Analysis, design and construction stages of Milad geosynthetic-reinforced soil bridge abutment in Tehran – Iran

Reinforced soil walls are one the most cost effective options for retaining structures, and are being increasingly used in recent years around the world. They have also proved that they have performed to an acceptable level under earthquake loading conditions. This paper presents the analysis, design and construction stages of the first major geosynthetic reinforced soil bridge abutment built in Iran. The bridge abutment was designed, analysed and constructed by BPI Company in Tehran, Iran in 2009. This abutment is analysed using both the Limit Equilibrium Method (LEM) for stability analysis and Finite Element Method (FEM) for deformation analysis under static and seismic loads. The design has been carried out according to the Federal Highway Administration Manual (FHWA-NHI-00-43, 2001) and National Cooperative Highway Research Program Report 556-2006 (NCHRP) as a guideline. Deformations of the abutment were monitored with an accuracy of ±1mm before and after the construction of the concrete sill and are compared with the outputs from the numerical methods. This project was undertaken on behalf of the Tehran Municipality with the aim of bringing this new method of abutment construction to the country. This project is likely to be the first of many to adopt this cost effective solution.