Proceedings ISC-2 on Geotechnical and Geophysical Site Characterization, Viana da Fonseca & Mayne (eds.

)
2004 Millpress, Rotterdam, ISBN 90 5966 009 9

Geotechnical investigations on the Zagrad location in Rijeka, Croatia

.Arbanas
Civil Engineering Institute of Croatia, Department of Rijeka, Croatia, Faculty of Civil Engineering, University in Rijeka, Croatia

M.S.Kovaevi
Faculty of Civil Engineering, University in Zagreb, Croatia

B.Jardas
Civil Engineering Institute of Croatia, Department of Rijeka, Croatia

Keywords: site investigations, geophysics, excavation, open pit, rock support, active design
ABSTRACT: On the Zagrad location, in the very vicinity of the Rijeka city center, the garageaccommodation-business complex is under construction, layout dimensions 90 x 60 m. The geotechnical conditions on site are very complex: on the lateral sides limestone rock-mass protrudes to the surface while in the
central part of the location is a sinkhole with thick clay deposits. Regarding the location morphology, the construction pit being 2 m deep on the northern end of the location to the 5 m depth on the southern end - adjacent to the existing buildings and a traffic line-was designed. For the designing of the excavation, the support
system and the building foundation design, a complex geotechnical investigation was performed. These investigation works included borehole drilling, geophysical measurements, laboratory testing of rock and soil
specimens. In the northern end of the location, having the highest cut in the carbonate and flysch rock mass,
investigation boreholes and seismic refraction were carried out, along the future excavation pit contours. The
analysis of the refraction data was made by the inverse modeling (Delta T-V method). The results obtained by
these methods were used to determine the geotechnical profile, the contacts between flysch deposits and carbonate rock mass. On the same basis the rock mass parameters for the walls of the future excavation pit were
evaluated and used for the rock support design. On the lowest, southern, part of the site the main problem encountered was determining the location of the bedrock on which the foundation of the building was foreseen.
On that part of the site investigation boreholes were drilled and ground probing radar scanning performed.
This was allowed to determine cover deposits, weathered zones and basic rock masses in the soil. On the basis
of the data collected, pit excavation methodology, rock support and foundation design options for that part of
the site are taken. Due to the great variations in the cover thickness, the building foundation was designed as a
combination of shallow foundations on easy-to-reach carbonate rock base, and deep foundations on toploaded drilled piles. During the construction of the pit and building foundations, the design assumptions were
adapted according to the in situ situation.


INTRODUCTION

The City of Rijeka is the second town in Croatia and

the biggest port in the Adriatic Sea. On the Zagrad
location, in the very vicinity of the Rijeka city center, a garage-accommodation-business complex is
under construction. The first phase of construction,
the six store underground garage, is already finished.
The construction location is closely surrounded
by the existing accommodation buildings, having up
to seven stories, and a traffic line in the north and a
railway in the south. The site geotechnical conditions are very complex: laterally limestone rockmass protrudes to the surface while, in the central
part of the location there is a sinkhole with thick
clay deposits. The northern side of the site contacts
with limestone and flysch deposits. The complexity

of the geotechnical conditions explains the fact that

the majority of the site, situated almost at the center
of the city, was not used for construction purposes.
Investigated location has an inclined sinkhole
shape, running in the SW-NE direction. The natural
terrain surface was significantly changed by several
centuries of construction in Rijeka. Due to cuttings,
and especially filling, the terrain has a cascade-like
shape. The elevation above the sea level in the sinkhole ranges from 6.0 to 7.5 m, and the elevation of
the traffic line above the construction site is 24 m
a.s.l. Very high underground water level exists on
the site due to the great inflow from the mainland
towards the sea level.
The construction of the garage-accommodationbusiness complex (layout dimensions 90 x 60 m)
was designed for that location. Regarding the loca1415

tion morphology, the construction pit was predicted

to 2 m deep on the northern end of the location to 5
m deep on the southern end, adjacent to the existing
buildings and a traffic line. Due to the complex
ground conditions and unaccepted cover thickness
variations in the southern part of the location, the
structure of the building had to be adjusted according to these conditions and inherently the solution
for foundations. The high water table conditioned
the ground level elevation of the building.
2

