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
Geotechnical Engineering for Infrastructure and Development
1 INTRODUCTION
Ground supported working platforms are critical for
the stability of heavy tracked plant during piling and
lifting operations. Piling equipment is becoming
heavier to cater for the ever increasing market for
deeper foundations. In order to provide a safe work-
ing platform, the approach to platform design should
be related to the risks during the plant operation as
well as the soil conditions. The guide to good prac-
tice (BR 470), ‘Working platforms for tracked plant’,
was prepared by Building Research Establishment
(BRE) in June 2004. The prime objective of this
guide is to achieve an acceptable level of safety for
piling and other tracked plant operations. Since 2004
the BR 470 design method has been used extensively
in the UK. However, some users have reported that
this design method leads to unnecessarily large and
uneconomic platform thicknesses and the guide also
does not cover the working platform design for low
strength foundation i.e. undrained shear strength less
than 20 kPa (Clause A2). This paper highlights an al-
ternative design approach to BR 470 using punched
and drawn hexagonal structure geogrids with triangu-
lar apertures and their practical application on two
projects with challenging geotechnical and loading
conditions; Crossrail, Contract C310 at North Wool-
wich, London and a commercial development at
Stoke Quay, Ipswich.
2 BR470 CONVENTIONAL APPROACH
The guide to good practice (BR 470), ‘Working plat-
forms for tracked plant’ presents a simple design ap-
proach for working platforms appropriate for many
routine cases. The design of working platform pri-
marily depends on the properties of the subgrade,
quality of the platform material and the simplified rig
loading conditions under two load cases which in-
cludes standing, travelling and handling as load case
1 and penetrating, extracting and auguring under load
case 2.
The guide includes assessment of the working
platform for both cohesive and granular subgrade and
typically the upper 2 m of ground conditions are con-
sidered in the calculation. The bearing resistance of
the two layer soil system i.e. platform material and
1396
subgrade is calculated using a punching failure
mechanism as shown in Figure 1.
The design guide also allows the incorporation of
a structural geosynthetic reinforcement into the
working platform with the prime objective to reduce
the platform thickness. The additional bearing re-
sistance from the geosynthetic reinforcement is ob-
tained by a calculation that utilizes a factored ulti-
mate tensile strength (Tult).
Figure 1. BR 470 Punching failure
Having established that the subgrade alone cannot
support the plant and then that the selected working
platform material can support the plant if placed to a
required thickness, the working platform thickness
with or without geosynthetic reinforcement can be
calculated as stated in Appendix A of the guideline.
The general approach in BR470 to routine design
calculation is summarised briefly below.
1. Characterise ground conditions
2. Characterise loading conditions
3. Derive bearing capacity and shape factors
and punching shear coefficient
4. Check support of subgrade alone
5. Check support of platform material alone
6. Determine required thickness of platform
7. Use of geosynthetics reinforcement
8. Final evaluation of results
The guide presents a simple design approach for
working platforms and has proved satisfactory in its
prime objective of improving safety, but concerns
have been raised that the design method leads to ex-
cessively large platform thickness thus increasing the
overall cost and time of construction. BR470
acknowledges that there will be many situations in
which alternative design approaches are acceptable.

