lrfd – Page 2 – GeoPrac.net

FHWA NHI Manual: Drilled Shafts Construction Procedures and LRFD Design Methods

June 30, 2010 rockman 8

Cover of FHWA/NHI Manual 'Drilled Shafts: Construction Procedures and LRFD Design Methods' by Brown, Turner and

The FHWA has released for download a comprehensive update to the 1999 O’Neil and Reese manual “Drilled Shafts: Construction Procedures and Design Methods”, lovingly referred to in the industry as the “Brown Book” or the “Drilled Shaft Bible”. This 2010 manual from the National Highway Institute (NHI) of the FHWA is entitled “Drilled Shafts: Construction Procedures Procedures and LRFD Design Methods” and was authored by Dan A. Brown, Ph.D, P.E. of Dan Brown and Associates, John P. Turner, Ph.D, P.E. of the University of Wyoming, and Raymond J. Castelli, P.E. From an FHWA Memo on the manual:

Distributed with this memorandum is the publication entitled "Drilled Shafts: Construction Procedures and LRFD Design Methods" (FHWA-NHI-10-016). This manual is the reference text used for the National Highway Institute (NHI) course numbered 132014 on Drilled Shafts. The publication will become the tenth in the series of geotechnical engineering guidelines called "Geotechnical Engineering Circulars." Geotechnical Engineering Circular (GEC) No. 10 is prepared as a significant revision and update to "Drilled Shafts: Construction Procedures and Design Methods" (FHWA IF-99-025), and reflects the standard of practice for the design, construction and inspection of these features. The guidance is developed following Load and Resistance Factor Design (LRFD) procedures and will enable engineers to identify and evaluate technical feasibility and potential applications. The text is developed with a sufficiently broad scope to be of value to a wide range of transportation specialists responsible for assisting with selection, design, development of materials specifications, construction monitoring, and contracting methods for Drilled Shafts.

Click through for the download link and some preliminary comments on what has been updated in this significant new publication in the drilled shaft construction industry as well as the geotechnical engineering profession.

[…]

LRFD Design and Construction of Shallow Foundations for Highway Bridge Structures

June 17, 2010 rockman Comments Off

‘TRB’s National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) Report 651: LRFD Design and Construction of Shallow Foundations for Highway Bridge Structures explores recommended changes to Section 10 of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation […]

New FHWA Manual on Spread Footings for Highway Structures

March 22, 2010 rockman Comments Off

Hot on the heals of the revised MSE Wall Manual, the FHWA has released another manual, this one on Spread Footings. Selection of Spread Footings on Soils to Support Highway Bridge Structures was authored by Naresh C. Samtani, PE, PhD, Edward A Nowatzki, PE, PhD and Dennis R. Mertz, PE, PhD. So what is this manual all about? I think the foreword by Scott Anderson, PE, PhD of the FHWA Resource Center says it best:

[…]

New FHWA Mechanically Stabilized Earth Retaining Wall (MSE Wall) Manual

March 22, 2010 rockman 3

The much anticipated LRFD update to the MSE Wall and Reinforced Soil Slope Manual is now available for download from the FHWA’s website. The full title of the document is Design of Mechanically Stabilized Earth Walls and Reinforced Soil Slopes and it was authored by Ryan R. Berg, P.E.; Barry R. Christopher, Ph.D., P.E. and Naresh C. Samtani, Ph.D., P.E. Find the abstract and download link below. As time permits, I’ll try to post more about some of the changes in this important geotechnical publication.

[…]

MSEW and ReSSA Updates

September 29, 2009 rockman Comments Off

ADAMA Software has released update 10.1 for their Mechanically Stabilized Earth retaining wall design software, MSEW 3.0 as of September 29, 2009. Click through for the download link and a few of the changes.

I expect that when the new FHWA MSE Wall Manual hits the street in a few months time that we will see some significant updates with the MSEW software package.

[…]

MSEW and ReSSA Updates

January 28, 2009 rockman Comments Off

ADAMA Software has released update 9.2 for their Mechanically Stabilized Earth retaining wall design software, MSEW 3.0 as of December 12, 2008. They also released update 3.1 for ReSSA 3.0, a reinforced soil slope design program on January 15, 2009. The ReSSA update seems like a relatively minor one, but the MSEW update contains a number of updates related to AASHTO LRFD resistance factors and design methods. If you are involved in MSE wall design for highway structures using LRFD, be sure to click through for a few highlights from the update and the download link.

[…]

Cover of FHWA NHI Mechanically Stabilized Earth Walls and Reinforced Slopes Design and Construction Guidelines course manual.

FHWA NHI 2009 MSE Wall Manual

January 12, 2009 rockman 1

Cover of FHWA NHI Mechanically Stabilized Earth Walls and Reinforced Slopes Design and Construction Guidelines course manual. [Disclosure] NCS Consultants is the employer (day job) of Randy Post, the owner of this site. [/Disclosure]

Geotechnical engineers who encounter MSE retaining walls or Mechanically Stabilzed Earth Walls are undoubtedly familiar with the FHWA NHI manual on “Mechanically Stabilized Earth Walls and Reinforced Soil Slopes”. This manual, along with the NCMA manual that is used for non-transportation projects, is virtually the bible for MSE wall design. In late summer/early fall of 2009, a revised version of this manual will hit the streets. Read on for more details.

[…]

Changes in Geotechnical Engineering Practice in Arizona

March 7, 2008 rockman Comments Off

[Editor] Note: NCS Consultants, LLC is Randy Post’s full time employer…ie. my day job! [/Editor]

There are some significant changes being made to the state of the practice in geotechnical engineering in Arizona. NCS Consultants, LLC has prepared three policy memoranda for the Arizona Department of Transportation or ADOT that have been issued to consultants all over the State. These memos are on the topics of bearing capacity and settlement of spread footings and retaining walls, the design of drilled shaft foundations in gravelly soils, and the preparation of drilled shaft axial capacity charts for use by bridge engineers.

Although primarily applicable to upcoming ADOT projects implementing the AASHTO 2007 LRFD code, the memos will have a ripple effect down through other local agencies within the state who frequently defer to ADOT guidelines for geotechnical engineering. Also, the memos and the ADOT/NCS approach to LRFD implementation in geotechnical engineering were presented by NCS at the 2008 TRB Conference in Washington D.C., and many other state DOTs and the FHWA were very excited about the memos. The approach used if not the exact content may become a model for other agencies. More info and links to download the policy memoranda are provided after the break.

[…]

AASHTO LRFD Bridge Design Specifications – 2008 Interims Released

March 4, 2008 rockman Comments Off

The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) just released the 2008 interims for the AASHTO LRFD Bridge Design Specifications, Customary U.S. Units, 4th Edition. These specifications govern the design of foundations for federal and state highway projects. As soon as we find out if there are any significant changes with respect to bridge foundations or retaining walls, we’ll let you know.

[…]

Drilled Shaft Industry Notes

July 15, 2007 rockman Comments Off

In the May 2007 edition of Foundation Drilling Magazine, a publication of the Association of Drilled Shaft Contractors (ADSC), Silas Nichols, PE of the Federal Highway Administraton provided a summary of the FHWA’s role in providing guidance on drilled shaft design and construction over the years through research funding, publications and involvement in AASHTO and other agencies. Also in the article is an overview of upcoming updates to AASHTO codes, and FHWA publications. Read on for more details.

[…]