Proceedings of the XVI ECSMGE

Geotechnical Engineering for Infrastructure and Development

ISBN 978-0-7277-6067-8

© The authors and ICE Publishing: All rights reserved, 2015

doi:10.1680/ecsmge.60678

Working platforms for tracked plant – an alternative

design approach to BR470 using hexagonal geogrid
mechanically stabilised layers
Plates-formes de travail d’usine de chenilles, une approche de
conception alternatives à une BR470 utilisant une couche stabilisé
mécaniquement avec une géogrille hexagonal
Mitul J Dalwadi*1 and John Dixon1
1
Tensar International UK
* Corresponding Author
ABSTRACT Temporary working platforms are critical for plant stability, efficiency and safe operation. The guide to good practice (BR
470), ‘Working platforms for tracked plant’ was prepared by BRE in June 2004. The prime objective of this guide is to achieve an accepta-
ble level of safety for piling and other tracked plant operations. The guide includes the option to use geosynthetic products as structural re-
inforcement. Designs based on this guideline often results in an excessively thick working platform. Extensive research has been carried
out on unbound aggregate layers mechanically stabilised with a hexagonal structure geogrid with triangular apertures. Based on this re-
search together with experience from the field, a load spread method has been developed as an alternative approach to the BR470 guide that
provides a safe but more economic design with a lower carbon footprint. This approach has been widely used on numerous projects in UK
for working platforms over weak foundation soil, sometimes including extreme loading conditions. This paper highlights the application of
mechanically stabilised working platforms on two projects with challenging geotechnical and loading conditions; Crossrail, Contract C310
at North Woolwich and a commercial development at Ipswich. The stabilised working platforms not only allowed the use of recycled mate-
rial but also reduced the thickness of working platform by up to 65% compared to a design to BR470. Thus mechanically stabilised work-
ing platforms designed with a load spread method empirically derived for hexagonal structure geogrids can reduce the cost and time of con-
struction and minimise or avoid the need to import granular fill, while still creating a sustainable, safe working platform for the tracked
plant.

RÉSUMÉ Plates-formes de travail temporaires sont essentielles pour la stabilité de l'installation, l'efficacité et la sécurité de fonctionne-
ment. Le guide de bonnes pratiques (BR 470), «les plates-formes de travail pour l'usine de camions» a été préparé par le BRE en Juin 2004
Le premier objectif de ce guide est d'atteindre un niveau de sécurité acceptable pour empilage et d'autres opérations de l'usine à chenilles.
Le guide inclut l'option d'utiliser des produits géosynthétiques comme renfort structurel. Conceptions basées sur cette directive se traduit
souvent par une plate-forme de travail trop épaisse. Des recherches approfondies ont été réalisées sur des couches d'agrégats non liés méca-
niquement stabilisé avec une structure de géogrille hexagonale avec des ouvertures triangulaires. Sur la base de cette recherche avec une
expérience sur le terrain, une méthode de charge de propagation a été conçue comme une approche alternative au guide de BR470 qui four-
nit une conception économique sûr, mais plus avec une empreinte carbone plus faible. Cette approche a été largement utilisée dans de nom-
breux projets au Royaume-Uni pour les plates-formes de travail sur des sols de fondation plus faibles, parfois inclus, conditions de charge
extrêmes. Ce document met en évidence l'application de plates-formes de travail stabilisées mécaniquement sur deux projets avec des con-
ditions géotechniques et de chargement difficiles; Crossrail, contrat C310 à North Woolwich et de développement commercial à Ipswich.
Les plates-formes de travail stabilisées non seulement permis l'utilisation de matériaux recyclés, mais aussi de réduire l'épaisseur de la
plate-forme de travail pouvant aller jusqu'à 65% par rapport à une conception avec le BR470. Ainsi les plates-formes de travail stabilisé
mécaniquement conçus avec une méthode de charge de propagation de façon empirique pour des structures de géogrille hexagonale peut
réduire le coût et le temps de construction et de réduire ou d'éviter la nécessité d'importer le remblai granulaire, tout en créant une plate-
forme de travail durable, sans danger pour le suivi du projet.