3 ALTERNATIVE APPROACH TO BR470
The guide allows the use of geosynthetic reinforce-
ment to reduce the thickness of the working platform
but does not address properties specific to the partic-
ular types of geosynthetic material. It was highlight-
ed in the BRE review - 2011(Use of ‘structural geo-
synthetic reinforcement’– A BRE review seven years
on) that the performance of working platforms with
geosynthetics is complex and varies based on the
properties and type of geosynthetic used. There are
several possible failure mechanisms and it is unlikely
that a single simple design method can be developed
which will have universal application and can also
preserve both safety and economy. BR470 allows an
alternative method other than that depicted in the
guideline provided that the method has been validat-
ed by past experience and appropriate experimental
testing. The design approach highlighted in this paper
and used in the projects below is a load spread ap-
proach within a mechanically stabilised layer (MSL)
incorporating hexagonal structure geogrids. The pri-
mary function of these geogrids is stabilisation of the
fill material. Figure 2 shows the geometrical structure
of a hexagonal geogrid with ribs forming triangular
apertures.
Figure 2.Hexagonal Geogrid with Triangular Apertures
The design approach is based on extensive re-
search and trafficking trails. It has been increasingly
recognised over a number of years and through la-
boratory and site trails that a suitable geogrid incor-
porated into a granular material can increase the load
carrying performance of the layer by confinement
and lateral restraint of the granular particles which
interlock within the geogrid apertures. Stabilisation
results from interlock between the hexagonal geogrid
and the granular particles providing confinement and
lateral restraint to the particles, resulting an increase
in the mechanical properties of the granular fill.
Dalwadi and Dixon
The stabilisation function is quite distinct from the
tensioned membrane mechanism where a geosynthet-
ic (geogrid or geotextile) is in tension and anchored
beyond the loaded zone. The geosynthetic perfor-
mance characteristic of short-term tensile strength
defined in the BR470 guideline is not relevant for
this stabilisation function. This is particularly evi-
dent for the hexagonal structure geogrids which have
proved to be highly effective at improving the per-
formance of a granular layer by confinement.
The Ipswich piling platform mentioned below high-
lights this, where a mechanically stabilised layer with
hexagonal geogrid provided a stable and safe work-
ing platform and reduced fill thickness by 65% com-
pare to a working platform designed using a 30 kN/m
(Tult) geogrid product. Figure 3 shows the difference
between the reinforcement and stabilisation function
within unbound granular layers. The stabilisation
function is recognised by EOTA i.e. European Or-
ganisation for Technical Approvals Report, TR41
Edition October 2012.
The hexagonal shape geogrid with triangular aper-
ture was further assessed to understand the perfor-
mance relative to biaxial geogrids manufactured us-
ing similar techniques having orthogonal ribs and
rectangular apertures and with similar or higher ten-
sile strength (Tult).
Figure 3. Reinforcement and Stabilisation Function
It was considered that a number of features influ-
enced the load spread performance of hexagonal
shape geogrids including uniform in-plane stiffness
at low strain measured radially and rib junction effi-
ciency. According to Watts K. & Jenner C.G. (2008),
Tult was found not to be a key factor in performance
This contrasts to BR470 where Tult is the only proper-
ty utilised in the BR470 design. The design method
using a load spread approach for the working plat-
1397
expression is obtained for the bearing resistance of a platform
on a cohesive subgrade with a low water table. Rp
Granular material alone
cuNcsc
5
ªp D2
1 R ¼ cu Nc sc þ K p tan
sp
W

4
There are two limiting conditions.

(a) When D ¼ 0, the bearing resistance is simply that of the

R
cohesive subgrade 3
cuNcsc

2 Rc ¼ cu Nc sc
2

(b) When D is large, the bearing resistance is simply that of

the platform material when unaffected by the underlying
Rc
clay layer 1 Subgrade alone
cuNcsc

