AASHTO’s LRFD Specifications for

Foundation and Earth Retaining

Structure Design

(Through 2007 Interims and Beyond)

Jerry A. DiMaggio, P.E.

Principal Bridge/Geotechnical Engineer
FHWA, Washington D. C.
 Existing Specifications

Standard LRFD now the

17th Edition “4”th Edition
“AASHTO and FHWA
have agreed that all
state DOT’s will use
LRFD for design of
NEW structures by
2007.”
 AK
AK
AASHTO LRFD Survey
May 2005
95%

WA
WA
100%
MT
MT ND
ND MN
35% MN
40% ME
ME
100%
SD
OR
OR ID
ID SD
10%
WI
WI VT
VT
100% 100% NY 5%
WY
WY
MI
MI NY
50%
NE
IA
IA 0- 24 - 10
NH
NE
60%
5%
PAPA
0- 2-2
MA
IL
UT IL ININ OH
OH 100%
RI
NV
NV UT CO
CO MO
5%
CT
75% 90% KS
KS MO WV
WV
50% KY
KY 80% NJ
CA
CA VA
VA
DE
OK
OK TN
TN NC
NC MD
AZ NM
100% AR
AR
AZ NM 5% SC
SC
50%
MS
MS
AL
AL GA
GA
TX
13%
TX LA
LA

HI FL
FL
100%

„ Full Implementation PR

„ 50-90% Partial Implementation

„ 26-50% Partial Implementation
„ 11-25% Partial Implementation
„ 1-10% Partial Implementation
‰ No Implementation
 Earthwork and walls: ASD

Superstructure: LRFD
Substructure: LRFD/ASD
Foundations: ASD
 Reasons for Not Adopting
• Human nature.
• No perceived benefits.
• Unfamiliarity with LRFD methods.
• Lack of confidence in the computed
results.
• Perceived errors and inconsistencies.
• A specification that did not reflect
current design practices.
What is AASHTO/FHWA doing?
• Bridge Design examples.
• NHI LRFD Training Courses.
• FHWA Technical Assistance.
• FHWA/ NCHRP Calibration efforts.
• AASHTO Section 11 and 10
Revisions.
• AASHTO T-15 Continues to refine
and develop the spec. details.
 Bridge Design Examples

Concrete Steel
http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/bridge/lrfd/examples.htm
 NHI LRFD Training Courses

Course 130082
LRFD for Highway
Bridge Substructures
and Earth Retaining
Structures
 FHWA/ NCHRP Activities
• NCHRP Project 12-66, Specifications
for Serviceability in the Design of
Bridge Foundations
• NCHRP Report 507, Load and
Resistance Factor Design (LRFD) for
Deep Foundations
• NCHRP 20-7 activities.
 FHWA/ NCHRP Activities

• Publication No. FHWA-NHI-05-052,

Development of Geotechnical
Resistance Factors and Downdrag
Load Factors for LRFD Foundation
Strength Limit State Design
 Revisions to Section 10
• Compiled by a Technical Expert Panel
• Review and input from A Technical
Working Group (TWG)
• Accepted by AASHTO Subcommittee
T-15 in June 2005 in Newport, Rhode
Island
• First published in 2006 Interim
http://bridges.transportation.org
 Topics Included
• Subsurface
investigations
• Soil and rock properties
• Shallow foundations
• Driven piles
• Drilled shafts
• Rigid and flexible
culverts
• Abutments
• Walls (most types)
Topics NOT Included
• Integral abutments
• Micropiles (added 2007)
• Augercast piles
• Soil nails
• Reinforced slopes
• All soil and rock
earthwork features.
=====================
• There are also AASHTO
LRFD CONSTRUCTION
SPECS. (driven, drilled
and micropiles).
 Section 10 Contents
10.1 SCOPE NO SIGNIFICANT CHANGE
10.2 DEFINITIONS UPDATED
10.3 NOTATION UPDATED, CONSISTANT
10.4 SOIL AND ROCK PROPERTIES
10.5 LIMIT STATES AND RESISTANCE FACTORS
10.6 SPREAD FOOTINGS
REORGANIZED,
10.7 DRIVEN PILES
NEW CONTENT
10.8 DRILLED SHAFTS NEW CONTENT
PROPERTY INFO
Section 10.4 Soil and Rock Properties

Subsurface
GEC 5
Investigations
Sabatini, 2002
Mayne, 2002
Section 10.4 Soil and Rock Properties

W !
NE
10.4.6 SELECTION OF DESIGN PROPERTIES

• Soil Strength
• Soil Deformation NE
W!
• Rock Mass Strength
• Rock Mass Deformation
• Erodibility of rock
Section 10.5 Limit States and
Resistance Factors

• Resistance factors revised

• Additional discussion on the basis for
resistance factors
• Additional discussion of extreme event
considerations
 Articles 3.4.1 and 3.11.8
Downdrag
• Methods for computing