1395
Piling 2020
4. Additional Design Considerations
4.1 Extrusion and Edge Stability
The aforementioned design approaches cover the design of
infinitely wide platforms. They do not provide design
approaches to assess the platform edge stability, which can be
critical particularly on restricted sites and where there is a soft
subgrade.
In a similar way as one would consider extrusion and rotational
failures under a larger embankment, the platform edge stability
should be considered (Shown as Fig. 4 . These failure modes
are well covered by chapter 6 of BS 8006-1 (British Standards
Institute 2016), which includes design approaches for both
mechanisms in reinforced platforms, albeit considering them
as permanent embankments.
Figure 6: Embankment External Failures: Top: Rotational
Failure; Bottom: Extrusion failure (Extract from BS8006-
1995)
Extrusion is particularly problematic for heavily loaded
embankments or essentially thicker working platforms over
thin layers of weak soils. Here, the imposed loading can cause
extrusion of the weak underlying soils, which have insufficient
strength to resist the out of balance active earth pressures. Like
a toothpaste tube under pressure, this soft soil undergoes plastic
deformation out from underneath the embankment, causing the
platform to settle by displacement.
Smith and Tatari (2016) investigated the susceptibility of
reinforced embankments over weak soils to cause extrusion.
Their analysis using the DLO software programme,
LimitState:GEO and looked at the failure mechanisms of the
platform over varying soil strengths. The stability of highly
reinforced platforms was dominated by a susceptibility to this
346
“squeezing” deformation in the lower stratum. Depending on
the geometry and reinforcement strength, the embankment
itself either undergoes very localised shearing and vertical
“sinking” translation or rotational “snapping”. In both these
cases further increasing the strength of the reinforcement does
little to improve stability of the platform.
Where extrusion is a problem, standard solutions have included
flattening the side slopes or increasing the set-back from the
edge of the platform. Mounded fill around the platform can
provide counter pressure to extrusion. While sheet piling can
be used to cut off and retain these soft soils this solution is often
prohibitively expensive for large temporary sites. Where the
soft soil depth is limited in depth (e.g. 2 to 3 m), it may be more
economical to simply excavate it and replace with competent
granular fill.
4.2 Extrusion - Shear Key Trenches
Rather than excavating and replacing all the underlying weak
soils, this activity can be limited to the perimeter of the site in
a trench, creating a shear key. This is a well-established
earthworks technique used to disrupt potential weak slip-
planes (Giffen 2015).
There are three possible categories of shear key (see Fig. 8):
Unreinforced Full Depth: Typically extending through the
weak soil layer(s) and embedded into stronger soils below, the
key completely isolates the weaker layer, preventing extrusion.
The granular fill to these trenches improves the drainage of the
soft underlying soils.
Reinforced Full Depth: To limit the width of the key, and
excavation, geotextiles can be used to encase the trench and
maintain the integrity of a smaller shear key trench.
Reinforced Partial Depth: Where the depth of the soft layers,
makes a full depth trench uneconomical, a trench can be
considered that extends only a limited distance into to the soft
soil. This extends deep enough to limit the effective thickness
of the soft layer, until the destabilising extrusion pressure can
be resisted.
 subgrade and the platform may improve long-term
performance by preventing the granular platform material from
being punched into the clay.
The platform should be installed to an appropriate specification
that ensures that the design strength of the platform material is
achieved, and there should be adequate supervision by
competent staff during platform installation. Careful
observation during placement of the working platform material
may reveal weak areas of the subgrade that require design