GEOTECHNICAL INVESTIGATION WORKS

For the design of the excavation, the support system

and the building foundation system, a complex geotechnical investigation works were performed. These
works were carried out in two phases: for a preliminary design and for the final execution solution.
Geotechnical investigation works included borehole

drilling, geophysical measurements, laboratory testing of rock and soil specimens, engineeringgeological and geotechnical works. The data obtained from the former geotechnical investigations
database for this location was also used. The following was stated: the location soil-profile consists of
the cover layer (fill and clay) and carbonatic rock
base, represented by the dolomite limestone from the
Upper Cretaceous and a completely weathered
flysch-sandstones from the Paleogene. The base rock
protrusions were visible only on several places.
In the northern end of the location, having the
highest cut in the carbonate and flysch rock mass,
investigation boreholes and seismic refraction were
carried out, along the future excavation pit contours,
Figure . The analysis of the refraction data was
made by the inverse modeling (Delta T-V method).

Figure . Engineering geological map of Zagrad location (. Level m a.s.l.; 2. Borehole location; 3. Limestone visible on terrain;
4. Flysch deposits; 5. Cover deposits; 6. Geological border between deposits; 7. Seizmic refraction profile; 8. Ground probing radar
profile; 9. Structure of open pit; 0. Cross-section on cut North)

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2004 Millpress, Rotterdam, ISBN 90 5966 009 9

The results acquired by these methods were used

to determine the geotechnical profile, the contacts
between flysch deposits and carbonate rock mass,
Figure 2. On the same basis the rock mass parameters for the walls of the future excavation pit were
evaluated and used for the rock support design.
On the lowest, southern, part of the site the main
problem encountered was to determine the location
of the bedrock on which the foundation of the building was foreseen. On that part of the site, investigation boreholes were drilled and ground probing radar
scanning performed, Figure . Ground probing radar
scanning has allowed to determine cover deposits,
weathered zones and basic rock masses in the soil.
On the basis of the data collected, pit excavation design, rock support design and foundation design for
that part of the site were developed. Due to the great
variations in the cover thickness, the building foundation was designed as a combination of shallow
foundations on easy-to-reach carbonate rock base,
and deep foundations on top-loaded drilled piles.
3

problems during design and construction were rock

support in north part and foundation in south part of
open pit where deep clay cover deposits were located.
In northern part of location, a hill of existing traffic line on Pomerio St. is on +24.00 m a.s.l. The
south part of traffic line is secured by existing stone
retaining wall up to 7.00 m height founded on a terrace on 7.00 m a.s.l. In this part of location excavation on +3.20 m a.s. level was predicted. Left and
right near prediction excavation, seven stories building were founded on the +7.00 m a.s.l. On the basis
of results of performed stability analysis and stressstrain analysis the main design for rock support system was performed and then started the open pit excavation, Figure 3.
In the main design of open pit support systems
during the excavation and insuring a stability of
open pit walls an active design procedure was predicted trough designers supervision of executed
works (Arbanas, 2002). The active design procedure
was predicted on the basis of observational methods
in geotechnics (Kovaevi, 2003).

CONSTRUCTION

On the basis of the results of geotechnical investigation works, design of open pit and foundation as
well as an construction of open pit started. The main

Figure 2. Refraction seismic profile RF-

Proceedings ISC2 on Geotechnical and Geophysical Site Characterization, Viana da Fonseca & Mayne (eds.)

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Construction on cut North, as the most complicated geotechnical construction of the open pit, were
performed by excavation in phases, in longitudinal
stories of 2.0 m height and a successive construction
of a grid support system reinforced by a self-drilling
rock bolts from top to bottom of the excavation,
Figure 4 (Arbanas, 2003). A measuring, observing
and monitoring system for the substructure system
behavior was established, Figure 4. The monitoring
and observing system included observations of a
geodetic marks mesh, which were set successively
with works execution, on totally eight geodetic control profiles as well as measurements of displacements on two vertical inclinometers-extensometers
(deformeters) and three horizontal extensometers
(deformeters) which were set on locations that enable observation of cuts during the works execution.
Geodetic observations as well as measurements of
displacements on inclinometers and extensometers
were performed by phases, according to calculated
phases of excavations. A testing of rock strength was
performed (ISRM, 979; ISRM, 98) on samples,
which were taken from the excavated material. After
any phase of excavation was performed an engineering-geological mapping of rock mass in cut.

