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Session - Road Building Fundamentals Topic – Foundation Conditions
Materials & Performance of Facility
Soil/Rock Properties
Dave Peterson, P.G., SVP, Principal Geologist
November 14, 2013
2013 Arizona Pavements/Materials Conference
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Outline of Presentation
•Define need for understanding soil/rock properties
• Typical problems of soils- resulting in failures
•Geo-hazards
•Characterization methods (example project)
•Key soil parameters associated with design
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Need for Determining Foundation
Materials Properties
Certain soils/rocks can contribute to:
Poor roadway performance,
Foundation failures,
Geologic hazards and
An elevated risk of safety to the travelling public
2
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Common Problematic Conditions
Low density, high porosity soils can result in collapsible conditions
Common in sheet flow conditions on alluvial fan/flats
Variable lithologies and associated change in densities/cementation/plasticity/firmness, hardess over short distances can result in differential settlement
Common in a lenticular deposits in alluvial/fluvial settings or spanning different geologic units
High plasticity deposits exposed to variable water conditions can result in heaving conditions
Commonly associated with weathered basalts, and lakebed/fluvial clays derived from volcanic ash. Exotic colored clays are typically ash derived.
Loose finer grained deposits over more open graded deposits can produce piping failures
Natural environment
Embankment fills
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Collapsible Conditions
4
Collapse/piping
feature associated
with a low gradient
alluvial fan surface
where material
typically was
deposited quickly in
a flash flood sheet
flood event
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Sugarloaf Mountain Bridge – Arizona Approach, Hoover Dam Bypass
Founded on combination of rock (rhyolite & dacite) and 130’ of fill, with a
MSE embankment at Abutment 2
Differential Settlement Potential
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Sugarloaf Mountain Bridge – Arizona Approach
Multiple-point borehole rod extensometers
Abutment 2 to monitor settlement
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Heaving Conditions
7
Wavy asphalt caused by high plasticity
basin-fill claystone subgrade
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Piping
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Fine grained fill over granular
alluvium
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Geo-Hazards
Other geologic conditions that pose a risk to
roadway performance and risk to travelling
public if unaddressed or not recognized:
Slope stability
– Fill slopes
– Rock slopes including rock fall
Landslides
Scour
Sinkholes
Ground subsidence and earth fissures
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Bedrock – Volcanic Tuff
Slopes/Foundations
10
Goal: Produce a stable cut
slope for Arizona
Skewback on Hoover Dam
Bypass
Important properties
include rock strength of
ash tuff to both support the
slope and the foundation
along the canyon wall.
Based on lab and in-situ
testing, bearing capacities
of the rock was established
to be 2000psi for all
footings except the Az
Skewback which was
determined to be 1200psi
Slope stability also
dependant upon fractures
and faults in and near the
walls of the excavation
In-situ testing: downhole seismic, goodman jack, RQD &
optical televiewer
Lab: Unconfined compression, point load, density, splitting
tensile strength, dynamic & static Young’s modulus, creep in
unconfined compression
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Geo-Hazards
Rockfall Containment & Slope Geometry
Considerations
11
Rock slope on
SR 77, near
Winkelman, Az
Stable slope but
rockfall can be
launched off
inclined surfaces
sloping toward
the roadway
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Geo-Hazard
SR 87 slide
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Soil nail wall built
on ancient
landslide
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Scour US 93
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Loose fine
grained deposits
below CMP
subject to scour
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Geo-Hazards
Sinkholes
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Features result from
surface propagation of
roof collapse or piping
into open solution cavity
at depth. Gypsum beds in
Supai Fm in this case
More common in areas
underlain by sedimentary
deposits, including
limestone, gypsum, salt.
Smaller sinkholes can
also form from piping into
narrower open fissures.
Sinkholes near Snowflake, Az
Sinkholes in
Phoenix Valley?
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Geo-Hazard
Sinkholes
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Sink hole in New Mexico
The upper, smaller sinkhole
appeared in 1980, the larger
lower sinkhole appeared in
2002, and activity for a future
sinkhole is apparent in the
InSAR image to the east of
the lower sinkhole.