modifications. Where required, quality control tests should be
carried out.
A formulation of good practice is of value only where it is
applied with careful supervision, control and monitoring of the
platform under appropriate contractual arrangements.
Throughout its working life, the platform should be under the
day-to-day control of appropriately experienced site staff.
Contractual arrangements should ensure that the platform is
adequately inspected, controlled and maintained. Site control
should be adequate to ensure that it is not used by plant for
which it has not been designed, and that working areas are
clearly marked. Problems may arise where working platforms
are also used as haul roads, because there is likely to be an
incompatibility between the two uses.
The integrity of the working platform should be preserved at
the original designed standard throughout its working life.
Inadequate performance of working platforms may be due to
poor maintenance, and many problems experienced with rig
instability can be associated with failure to adequately
maintain and repair a working platform rather than with
inadequacies in specification or installation. Figure 1 illustrates
the hazard presented by a poorly backfilled excavation.
3. ROUTINE DESIGN CALCULATIONS
The guide has two appendices: the first provides an approach
to routine design calculations, with some worked examples,
and the second gives guidance on the determination of
characteristic values of soil parameters.
Working platforms are subject to complex loading conditions,
and it is not easy to reflect in the design calculations the
loading that will actually be experienced. The pressure under
Poorly backf illed excavations
Fig. 1. Hazard posed by poorly backfilled excavations
280 Geotechnical Engineering 161 Issue GE6
the tracks should be calculated in accordance with EN
791:1996 Drill rigs—safety and EN 996:1996 Piling equipment—
safety requirements. Using the weights of the various
components of the rig or crane, the overturning moments can
be calculated for the range of operations that will be carried
out, including standing, travelling, handling, penetrating and
extracting, for different jib and mast orientations. The bearing
pressure distributions, which can be calculated from the
overturning moments, may be triangular or trapezoidal, but
radically simplified stress distributions are recommended for
use in the design calculations. Non-uniform loading
distributions can be transformed into equivalent uniform loads
over a reduced areal extent using the method described by
Meyerhof. 2 For a more recent review of the problem, see
Foundoukos and Jardine;3 further information on loading can
also be found on the FPS website, www.fps.org.uk.
Two loading situations are considered.
(a) Case 1 loading applies to the situation when the rig or
crane operator is unlikely to be able to aid recovery from
an imminent platform failure.
(b) Case 2 loading applies to the situation when the rig or
crane operator can control the load safely, for example by
releasing the line load, or by reducing power, to aid
recovery from an imminent platform failure.
The guide gives recommended partial factors to be applied to
the loads derived according to EN 996:1996, which are
converted to an equivalent uniform loading.
The design calculations indicate the depth of working platform
that is required for the given soil and loading conditions.
Where a working platform of relatively shallow depth is placed
on a weak subgrade, a simple approach to the design
calculations can be based on the analysis of punching failure,
as illustrated in Figure 2. The bearing resistance R is considered
to be the sum of the shear required to punch through a vertical
plane in the granular platform material and the bearing
capacity of the subgrade. It is considered that this mechanism
can be applied to the design of granular platforms overlying
subgrades of cu ¼ 20–80 kPa.
Using the simplified analysis for a footing punching through a
dense granular layer overlying soft clay, the following
Loaded area
W L
Platform Punch D
Subgrade
Bearing capacity failure
Fig. 2. Punching failure mechanism
Briefing Charles et al.