prognosis obtained from geophysical measurements,

Figure 2, in west part of cut North.
Performed measurements indicated some variations of design values of the security of rock cuts reinforced by rock bolts from real behavior of in situ
made constructions. That is primarily referring to a
magnitude of real deformations in the limestone rock
mass comparing to values calculated on the base of
recommended values of deformation characteristics,
which are based on a correlation with values from
rock mass classification (Bieniawski, 979; Hoek
and Brown, 980; Serafim et al., 983; Hoek and
Brown, 997). All correlations are performed from
geotechnical (RMR) classifications of rock mass,
unaxial compressive strength of rock mass and geological strength index (GSI) of rock mass. The design prognosis was obtained from Hoek and Brown
(997) relation.

Figure 3. A view of open pit Zagrad during excavation

Performing of stress-strain back analysis, based

on the measured deformations and performed tests
of bearing capacity of rock bolts, enabled observation and prediction of rock mass behavior in cut, in
the future phases of excavation. On the basis of performed stress-strain back analysis was possible to
make changes in the rock mass reinforcement system during excavation. Designed works on the cut
North, were performed with the minor interventions in secondary and tertiary reinforcements (Windsor and Thompson, 996) in the support system
within designed measures of rock mass reinforcement. Primary reinforcement was doubled in the
area of flysch. The engineering-geological map of
rock mass in cut North is present on Figure 5.
There is visible significant difference real state and
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Figure 4. Cross-section of the cut North (Arbanas et all.,

2004)

All proposed calculations gave higher values of

Youngs elasticity modulus for rock mass comparing
to values obtained by back analysis that is based on
a measured displacements during the excavation.
Back stress-strain analysis resulted in values of
Youngs elasticity modulus for limestone rock mass,
that were 20 and more times lower then those obtained from correlations with classifications of rock
mass (Hoek and Brown, 997). Those differences
are most likely the result of inadequate correlations
for the lowest values of RMR classification of rock
mass because of a small base of measured data in
that area. Future development of those correlations
2004 Millpress, Rotterdam, ISBN 90 5966 009 9

for fractured rock mass, with low strength, such as

limestone, should be based on the large base of data,
obtained by a back analysis from in situ measurements. (Arbanas et al., 2004).
4 CONCLUSION
On Zagrad location, in the very vicinity of the Rijeka city center, a garage-accommodation-business
complex is under construction. For the design of the
excavation, the support system and the building
foundation, a complex geotechnical investigation
were conducted. During the construction of the pit
and building foundations, the design assumptions
were adapted according to the in situ situation. During the excavation of open pit it was realised that the
real state of geological fabric on open pit cuts is different of the predicted by geotechnical investigation
works. Due to the great variations in the cover
thickness in the southern part of location, the building foundation was designed as a combination of
shallow foundations on easy-to-reach limestone bedrock, and deep foundations on top-loaded drilled
piles.

In complex geotechnical conditions, like these

complex geotechnical constructions during excavation of open pit, geotechnical investigation works
should be only a general base for design. Durng the
construction, it is necessary to perform second phase
of design, so called active design. During excavation
and rock mass supporting it is necessary to establish
the monitoring system to ensure information data
about rock mass behavior.
For weathered and altered limestone, poor rock
mass in RMR classification, geotechnical investigation does not provide a data accountable for executing acceptable stress-strain analysis. For performing
stress-strain analysis it is necessary to adopt an observational method based on geotechnical monitoring. On the basis of results of measuring and observing during executing of works, like as geological
mapping and classifications of rock mass in cuts, it
is possible through active design to perform back
stress-strain analysis and make necessary changes in
rock mass support systems.

Figure 5. Engineering geological map of cut North (I.Flysch deposit zone GSI=20-35; II.Limestone GSI=35-45; III.Limestone
GSI=45-55)

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