AASHTO LRFD Section 11

Abutments, Piers, and Walls

 AASHTO Section 11

 Design specifications for:

 Conventional gravity/semigravity walls
 Non-gravity cantilevered walls

 Anchored walls

 Mechanically Stabilized Earth (MSE)

walls
 Prefabricated modular walls
Common Load Groups for Walls
gDC gEV gEH gES gLS
Group (Active)

Strength Ia 0.90 1.00 1.50 1.50 1.75

Strength Ib 1.25 1.35 1.50 1.50 1.75

Service I 1.00 1.00 1.00 1.00 1.00

 Load Definitions
 DC – dead load of structural components
and attachments
 EV – vertical pressure from dead load of
earth fill
 EH – horizontal earth pressure load
 ES – earth surcharge load
 LS – live load surcharge (transient load)
 Surcharge Loads

 Earth surcharge AASHTO Section

3.11.6.1 and 3.11.6.2
 Live load surcharge AASHTO
3.11.6.4
Conventional Retaining Walls
 Strength Limit States
 Sliding
 Bearing resistance
 Eccentricity

 Service Limit States

 Vertical settlement
 Lateral wall movement
 Overall stability
External Failure Mechanisms

Sliding Failure Overturning Failure

Deep-Seated
Bearing Failure Sliding Failure
 Load Factors for Conventional Walls
b b

1.50 EHsin(b+d) 1.50 EHsin(b+d)

0.90 DC
1.25 DC

1.00 EV
1.50 EH 1.50 EH
1.35 EV
b+d b+d
1.50 1.50

1.00 WAV
1.00 WAV

EHcos(b+d) EHcos(b+d)

1.00 WAH 1.00 WAH

Load Factors for Load Factors for
Bearing Resistance Sliding and Eccentricity
 Conventional Walls - Summary
 Use resistance factors for spread footings
or deep foundations, as appropriate
(Section 10.5)

 Eccentricity limited to:

 e/B < 0.25 for soil (compare to ASD 0.167)
 e/B < 0.375 for rock (compare to ASD 0.25)
 Non-gravity Cantilevered Walls
 Strength Limit States
 Bearing resistance of embedded portion of wall
 Passive resistance of embedded portion of wall
 Flexural resistance of wall/facing elements

 Service Limit States

 Vertical wall movement
 Lateral wall movement
 Overall stability
 Resistance Factors

Bearing Resistance Section 10.5

Passive Resistance 1.00
Flexural Resistance 0.90

 Code allows increase in Resistance Factors

for temporary walls but specific guidance is
not provided
 Pressure Diagrams – Discrete Elements
ASD

LRFD
 Non-gravity Cantilevered Walls
 Below excavation line, multiply by 3b
on passive side of wall and 1b on active
side of wall for discrete elements

 Look at forces separately below

excavation line on passive side and
active side (because different load
factors)
 Non-gravity Cantilevered Walls
 Factor embedment by 1.2 for
continuous wall elements

 Do not factor embedment for discrete

wall elements (conservatism of 3b
assumption)
 Example
 Cantilevered sheet pile wall retaining a
10-ft deep cut in granular soils
 Assume 36 ksi yield stress for sheet
pile
 Compare required embedment depth
and structural section for ASD and
LRFD
 Load Factor of 1.5 used for EH (active)
 Example Geometry

g= 125 pcf
10' Ka = 0.33
gp = 1.5

Pp Pa
L
La
Lp
A
Kp = 3
jp = 1

Factored Pa = gp * 0.5 * (L+10)2 * Ka * g

Factored Pp = jp * 0.5 * L2 * Kp * g
 Example Results
Method Mmax Embedment Section
Modulus
(k-ft) (ft) (in3/ft)
ASD 15.4 12.2 9.23 (S)
(elastic)
LRFD 29.2 12.2 10.83 (Z)
(plastic)

Since Z is about 1.15 to 1.20 times S,

similar section would be acceptable
 Anchored Walls
 Strength Limit States
 Bearing resistance of embedded portion of wall
 Passive resistance of embedded portion of wall
 Flexural resistance of wall/facing elements
 Ground anchor pullout
 Tensile resistance of anchor tendon

 Service Limit States

 Same as non-gravity cantilevered wall
 Apparent Earth Pressure
Diagrams
 Based on FHWA-sponsored research
 Builds upon well-known Terzaghi-Peck
envelopes
 Appropriate for walls built in competent
ground where maximum wall height is
critical design case
 Same diagram shape for single or
multi-leveled anchored walls
Recommended AEP for Sands

H1

H1
H1
3

3
H1

2/

2/
p Th1

H
Th1 p

H2
3
1/
Th2
H

Hn
Thn
(H-H1)

Hn+1

Hn+1
3
2/

3
2/
R R
TOTALLOAD TOTALLOAD
p=  K A γH p=
2 H
3 H - 1 3 H1  1 3 Hn+1

(a) Walls with one level (b) Walls with multiple

of ground anchors levels of ground anchors
LRFD Check on Tensile Breakage

 Guaranteed Ultimate Tensile

Strength (GUTS)
Tn
GUTS 

 Select tendon with:
ΣγiQi
GUTS 

Resistance Factors for Ground
Anchors – Tensile Rupture

Mild Steel 0.90

High Strength Steel 0.80

 Resistance factors are applied to

maximum proof test load
 For high strength steel, apply
resistance factor to GUTS
 Comparison to ASD –
Tensile Rupture
 ASD
 0.8 GUTS > 1.33 Design Load
(DL = EH + LS)
 0.8 GUTS > 1.33 EH + 1.33 LS
 LRFD
  GUTS > gp EH + 1.75 LS
 0.8 GUTS > 1.5 EH + 1.75 LS

