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GEM 17b PDF
GEM 17b PDF
AUGUST 2015
GEOTECHNICAL ENGINEERING MANUAL:
GROUND ANCHOR INSPECTORS MANUAL
GEM-17
Revision #4
AUGUST 2015
EB 15-025 Page 1 of 11
TABLE OF CONTENTS
I. INTRODUCTION......................................................................................................................3
V. REFERENCES ........................................................................................................................10
APPENDICIES ..............................................................................................................................11
A. Blank Forms (US Customary Units) ......................................................................... A-1
B. Blank Forms (International System of Units) ............................................................B-1
EB 15-025 Page 2 of 11
I. INTRODUCTION
The purpose of this manual is to provide the inspector and Engineer-In-Charge with a quick and
easy-to-use set of inspection guidelines for the various aspects of tieback construction, including
pre-installation inspection, installation, testing and trouble shooting load cell problems.
This guide does not cover every possible situation the inspector may encounter. The enclosed
checklists are intended to serve as reminders for inspectors already familiar with tieback
installation. Before using this manual, the reader should refer to the chapter entitled Ground
Anchor Inspectors Manual, in the Task Force 27 report entitled In Situ Soil Improvement
Techniques, prepared by the Subcommittee on New Highway Materials of the AASHTO-AGC-
ARTBA Joint Committee. Copies of this chapter are available upon request from the
Geotechnical Engineering Bureau.
EB 15-025 Page 3 of 11
II. GLOSSARY OF TERMS
1. Anchorage The portion of the tieback, including bearing plates, nuts, and wedges, that is
used to transfer load from the structure to a tendon.
2. Bond Length The portion of the tieback which is bonded to the soil or rock and transfers
the tensile force from the tendon to the soil or rock.
3. Centralizer A device used to center the bond length of the tieback in the hole to ensure
minimum required grout cover over the tieback.
4. Creep Rate The magnitude of total movement measured per log cycle of time during a load
hold.
5. Encapsulation The portion of the tieback which encases or encapsulates the entire length
of the tieback, including the sheath in the free length, to provide an additional barrier to
corrosion.
6. GUTS The guaranteed ultimate tensile strength of the tendon.
7. Residual Movement The permanent set of the tieback measured after stressing and
releasing the tieback.
8. Sheath The portion of the tieback which encases the tendon in the stressing length only.
9. Spacer A device used in the bond length of strand tendons to separate each strand and
permit the grout to bond with each strand.
10. Stressing Length The portion of the tendon which is not bonded to grout.
11. Tendon The steel used to transfer load from the anchorage to soil or rock.
12. Tendon Bond Length The length of the tendon which is bonded to the grout. This is
usually, but not necessarily, the same as the Bond Length.
13. Tieback A system used to transfer tensile loads from a structure to soil or rock. A tieback
includes all prestressing steel (tendon), the anchorage, grout, coating, sheathing, couplers,
and encapsulation, if used.
14. Total Movement The total elongation of the tieback under load measured at the anchor
head.
15. Trumpet A steel pipe or tube, integrally attached to the bearing plate, which surrounds the
tendon in the vicinity of the structure.
EB 15-025 Page 4 of 11
III. CHECKLISTS
A. Preconstruction
Review and become familiar with the plans and specification, including the
construction sequence.
Review the approved Grouted Tieback System (GTS) submittal and become
familiar with the proposed design and method of construction.
B. Materials
Check all Mill Test Certificates for compliance with the specifications.
Tendons should be covered and stored off the ground, out of the way of
construction equipment.
Tendons should be inspected for rust just prior to installation. Loose, powdery rust
should be rubbed off, but not sanded. Tendons with nicks or pits should be
rejected.
Confirm the materials supplied for the grout mix match the mix design and are in
compliance with the specification.
EB 15-025 Page 5 of 11
C. Construction
1. Drilling
Record appropriate information for each anchor installation on a copy of the
Ground Anchor Installation Form included in this manual.
Verify that the anchor declination angle at the time of drilling is the same as that
shown in the plans.
Log the soil and rock cutting brought up by the drilling operation.
Check that the anchor hole is positioned so that the tendon does not have to be
pulled over laterally or vertically to be attached to the structural system.
2. Tendon Installation
Inspect uncased holes with a mirror or flashlight for caving or loose debris. The
hole should be open and clean.
Make sure the tendon is handled carefully to prevent damage. If the bond length of
an encapsulated tieback is grouted before insertion into the hole, the Contractor
should provide uniform support to prevent the grout from cracking.
Make sure the tendon is inserted to the minimum unbonded length. Do not permit
the Contractor to force the tendon in with machinery.
The trumpet should be long enough to extend well over the sheathed tendon, but
not for the entire unbonded length.
The tendon should not contact the sides of the trumpet at any time.
EB 15-025 Page 6 of 11
3. Grouting
Contact the Materials Group to inspect and approve the grouting equipment.
The grout should be pumped at the lowest point of the drill hole so that the hole is
filled progressively from bottom to top.
The Contractor should continue pumping grout until it flows free of impurities
and lumps.
The Contractor should continue to pump grout as the grout tube, auger, or casing
is removed.
Density of Fluid Grout: Use a Baroid Mud Balance in accordance with the
American Petroleum Institute (API) Recommended Practice (RP) 13B-1:
Standard Procedure for Testing Water-Based Drilling Fluids to check the density
of each batch of mixed grout prior to placement.
Grout Cubes: Cast a mold set (three (3) grout cubes) for every 50 yd3 of grout
placed in accordance with the procedure contained in Materials Bureau Test
Method NY701-19E Grout Cube Molding Procedure
The Contractor should not reverse the auger rotation while grouting.
The trumpet and anchorage should be completely filled with grease or grout, after
testing has been completed.
EB 15-025 Page 7 of 11
For grease-filled trumpets, be sure the seal is in place and the grease level does
not drop.
Obtain the bar or strand properties (i.e. steel modulus and area), necessary to
calculate elongation, from the approved GTS submittal and verify the delivered
materials are the same as specified.
The dial gauge should be in proper working order and should have appropriate
travel length.
Obtain calibration curves for each jack and pressure gauge set, and for each load
cell.
The load cell and jack should be aligned concentrically with one another.
The dial gauge should be aligned with the axis line of the anchor.
The load in the anchor should not drop below the alignment load.
For a bar tendon, be sure the spherical nut inside the jack chair does not come into
contact with the jack.
When strand tendons are used, watch the wedges to ensure that the strands are
uniformly loaded.
During a creep test, the load should be held constant. The load must be held
within 25 psi (175 kPa) if a jack pressure gauge is used or within 200 lbs (900 N)
if a load cell is used.
EB 15-025 Page 8 of 11
Do not allow the top row of anchors to be stressed until the backfill material has
been placed and compacted above the anchor behind the structure.
E. Documentation
Make copies of all appropriate forms for anchor installation and testing.
Record and log each anchor installation, which includes: drilling, subsurface
conditions encountered, tendon installation, and grouting.
EB 15-025 Page 9 of 11
IV. LOAD CELL TROUBLE SHOOTING
Lack of agreement between a load cell and pressure gauge has three common causes:
V. REFERENCES
EB 15-025 Page 10 of 11
APPENDICIES
EB 15-025 Page 11 of 11
Blank Forms (US Customary Units)