• Load Factors

• Use of minimum load factors clarified

Maximum Minimum
Piles, α-method 1.4 0.25
Piles, λ-method 1.05 0.30
Drilled Shafts, O'Neill 1.25 0.35
and Reese (1999)
 Section 10.6 Spread Footings
Eccentricity provisions clarified

B′ = B – 2eB L
B
L′ = L – 2eL
ML P
Q = P/(B’ L’) MB

Applies to e
B eL
geotechnical design B’
L’
q
for settlement and
bearing resistance
Section 10.6 Spread Footings
Hough method

Elastic Settlement of
cohesionless soils

1 ⎛ σ' vo + Δσ v ⎞
ΔH = H c log⎜⎜ ⎟⎟
C' ⎝ σ' vo ⎠
 Section 10.6 Spread Footings
NOMINAL RESISTANCE
COHESION
UNIT WEIGHT
DEPTH WIDTH
qn = c Ncm + γ Df Nqm Cwq + 0.5 γ B Nγm Cw γ

Nc sc ic Nq sq dq iq Nγsγiγ

Shear through
Inclination Water table
overburden
Factors correction
Bearing
Shape Capacity Factors
Correction Factors
correction
Settlement factor
correction factors removed
 Section 10.7 Driven Piles
Settlement of pile groups

4 new diagrams

From:
Hannigan (2005)
 Section 10.7 Driven Piles
Qt The P-y method specified
Ht Mt for horizontal deflection
and wedge strain for
“short” piles

y
 Section 10.7 Driven Piles
S P
r ve P
c u
a l
in e
ir g urv
O d c
if ie Pm * P
o d
M y
D
P-multiplier (Pm)
Spacing (S) Row 1 Row 2 Row 3
3D 0.7 0.5 0.35
5D 1.0 0.85 0.7
 Section 10.7 Driven Piles
Field determination of nominal resistance

Static load test Dynamic load test

 Section 10.7 Driven Piles
Static analysis methods

• Nordlund –
Thurman method
added
 Section 10.7 Driven Piles
Static analysis methods
• Primary use is for pile length estimation
for contract drawings and feasibility.
• Secondary use for estimation of downdrag,
uplift resistance and scour effects
• Should rarely be used as sole means of
determining pile resistance. ONLY IN
SPECIAL SITUATIONS!
 Section 10.7 Driven Piles

Requirements for
driveability analysis
have been added and
clarified
 Section 10.7 Driven Piles

!
EW NE
N W!

10.7.3.2 PILE LENGTH ESTIMATES FOR

CONTRACT DOCUMENTS
10.7.6 Determination of minimum pile
penetration
 Section 10.8 Drilled shafts
Refers to driven piles section where possible
• Downdrag
• Group settlement
• Horizontal displacement (single and group)
• Lateral squeeze
• Water table and buoyancy
• Scour
• Group resistance (cohesive soil only)
• Uplift (group and load test sections)
• Buckling
• Extreme event limit state
 Section 10.8 Drilled shafts
• Static analysis methods
for soil and rock have
been updated
• Consideration of both
base and side
resistance in rock is
now included

O’Neill and Reese (1999)

Currently being updated by
FHWA.
Section 10.8 Drilled shafts
A+B

A+D
Total Resistance
B+C
Resistance A
Side Resistance
B
D C
QS
Tip Resistance
QP
Displacement
Conclusion
 Future Enhancements
Overall stability
• Weight is both a load and a resistance

• Service limit state (should be strength

limit state) +

WT WT

N tan φ
cl N tan φ
l l cl
T N
WT N T
WT
T
T
 Future Enhancements
Inclination Factors
• Ignored by many practicing engineers

• Based on small scale tests and theory

• Effect of embedment (Df)

• Resistance factors are for vertical load

Q
Df
 Future Enhancements

Nominal bearing resistance of rock

• Very little guidance available

• CSIR Rock Mass Rating System proposed

• CSIR developed for tunnel design

• Includes life safety considerations and

therefore, margin of safety
• May be conservative depending on what
your existing practice has been.
 Future Enhancements
V
HH

Pile head fixity

• Connection details

• Effects of axial loads

 Future Enhancements
Δx

Δz
Serviceability limits
NCHRP 12-66
Due April 2006 very late.
Nearing completion June
2007.
 What Should I Know and Do?

• Become familiar with BOTH the

AASHTO standard specifications
and LRFD specs.
• Develop an understanding of your
agency’s current design practice
 What Should I Know and Do?

• Develop and compare results for

SEVERAL example problems with
LRFD and YOUR standard design
practice
• Translate your current practice to an
LRFD format
 What Should I Know and Do?
• Whenever possible perform some less
of comparative designs
• Communicate your findings to
AASHTO’s Subcommittee T-15 Chair
or members, certainly to your client.
 AASHTO Section 11

• Design specifications for:

• Conventional
gravity/semigravity walls
• Non-gravity cantilevered walls
• Anchored walls
• Mechanically Stabilized Earth
(MSE) walls
• Prefabricated modular walls
 LRFD Specifications for
Foundation/ Earth Retaining
Structure Design
Questions?