DFI Soil Nail Data ProjectDear DFI Members and professional colleagues:
The Tieback and Soil Nailing Committee, at their fall 2007 meeting in Colorado Springs, discussed that a shortage of current and complete performance data existed to guide engineers, specialty geotechnical contractors, and owners. Furthermore, it was recognized that the state of practice in analysis and design is based on domestic and foreign case studies that are more than 10 years old and dating back perhaps to the French CLOUTERRE project originally translated into English in 1991. As a result, the Committee is undertaking a new, national effort to collect, categorize, and begin analysis of soil nail wall performance data in 2008.
The data types being sought are typical project, geotechnical and wall geometry information, design and analysis methods and software, construction and monitoring duration, settlement and lateral deformation data, and nail strain gauge data. We would like the opportunity to review all documented case histories of soil nail walls that performed well or poorly, both for temporary and permanent applications. The primary goal of this collection and analysis process is to confirm or adjust the soil nail wall movement envelopes stated in the current literature and to compare measured soil nail loads and stresses to those predicted by the available methods of analysis. Future teaming with academia will be sought by the Committee in order to facilitate a complete review, extract and analyze the desired performance data, and possibly synthesize updated prediction methodologies.
We are soliciting your support as a member of DFI and/or the geotechnical engineering community to respond to our request for information and contribute to advancing the state of practice in soil nail wall design and construction.
A request for information has been generated by the Committee. Click here or go to http://www.dfi.org/update/Soil Nail Wall Performance Data Collection Form.pdf to complete the PDF form for each pertinent project to the best of your ability and return it to the Committee for initial review and classification by September 30, 2008. If you need to save the form, you may do so from the link. Please contact us with any questions.
Sincerely,
Terence P. Holman, Ph.D., P.E.
Vice Chair, Tiebacks and Soil Nailing Committee
tholman@mtac.com
(973) 627-2100 ext. 245
