse products or manufacturers. Trademarks or manufacturers’ names appear in this report only because they are considered essential to the objective of the document.

Quality Assurance Statement

The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) provides high-quality information to serve Government, industry, and the public in a manner that promotes public understanding. Standards and policies are used to ensure and maximize the quality, objectivity, utility, and integrity of its information. FHWA periodically reviews quality issues and adjusts its programs and processes to ensure continuous quality improvement.

Technical Report Documentation Page

1. Report No.

FHWA-HRT-11-027

2. Government Accession No. 3. Recipient’s Catalog No.

4. Title and Subtitle

Geosynthetic Reinforced Soil Integrated Bridge System, Synthesis Report

5. Report Date

January 2011

6. Performing Organization Code

7. Author(s)

Michael Adams, Jennifer Nicks, Tom Stabile, Jonathan Wu, Warren Schlatter, and Joseph Hartmann

8. Performing Organization Report No.

9. Performing Organization Name and Address

Office of Infrastructure Research and Development
Federal Highway Administration
6300 Georgetown Pike
McLean, VA 22181

10. Work Unit No. (TRAIS)
11. Contract or Grant No.

12. Sponsoring Agency Name and Address

Federal Highway Administration
U.S. Department of Transportation
Washington, DC

13. Type of Report and Period

14. Sponsoring Agency Code

15. Supplementary Notes

The FHWA Contracting Officer's Technical Representative (COTR) was Mike Adams, HRDS-40.

16. Abstract

This report is the second in a two-part series to provide engineers with the necessary background knowledge of Geosynthetic Reinforced Soil (GRS) technology and its fundamental characteristics as an alternative to other construction methods. It supplements the interim implementation manual (FHWA-HRT-11-026), which outlines the design and construction of the GRS Integrated Bridge System (IBS). The research behind the proposed design method is presented along with case histories to show the performance of in-service GRS-IBS and GRS walls.

17. Key Words

Geosynthetic Reinforced Soil (GRS), Integrated Bridge System (IBS), Design, Construction, Performance test, Geosynthetic, Material specifications, Quality assurance, Quality control

18. Distribution Statement

19. Security Classif. (of this report)

Unclassified

20. Security Classif. (of this page)

Unclassified

21. No. of Pages

64

22. Price

Form DOT F 1700.7 (8-72) Reproduction of completed pages authorized

SI* (Modern Metric) Conversion Factors

TABLE OF CONTENTS

CHAPTER 1. GEOSYNTHETIC REINFORCED SOIL INTEGRATED BRIDGE SYSTEM

CHAPTER 2. NOTATION, ABBREVIATIONS, AND TERMINOLOGY

CHAPTER 3. DESIGN METHODOLOGY FOR GRS-IBS

CHAPTER 4. CASE HISTORIES

APPENDIX A. PULL-OUT TEST RESULTS

APPENDIX B. PREDICTION DATA FOR ANALYTICAL EQUATIONS

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

REFERENCES

LIST OF FIGURES

LIST OF TABLES

 

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