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GEOTECHNICAL DESIGN OF THE FOUNDATION OF A STATICALLY DIFFICULT BRIDGE STRUCTURE SITUATED IN COMPLICATED ENGINEERING GEOLOGICAL CONDITIONS ABOVE THE HRICOV RESERVOIR

Ľuboš Hruštinec

Abstract

The article deals with the geotechnical design and assessment of the foundation of a statically difficult bridge structure founded in complicated engineering geological conditions. Bridge structure No. 223 is part of the D3 motorway situated above the Hricov reservoir near the town of Zilina (Slovakia). The realized engineering geological survey showed that the geological composition of the subsoil is nonhomogeneous and complicated (occurrence of Quaternary soils and Mesozoic rocks). The physical and mechanical properties of soils and rocks are highly variable and have been determined based on laboratory and in-situ tests. The bridge structure (bridge deck) is made of prestressed concrete and has 25 supports whose distance is from 27.6 m to 110.1 m. The load on the foundation structures resulted from the realized complex static analyses of the whole bridge structure. The bridge pillars founded deeply on a group of bored cast-in-place piles. The article analyses the most loaded bridge pillar in more detail. The design and assessment of the foundation of the bridge pillar on the 1st and 2nd Limit states was carried out according to the rules valid for the 3rd Geotechnical Category in accordance with STN EN 1997-1 (EUROCODE 7). Analytical and numerical (Finite Element Method) calculation methods used in geotechnical calculations. The calculation program GEO5 (Modules PILE, SPREAD FOOTING, FEM) was used in the calculations. Geotechnical calculations was demonstrated safety and serviceability (reliability) of the bridge pillars foundation. In accordance with the rules valid for the 3rd Geotechnical Category, the implementation of geotechnical monitoring focused on measuring of the settlement (vertical deformations) of bridge pillars was recommended.

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