Graduation Semester and Year

2014

Language

English

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy in Civil Engineering

Department

Civil Engineering

First Advisor

Anand Puppala

Abstract

The bump at the end of a bridge infrastructure is one of the frequent problems found in Texas and other states. Transportation agencies spend millions of dollars annually to repair the bump problem. The major cause of the problem is the settlement of backfill materials and foundation soils, as well as the erosion of backfill. Research was undertaken at the University of Texas at Arlington to study the embankment located on US 67 over SH 174 in Johnson County, Cleburne, Texas. The embankment was reconstructed, replacing the top of existing fill soil with lightweight EPS 22 geofoam blocks to reduce the loads imposed on the underlying subgrade and, consequently, to reduce the magnitude of settlement due to the consolidation phenomenon. The main objective of this research is to assess the effectiveness of using light backfill, in the form of EPS geofoam, to mitigate embankment settlements. Laboratory studies were conducted to study the basic properties, compressibility characteristics, and shear strength of the soils and EPS 22 geofoam. Field monitoring studies were also conducted at regular time intervals to study the performance of EPS geofoam under live traffic. Modeling studies were conducted in this research, using the PLAXIS program to predict the long term performance of the test section. The above mentioned studies are being currently pursued to achieve the final objective which is to develop the design and construction guidelines for the future use on other geofoam-related construction.

Disciplines

Civil and Environmental Engineering | Civil Engineering | Engineering

Comments

Degree granted by The University of Texas at Arlington

Download

Share

COinS