3 Rp ¼ 0:5ªp WNªp sª
Equation 1 used in conjunction with the limiting values given
in Equations 2 and 3 indicates an increase in bearing resistance
(R) with increasing depth of the platform (D), as illustrated in
Figure 3 for some typical conditions. The graph
is in the form of a dimensionless plot of bearing resistance,
R/(cu Nc sc ), against platform depth and loaded width (D/W).
When the platform depth D ¼ 0, the bearing resistance is a
minimum, corresponding to the subgrade alone, Rc /(cu Nc sc ) (see
Equation 2); when D is large (corresponding to a very thick
platform) the maximum bearing resistance is that provided by
an infinite depth of platform material, Rp /(cu Nc sc ) (see
Equation 3). For the conditions that apply in Figure 3, the
latter state is reached when D/W ¼ 2.5 and Rp /(cu Nc sc ) ¼ 5.6.
Between these two limits the bearing resistance of the
combined system can be determined using Equation 1.
The guide recommends values for the punching shear
coefficient, Kp tan
, for a range of 9 as well as shape factors
for this coefficient and for the subgrade bearing resistance.
A simple addition to the capacity of the platform is suggested
to take account of the effect of geosynthetic reinforcement.
This approach to the calculation of the required depth of the
working platform contains many simplifying assumptions,
which cannot fully represent actual soil behaviour. The method
described in the guide has been calibrated against other design
methods for strip loadings and the experience of FPS members.
However, the results of calculations should be critically
0
0 1 2 3
D
W
Fig. 3. Typical increase in bearing resistance (R) with
increasing depth of platform (D) for well compacted granular
platform material on soft clay subgrade
appraised by an appropriately experienced engineer, and in
situations where the routine design calculations are not
appropriate it may be necessary to carry out more sophisticated
forms of analysis.
REFERENCES
1. BUILDING RESEARCH ESTABLISHMENT. Working Platforms for
Tracked Plant: Good Practice Guide to the Design,
Installation, Maintenance and Repair of Ground-Supported
Working Platforms. Building Research Establishment,
Watford, 2004, BR470.
2. MEYERHOF G. G. The bearing capacity of foundations under
eccentric and inclined loads. Proceedings of 3rd
International Conference on Soil Mechanics and Foundation
Engineering, Zurich, 1953, 1, 440–445.
3. FOUNDOUKOS M. and JARDINE R. J. The effect of eccentric
loading on the bearing capacity of shallow foundations.
Proceedings of BGA International Conference on
Foundations: Innovations, Observations, Design and
Practice, Dundee, 2003, pp. 297–305.

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Geotechnical Engineering 161 Issue GE6 Briefing Charles et al. 281

Geotechnical Engineering for Infrastructure and Development

consuming by main contractor ISG plc. who sought

an alternative design using a stabilised platform ap-
proach. The design was carried out in accordance
with the BR470 guideline, where alternative design
methodologies can be used for the incorporation of a
‘structural geosynthetic ’. The variety of alternative
approaches that can be used include load spread, load
factor and bearing capacity improvement. To use an
alternative method, the requirements are:
1. The objective of safety is preserved Alternative
approaches are based on credible and representa-
tive research work
2. A person competent in both geotechnical engi-
neering and geosynthetics is made responsible
for the design
An alternative design approach- Load Spread
method using a mechanically stabilised layer with
hexagonal structure geogrid was adopted to demon-
strate safe and economical design. Based on the in-
formation, the working platform thickness was as-
sessed for cohesive and granular ground conditions
and the following sections were produced for the crit-
ical rig track pressure of 270 kPa.
Figure 6. Working platform sections with BR470 and load spread method
Working platform with hexagonal geogrid at Stoke
Quay. On-site crushed material was used extensively
5 CONCLUSION
The safety of working platforms for tracked plant is
crucial and BR 470 Guideline has been effective in
raising industry awareness of this within the UK.
However it is widely recognized that the analytical
design methods used there can produce excessively
thick platforms, requiring large quantities of granular
fill material with associated economic and environ-
mental costs as well as slower installation which can
impact on the overall site program.
BR 470 does recognise that alternative empirically
derived design methods may be acceptable. These
empirical methods however need to be backed up
with credible experience, research testing and moni-
tored performance. A load spread method of platform
design based on the stabilisation of granular fill using
hexagonal structure geogrids has been proven to pro-
duce safe working platform designs which require
relatively thin platforms. Furthermore this method
can be applied to platforms over very weak for-
mations with strengths below the range permissible
within BR 470

The platform was constructed in 2012 and a series

of plate load tests were carried out on the top of the ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
platform prior to piling operations to ensure that the
applied design pressures could be safely supported. The authors thank Hochtief Murphy JV, Crossrail
All deformations were found to be within acceptable and ISG Jackson for providing project information.
serviceable levels.
The alternative design approach utilising the stabi-
lisation function of hexagonal structure geogrids re-
duced the overall platform thickness by 65% com-
pared to the original design using BR470 method.

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