BKB QUESTION & ANSWER

13th May, 2016

5/13/2016

What are the main reasons for conducting pull-out tests for soil nailing?
There are mainly four reasons for this test:
(i) To check and verify the bond strength between soil and grout adopted during the
design of soil nails. This is the main objective of conducting soil nail pull-out test.
(ii) To determine the bond strength between soil and grout for future design purpose.
However, if this target is to be achieved, the test nails should be loaded to determine the
ultimate soil/grout bond with a upper limit of 80% of ultimate tensile strength of steel bars.
(iii) To check if there is any slippage or creep occurrence.
(iv) To check the elastic and plastic deformations of test nails. This is observed during the
repeated loading and unloading cycles of soil
Advantages & Disadvantages of Plastic over Timber fender?
Composite plastic and steel piles are gaining acceptance throughout the United States.

# The evolving technology has produced a unique product which solves several problems
related to use of other pile materials in the marine environment.

# The composite piles show promise for wider use as load bearing piles. The composite pile
consists of a steel pipe encased in recycled plastic. The pile is therefore chemically inert which
makes it environmentally acceptable even in sensitive aquatic locations while being immune to
attack by marine borers which destroy timber piles.

# The reuse of vast quantities of waste plastic is also an environmental plus. The composite pile
also has some other advantages over timber, steel, or concrete for the side loading exerted
upon marine terminal fender piles.

# Moisture and chemical resistant.

# Graffiti resistant.
# Splinter free, does not crack.
# Does not need sealants or preservatives.
# Colored throughout, marine timber does not need paint.
# Impervious to insects.
# Flexible, can be curved and shaped.
# Maintenance free.
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# Does not absorb bacteria.

Benefits of Recycled Plastic Lumber to the Community

# Saves money for local governments and other purchasers by lowering long-term maintenance
costs.
# Creates additional business opportunities.
# Diverts plastic waste from landfills.
# Reduces wood waste, marine timber especially treated wood waste.

Define Soil Reinforcement. Describe two soil reinforcement process.

Soil reinforcement is defined as a technique to improve the engineering characteristics of soil. In
this way, using natural fibers to reinforce soil is an old and ancient idea. Consequently, randomly
distributed fiber-reinforced soils have recently attracted increasing attention in geotechnical
engineering for the second time.
a) Use of Coir Fibers for Sustainable Development
In the context of sustainable development which is a balancing act between the fulfilment of
human needs and the protection of the natural environment, the use of natural fibers such as
coir in geotechnical applications is desirable. Reinforcing the soil with coir fibers/coir
geotextiles is a cost effective solution to the ground/soil improvement problems. The effects
of fiber parameters on the strength, stiffness and compressibility behaviour of soil were
studied in detail. The effect of coir fibers on swell response of expansive black cotton soil
was also studied in terms of percentage swell vs. time variation for various fiber contents.
Results showed that inclusion of fibers increases strength, stiffness, reduces the
compressibility and swell potential. The evaluation of hydraulic behavior of coir fiber
reinforced soil is another area, in which studies were carried in detail. It is observed that
addition of fibers reduces the seepage velocity of plain soil considerably and thus increase
the piping resistance.
Numerical analysis of coir fiber reinforced soil was performed using the finite difference
analysis. A soil specimen having the same size of the laboratory specimen is generated using
cylindrical elements, with x- and z- axes located in the base of cylinder and y-axis pointing
along the cylinder axis. Coir fibers were idealized as cable structural elements. Elasticperfectly
plastic Mohr-Coulomb model is used to simulate the elasto-plastic material
behavior of sand specimen. The mechanisms by which random fibers reinforce sand are
explained in terms of microstructure that prevents the formation of distinct localized strain
bands and increases pull-out resistance.

b) Soil Nailing
Soil nailing is one of the extensively used techniques for stabilizing vertical cuts in India and
work at Indian Institute of Science significantly contributed to this development. A few case

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studies and analytical results which have been published are described as follows.
In one of the case studies, a vertical cut supporting a masonry retaining wall in a hilly terrain
(total height 13m) was stabilized using this technique. Calculations showed that the vertical
cut was just marginally safe in the existing condition; hence, soil nailing was used for
improvement of stability. The existing stability, soil nail design were examined by detailed
finite element analysis and remedial measures were validated. In similar studies, results of
finite element analyses of stabilization of vertical cuts of 5.0 m were examined. Numerical
simulations provided an insight into the influence of nailing on global factor of safety and
deformations of vertical cuts with reference to varying cohesive nature of in-situ soil and two
different construction sequences.

What is the consideration in selecting the orientation of wing walls in the design of bridge
abutments?
There are three common arrangements of wing walls in bridge abutments based on Dr. Edmund C
Hambly (1979):

(i) Wing walls parallel to abutments

This is the simplest and shortest time to build but is not the most economical design. This design has the
advantage that it has least disturbance to existing slope embankment.

(ii) Wing walls at an angle to abutments

This is the most economical design among the three options in terms of material cost.

(iii) Wing walls perpendicular to abutments

Though it is not the most economical design, the wing walls provide a continuous alignment with
bridge decks which provide supports to parapets.

However, they cause disturbances to adjacent structures and utility services during construction.
Moreover, if the bridge is curved, the wing walls may hinder the road curvature.

One the other hand, when the wing walls are structurally connected to the abutment, then structural
advantage can be taken by the stability of box structure.

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Priodeep Chowdhury

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