Standardizing Rigid Inclusions for Transportation Projects – Phase I

Rigid inclusions are grouted or cemented columns used to improve loose or soft soils. They have been increasingly used in the practice in the United States, mostly for embankment, retaining walls, and box culvert support in transportation applications. Several types of equipment and methods are available in the practice to install rigid inclusions with different trade names. Installation of rigid inclusions may cause full or partial displacement of their surrounding soils that disturb soils, neighboring rigid inclusions, and/or existing structures, depending on the type of equipment and method used, installation procedure, and type of soil. Rigid inclusions are often installed under a load transfer platform to support embankment or structure loads. The methodology and equipment-driven installation has been closely guarded and much is proprietary (commercial competitive advantage), which has left state departments of transportation (DOTs) dependent on and obligated to the contractor. No well-accepted design methods and construction specifications are available to assess and consider installation effects on their surrounding soils, neighboring rigid inclusions, and nearby existing structures, downdrag forces in rigid inclusions under embankment or structure loads, and stability of embankments with side slopes supported by rigid inclusions. Research, including the state of the practice (Phase I) and full-scale field tests (Phase II), is needed to quantify rigid inclusion installation effects, develop design methods considering their effects on load transfer analysis, axial load capacity, and displacement calculations for vertical loads and evaluating the stability of rigid inclusion-supported embankments, and develop construction specifications for minimizing installation effects and improving long-term performance. The main objectives of the Phase I study are to assess the state of the practice of rigid inclusions used for embankment and structure support, analyze existing data and design methods available in the literature or agencies, identify knowledge gaps and missing data and procedures, and develop a plan for full-scale field tests to be carried out in the Phase II study.

• Record URL:
  http://www.pooledfund.org/Details/Study/732

Language

• English

Project

• Status: Programmed
• Funding: $600000
• Contract Numbers:

  TPF-5(503)

• Sponsor Organizations:

  Idaho Department of Transportation

  P.O. Box 7129
  3311 W. State Street
  Boise, ID  United States  83707-1129

  Kansas Department of Transportation

  Eisenhower State Office Building
  700 SW Harrison Street
  Topeka, KS  United States  66603-3754

  Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development

  P.O. Box 94245
  1201 Capitol Access Road
  Baton Rouge, LA  United States  70804-9245

  Minnesota Department of Transportation

  Transportation Building
  395 John Ireland Boulevard
  St Paul, MN  United States  55155

  Pennsylvania Department of Transportation

  Keystone Building
  400 North Street
  Harrisburg, PA  United States  17120

  Texas Department of Transportation

  125 E. 11th Street
  Austin, TX  United States  78701-2483

  Maryland Department of Transportation State Highway Administration

  707 N. Calvert Street
  Baltimore, MD  United States  21202
• Managing Organizations:

  Kansas Department of Transportation

  Eisenhower State Office Building
  700 SW Harrison Street
  Topeka, KS  United States  66603-3754
• Project Managers:

  Wadley, Dan

• Start Date: 0
• Expected Completion Date: 0
• Actual Completion Date: 0

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Columns; Design; Field tests; Soil stabilization; Standardization; State of the practice; Structural supports
• Subject Areas: Bridges and other structures; Design; Geotechnology; Highways;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01861403
• Record Type: Research project
• Source Agency: Federal Highway Administration
• Contract Numbers: TPF-5(503)
• Files: RIP, USDOT, STATEDOT
• Created Date: Oct 18 2022 5:06PM