Instrumentation of a reinforced earth wharf Newcastle, N. B.
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Date
1992
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University of New Brunswick
Abstract
The predominant use of reinforced earth has been in dry land retaining
structures. Recent research has led to the development commercial applications of
reinforced earth walls constructed partially "in the wet". Previous marine applications
of reinforced earth were restricted to shore erosion protection structures (breakwalls)
constructed in shallow water, taking advantage of low tide. The Newcastle wharf
represents the "next generation" of reinforced earth marine walls.
Since there have been few structures built, there are presently very little data
available on their performance. The Newcastle wharf was therefore instrumented in
order to measure its structural performance as part of a research project undertaken by
the U. N. B. Civil Engineering Department. Specifically, the purpose was to generally
compare the measured performance of the structure with the field performance of
reinforced earth walls constructed "in the dry", which is reported extensively in the
literature. A summary of the unique construction techniques used for the Newcastle
wharf, an overview of the previous research in the study area, and a brief description
of analysis and design procedures for reinforced earth walls is also presented herein.
The basic instrumentation consisted of (i) strain gauges on three reinforcing
strips to monitor the tensile stress distribution, (ii) a total load pressure cell in the
backfill to measure the vertical overburden pressure, and (iii) an inclinometer casing
installed close to the wall face in order to allow for the use of an inclinometer in
determining the wall deflection profile. An extensive monitoring program, from June to
October 1991, was implemented after the instrumentation.
The results indicate that the structural performance of the wharf is similar to the
structural performance of dry land retaining structures. However, it is recommended
that further research on this topic be conducted, due to the need for a large database
to make a generalised comparison.