4 CASE STUDIES
4.1 Crossrail C310 North Woolwich, London
Crossrail is Europe’s largest construction project
with £19 billion invested to help improve the capi-
tal’s rail infrastructure. Based on the provided infor-
mation by Hochtief Murphy JV, The North Wool-
wich Portal constructed as part of Contract C310 in
East London by Hochtief Murphy JV provides a
structure for the reception of the Tunnel Boring Ma-
chines (TBM) for the Thames tunnel driving from
Plumstead and a transition from the over ground to
the underground sections of Crossrail. A working
platform was required to safely support various Pil-
ing Rigs and associated plant within the North
Woolwich Portal over a length of 200 m for the con-
struction of the Diaphragm Walls, Secant CFA Piling
Walls and Rotary Bored piles
The ground profile varies across the area of work-
ing platforms. The upper crust comprises Made
Ground mainly granular material, underlain by allu-
vial clay and peat of variable thicknesses. Due to the
site constraints the existing Made Ground layer was
required to be excavated to achieve the necessary
head room for the piling operation and other site ac-
tivities. So the piling platform was required to be
constructed on the alluvium clay foundation which
can be described as a very soft to firm dark grey
slightly sandy clay. Based on the soil test results, an
undrained shear strength of 15 kN/m2 for alluvial
clay and peat material was adopted for the working
platform design. The design approach given in
BR470 is not applicable where the undrained shear
strength is less than 20 kN/m2. Thus an alternative
approach was required to be adopted to provide sta-
ble, safe and economical working platform. In 2012
the JV commissioned Tensar International to carry
out the stabilised working platform design. Extensive
research background for the stabilised granular mate-
rial with hexagonal geogrids and years of experience
in similar conditions meant that an alternative to the
BR470 analysis method could be adopted. Load
spread approach through the Mechanically Stabilised
Layer (MSL) was adopted to assess the thickness of
working platform over a challenging ground and
loading conditions. These rigs induced high track
loads including a Load Case 2 equivalent UDL pres-
sure of 355kPa. The MSL with three layers of hexag-
Dalwadi and Dixon
onal geogrids was proposed and constructed using
the available recycled granular fill (6F5 Capping). In
this instance, site conditions dictated that the MSL
layer incorporated a non-woven geotextile separator
placed directly below the bottom layer of geogrid on
the formation to provide the additional function of
separation, to control any upward migration of fines.
The upper 300 mm thick granular material was re-
placed with rolled concrete in accordance with the
client’s requirement. It was acknowledged by the
construction team that despite the presence of very
low strength soils and high rig loadings, the working
platform designed with load transfer approach and
stabilised with hexagonal geogrid was extremely sta-
ble and performed as required.
Bottom layer of hexagonal stabilizing geogrid placed on
top of geotextile separator
4.2 Stoke Quay, Ipswich
An apartment block and town house development
was planned at Stoke Quay, Ipswich, UK. The
apartment required an 18,000 sq.m. piled foundation
as the ground conditions were very poor. The cleared
site which has had several former uses was covered
with a layer of made ground underlain by sand and
gravel glacial deposits on geological strata. The made
ground could be regarded as cohesive having un-
drained shear strength of 30 kPa and granular made
ground with angle of internal friction of 28-30 de-
gree. The ground water regime was locally tidal and
considered at 1 m depth for design.
An initial design assessment was carried out ac-
cording to BR 470 guidelines with and without struc-
tural geosynthetics. The proposed thickness for non-
stabilised platform and with geosynthetic reinforce-
ment (Refer- figure 6) having short term tensile
strength (T ult) of 30 kN/m was 1135 mm and 900
mm respectively. A working platform thickness in
range of 1 m was considered uneconomical and time
1399

REFERENCES
BR470- Working platforms for tracked plant, 2004
Use of ‘structural geosynthetic reinforcement’– A BRE review
seven years on, BRE2011
Jenner C.G.,Watts, G.R.A, Blackman and The performance of re-
inforced unpaved sub-bases subjected to trafficking
Dalwadi and Dixon
Watts K. & Jenner C.G. (2008) Large scale Laboratory Assess-
ment of Geogrids to reinforced Granular Working platforms, proc
4th European Geosysnthetics Conf. Edinburgh 2008.
European Technical Approval ETA12/0530, Report number KI-
WA K76041 issued by Kiwa Nederland B.V.
Tensar Case Study reference-Ref 319 for Stoke
Quay_Ipswich_Piling_Platform
Tensar Case Study reference Ref 344 for Crossrail Working Plat-
form.
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