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Geo-Hazard
Earth Fissures
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Occurs in basin fill
settings with history
of groundwater
pumping
InSAR imagery can
aid in assessing
ground subsidence
areas
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Steps in Characterizing Soil/Rock Parameters
for Design Purposes
Understand the geologic setting to anticipate general material types and types of deposits
Area imagery
Topographic relief
Geomorpholgy
Geologic maps
Perform a geologic reconnaissance
Establish a field investigation plan suited for the project and the variability of the geologic units
Drill holes, auger, core, rotary, percussion
Backhoe pits/trenches – grain size & density testing at grade sections forming subgrade
Geologic mapping – correlation of units, predictability (variable methods)
Seismic surveys, refraction, ReMi
Down hole televiewers
Down hole seismic
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Steps in Characterizing Soil/Rock
Parameters for Design Purposes
Establish a laboratory testing program to further characterize material
properties
Typical tests
– Sieve Analysis
– Plasticity Index (Atterberg Limits)
– Moisture Content
– Density
– Rings samples - soils, Bulk Density - rock
– Moisture Density Relations (Proctor)
– R-value
– Direct Shear
– Point Load
– Unconfined compression
– pH & Resistivity
– Chlorides & Sulfates
– ADOT Nutrient Group Suite
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Example - Hoover Dam Bypass
Elements of Investigation
Laser scanning
Geologic mapping
• Conventional surface mapping , where practical with canyon wall photo review
• Helicopter reconnaissance
• Canyon wall mapping during rappels in steep near vertical terrain
• Point cloud image review (structural features)
Canyon wall drilling
Oriented Optical Televiewer borehole logging
In-situ testing
• NX borehole (Goodman) jack
• Downhole seismic surveys
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Geotechnical Investigation Challenges
Hoover Dam Bypass
Difficult Access Rugged terrain with high relief and near
vertical canyon walls
Overhead transmission lines
Site Related Design Features Steep cuts (towers, U.S. 83, existing
topography)
Rockfall containment
Structure foundations
Other Factors Variable geologic conditions
Rock types
Strengths
Discontinuities
Safety during field operations Field crews
Public access
Security associated with Hoover Dam
operations Post-9/11 restrictions
Restricted air space
Daily coordination w/ authorities
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Laser Point Cloud-Nevada
Photo-Lineament Evaluation
Fault Identification
Fault
Survey Target
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Technical skills
Geologic Inspections
Rock Quality
Fracture orientations
Fracture conditions
Rope skills/training
Safety and security
Rappel Mapping
Skewback Location
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Helicopter Recon
Nevada Skewback
Alignment
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Steep terrain with overhead power
lines required portable rigs with
access assisted by:
Helicopter
Crane
Track
Articulated backhoe (Spyder)
Limited access required variably
inclined boreholes to reach
foundation depths
Canyon Wall Drilling
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Downhole Seismic Borehole Jack
Means of estimating rock mass modulus from field data
In-Situ Testing
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Downhole Seismic Testing
Arizona Skewback Nevada Skewback
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Seismic Results - Hoover Dam Bypass
Boring R-13
Downhole Seismic Results
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14
Time, milliseconds
De
pth
, fe
et
1st arrivals
interpretations
Geologic contacts
2630 f/s22,500 f/s
7000 f/s
26,670 f/s
5000 f/s
10,000 f/s
5000 f/s
11,000 f/s
? 5000 f/s
Tuff of
Hoover Dam
Thd
Thd
Dike Tid
Dike Tid
open fracture
Dam conglomerate
Tdc
Note: 1st arrival signals were consistent throughout borehole
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SUBSURFACE INVESTIGATION –
Surface Seismic Investigations
Relationship between Seismic Velocity and Dry Density Seismic Velocity as a Function of Unit Weight
90
100
110
120
130
140
150
160
170
100 1000 10000
S-wave velocity, f/s (Poisson's ratio of 0.33 assumed)
Dry
de
ns
ity
(u
nit
we
igh
t),
po
un
ds
pe
r c
ub
ic f
oo
t
(pc
f)
physical gel trend chemical gel trend Hoover Dam Bypass Tuff streambed materials
inner log scale porosity scale P-wave scale
P-wave Velocity, f/s (Poisson's ratio of 0.33 assumed)
200 500 1000 2000 4000 10000 20000
Chemical gel
geomaterials;
such as
intact,
unfractured
limestone,
Physical gel geomaterials:
including granular deposits
and fractured, weathered
rock masses
Specific gravity of 2.65 g/cc assumed
0
4
10
15
20
25
30
35
Po
ros
ity
, %
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Rock Mass Strength – Hoover Dam
Bypass
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Geology-Nevada Skewback
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Nevada
Skewback
Excavation
3-D rendering
with projected
geology
Borehole projections
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GEOLOGIC SETTING - REGIONAL
Regional Setting
Basin and Range
Hieroglyphic Mtns.
Quarternary Alluvium
Local Setting
Western Alignment
Agua Fria River Channel
Eastern Alignment
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Key Parameters Required for
Roadway/Pavement projects
Subgrade conditions and performance factors
Continuity of deposits and suitable geologic units
Gradation
Plasticity
Moisture content & groundwater
Density of in-situ soils
R-values, – tested & correlated to establish a minimum construction value
Proctor values – establish compaction requirement for embankment fill forming the new subgrade
Seismic wave velocities – existing profile characterization – earthwork factors fro using material as embankment fill
Corrosivity of soils – pH & resistivity to establish type of metal piping required
– including thickness, type of metal or coating types – Sulfate & Chloride content of soils
– evaluate reaction with concrete – type of cement to resist – gypsiferous soils require type V cement
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Unified Soil Classification System
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