Geosynthetic reinforced bridge abutments - development of construction methods in Europe

摘要

Geosynthetic-reinforced soil structures are highly sophisticated due to long-term experience with the construction process, products used and the serviceability of constructions. Beyond the use as steep slope and retaining structure, they are increasingly used as bridge abutments in Europe. The geosynthetic-reinforced soil structure serves as abutment itself on which a concrete foundation is placed as carrier of the bridge abutment. The construction method shows a mixture of geotechnical procedures and structural engineering. As a result of the complexity of the geotechnical construction in conjunction with the high, locally concentrated loads, special demands on design, deformation forecast and robustness of the construction arise. Against this background, results from large-scale tests, in particular on the deformation behaviour of the overall construction, taking into account the construction method as well as experiences and examples from practice, gain special importance.