Maximum proof test load must be at least

equal to the factored load
 Anchor Bond Length

Tn
L b(min) =
  Qa

 Lb = anchor bond length

 Tn = factored anchor load
 Qa = nominal anchor pullout resistance
 Nominal Anchor Pullout
Resistance

Qa =   d  a  L b

 Qa = nominal anchor pullout capacity

 d = anchor hole diameter
 a = nominal anchor bond stress
 Lb = anchor bond length
Preliminary Evaluation Only

 Bond stress values in AASHTO

should be used for FEASIBILITY
evaluation

 AASHTO values for cohesionless

and cohesive soil and rock
 Presumptive Nominal Bond Stress
in Cohesionless Soils
Anchor/Soil Type Soil Compactness or SPT Presumptive
(Grout Pressure) Resistance Ultimate Bond
Stress, n (ksf)

Gravity Grouted Anchors

(<50 psi)
Sand or Sand-Gravel Mixtures Medium Dense to Dense 11-50 1.5 to 2.9

Pressure Grouted Anchors

(50 to 400 psi)
Fine to Medium Sand Medium Dense to Dense 11-50 1.7 to 7.9
Medium to Coarse Sand w/Gravel Medium Dense 11-30 2.3 to 14
Dense to Very Dense 30-50 5.2 to 20

Silty Sands ----- 3.5 to 8.5

Sandy Gravel Medium Dense to Dense 11-40 4.4 to 29

Dense to Very Dense 40-50+ 5.8 to 29
Glacial Till Dense 31-50 6.3 to 11
 Resistance Factors –
Anchor Pullout
Cohesionless (Granular)
0.65(1)
Soils
Cohesive Soils 0.70(1)
Rock 0.50(1)

Where Proof Tests Preformed 1.00(2)

1) Using presumptive values for preliminary

design only
2) Where proof tests conducted to at least 1.0
times the factored anchor load
 Comparison to ASD –
Anchor Pullout
1.1

1.05

1.0
LRFD/ASD

Rock (FS = 3.0,  = 0.50)

0.95
Sand (FS = 2.5,  = 0.65)
0.9

0.85
Clay (FS = 2.5,  = 0.70)
0.8
0 5 10 15 20
Dead Load / Live Load
 EH 
 1.5 + 1.75 
 EH   LS 
L b(min)(ASD) =  + 1 FS L b(min)(LRFD) =
 LS  
 Final Anchor Design
 Section 11.9.4.2 Anchor Pullout
Capacity
 “For final design, the contract documents
shall require that verification tests or
pullout tests on sacrificial anchors in each
soil unit be conducted …”
 Different than current ASD practice, but
intent is not to require, in general, pullout
testing
 Bearing Resistance of Wall
Element
 Assume all vertical loads carried by portion
of wall below excavation level
 Code refers designer to section on spread or
deep foundations for analysis methods
 Resistance factors used are for static
capacity evaluation of piles or shafts (i.e.,  =
0.3 to 0.5  FS ~ 3.0 to 4.5)
 Resistance factors should be modified to
correlate to FS = 2.0 to 2.5 for bearing
resistance evaluation
 MSE Walls
 Strength Limit States
 Same external stability checks as for
conventional gravity walls
 Tensile resistance of reinforcement
 Pullout resistance of reinforcement
 Structural resistance of face elements and face
element connection

 Service Limits States

 Same as for conventional gravity walls
MSE Walls – External Stability
MSE Walls – Internal Stability
 Check pullout and tensile
resistance at each reinforcement
level and compare to maximum
factored load, Tmax
Maximum Factored Load

 Apply factored load to the

reinforcements

Tmax = σ HS v
 sH = factored horizontal soil stress
at reinforcement (ksf)
 Sv = vertical spacing of
reinforcement
AASHTO 11.10.6.2.1-2
 Factored Horizontal Stresses
 Factored Horizontal Stress

σH = gP σ Vk r + ΔσH 
 gP = load factor (=1.35 for EV)
 kr = pressure coefficient
 sV = pressure due to resultant of
gravity forces from soil self weight
 DsH = horizontal stress

AASHTO 11.10.6.2.1-1
 Reinforcement Tensile
Resistance

Tmax   Tal R c
 Tal = Nominal long-term
reinforcement design strength
  = Resistance factor for tensile
resistance

AASHTO 11.10.6.4.1-1
 Resistance Factors for Tensile
Resistance
Metallic Strip Reinforcement
Reinforcement • Static loading 0.75
• Combined static/earthquake loading 1.00
Grid Reinforcement
• Static loading 0.65
• Combined static/earthquake loading 0.85

Geosynthetic • Static loading 0.90

Reinforcement • Combined static/earthquake 1.20
loading
 ASD/LRFD Tensile Breakage
Example of Steel Strip Reinforcement
ASD LRFD
Tmax = shSv Tmax = gpshSv

Tmax = (svkr + Dsh) Sv Tmax = 1.35 (svkr + Dsh) Sv

Tal = (0.55 Fy Ac) / b Tal = ( Fy Ac) / b with  = 0.75

Tal / Tmax = 0.55 / 1 = 0.55 Tal / Tmax = 0.75 / 1.35 = 0.55

 Other Developments
 LRFD for Soil Nails – NCHRP 24-21

 Draft LRFD Design and Construction

Specification for Micropiles
? The
End