PIANC E-Magazine - Sapir Engineering
Transcription
PIANC E-Magazine - Sapir Engineering
143 JULY JUILLET 2011 ON COURSE PIANC E-Magazine Theoretichal and Experimental Investigation on Underwater Water Ground Anchor Barbados Screwdock update Container Terminal Capacity: new formula for the area required News from the Navigation Community The World Association for Waterborne Transport Infrastructure Association Mondiale pour les infrastructures de Transport Maritimes et Fluviales PIANC E-Magazine n° 143, July/juillet 2011 PIANC ‘ Setting the Course’ ‘ Garder le cap’ ON COURSE PIANC E-Magazine 143 J U L Y JUILLET 2011 Responsible Editor / Editeur responsable : Mr. Louis VAN SCHEL Boulevard du Roi Albert II 20, B 3 B-1000 Bruxelles ISBN: 978-2-87223-170-6 All copyrights reserved EAN: 9782872231706 © Tous droits de reproduction réservés PIANC E-Magazine n° 143, July/juillet 2011 E-MAGAZINE N° 143 - 2011 TABLE DES MATIERES TABLE OF CONTENTS Message of the President 6 Message du Président Maurizio Lenzi, Leonello Sciacca, Fausto Valmori, Cesare Melegari, Fabio Maletti, Paola Campana, Vincenzo Padovani, Theoretical and Experimental Investigation on Underwater Water Ground Anchor 11 Maurizio Lenzi, Leonello Sciacca, Fausto Valmori, Cesare Melegari, Fabio Maletti, Paola Campana, Vincenzo Padovani, Recherche théorique et expérimentale sur les ancrages géotechniques sous eau Keith Mackie, Barbados Screwdock Update 31 Keith Mackie, Cale de radoub à vis à la Barbade-actualisation Maria Alejandra Gómez Paz, Container Terminal Capacity: New Formula for the Area Required 39 Maria Alejandra Gómez Paz, Capacité d’un terminal à conteneurs: nouvelle formule de détermination de la surface nécessaire News from the navigation community 57 Des nouvelles du monde de la navigation Cover picture: Alignment of the tie rod with the project axis and detail of the U.W.A. unit. Photo de couverture: Alignement du tirant avec l’axe du projet et le détail de l’élément UWA 5 PIANC E-Magazine n° 143, July/juillet 2011 THEORETICHAL AND EXPERIMENTAL INVESTIGATION ON UNDERWATER WATER GROUND ANCHOR by MAURIZIO LENZI LEONELLO SCIACCA ACMAR Ravenna SAPIR Engineering Ravenna E-mail: [email protected] Website: http://www.acmar.it E-mail: [email protected] Website: http://www.sapireng.it FAUSTO VALMORI CESARE MELEGARI SAPIR Engineering Ravenna TECNIWELL Piacenza E-mail: [email protected] Website: http://www.sapireng.it E-mail: [email protected] Website: http://www.tecniwell.com FABIO MALETTI PAOLA CAMPANA Port Authority of Ravenna Studio CAMPANA Forli’ E-mail: [email protected] Website: http://www.port.ravenna.it E-mail: [email protected] Website: http://www.acmar.it VINCENZO PADOVANI Studio Padovani, Ravenna E-mail: [email protected] KEY WORDS Underwater Anchors, Wharf Deepening, SoilAnchors Interaction, Field Test, Jet Grouting MOTS-CLEFS Ancrages sous eau, approfondissement de quai, interaction sol-ancrage, essais de terrain, jet grouting 1. INTRODUCTION In a port environment, the deepening of harbours is increasingly becoming a priority requirement, 11 necessary for guaranteeing the ongoing operability of the wharves in the face of a continual increase in traffic and in the tonnages of merchant and cruise ships. Hence, it is now standard practice that ports’ regulatory plans provide for harbours to be dredged to significant depths compared to mean sea level, in the order of 12.00 m for existing berths and 15.00 m for new wharf construction. Within this context, SAPIR Engineering, commissioned by the Ravenna Port Authority, has drawn up a project to deepen the harbour bottom of the wharves of the SAPIR Terminal and of the neighbouring docks to a depth of 12.00 m, identifying the structural reinforcement of the existing wharves by means of deep underwater tie rods as analternative PIANC E-Magazine n° 143, July/juillet 2011 solution to the installation of new sheet piles. This solution actually makes it possible to insert additional constraints in the areas where the stress in the bulkhead is higher and it is a suitable option in view of the stratigraphy of the soil of the site that consists of layers of fine sand and layers of silty sand. Once the design concept was defined, the effort was concentrated on developing the technology required for the purpose and in this regard SAPIR Engineering identified in the MiniJet grouting technique, already used by Tecniwell for the installation of tie rods by means of remote control, a technology that is potentially suitable for use in an underwater environment. It was therefore decided to carry out the fine tuning and the evolution of the technology for the marine environment of the robot unit and of the related remote control software that controls the installation of the tie rod, also motivated by the contract for works to consolidate the wharves announced by the Ravenna Port Authority. In the context of the onshore development of this innovative technology, with the co-ordination and the logistical support of SAPIR and under the aegis of the Port Authority, an experimental test site (See Fig. 1) was set up within the Intermodal Port of Ravenna alongside dock No. 18 of Darsena San Vitale, having as its objective the installa- tion, monitoring and testing of underwater tie rods carried out with Tecniwell U.W.A. technology, the acronym standing for ‘Underwater Anchors’. The purpose of the experimentation carried out in the period June-July 2010 was to confirm and validate the feasibility of the proposed solution and the reliability of these tie rods, of new technological conception, for use in the reinforcement and construction of port wharves. Having outlined the background scenario, this technical note illustrates the theoretical and experimental study of underwater tie rods dealing first with the theoretical analyses of the nonlinear interaction between tie rod and soil aimed at identifying the correlation between the forces of applied forces and the corresponding elongations that were the subject of the measurements. Comments were then made on a series of tests carried out with positive results both at the operating load of 300 KN and at the nominal maximum tensile stress of 630 KN. The tests were carried out on seven tie rods of which three were installed at a depth of 5.00 m principally to test the reliability of the operating and remote control systems in the presence of a significant hydrostatic pressure and four were placed at a depth of 8.00 m to check the load bearing capability of the tie rods positioned at the depth called for by the SAPIR project (See Fig. 2 on the next page). Fig. 1: Plan of Darsena San Vitale – SAPIR Area Ravenna PIANC E-Magazine n° 143, July/juillet 2011 12 Fig. 2: Diagram of reinforcement using underwater tie rods 2. FEATURES OF UNDERWATER ANCHORS The underwater tie rods that are the subject of this investigation have the unique feature of being installed by operations directed from the surface using a special piece of equipment positioned in the yard behind the wharf. The system consists of a tracked vehicle that effects the movement of the machine installing the tie rod and that is composed of a mechanical arm that uses a steel telescopic metal to support the robotic unit for drilling/injecting positioned at the design depth and controlled remotely with continuous remote monitoring of the operations and of the injection parameters (See Fig. 3 on the next page). In the case under consideration the test tie rods have a length of 18.00 m being made up of 6 mod- ules each having a length of 3.00 m and connected by threaded pipe couplings having a double sealing gasket and a diameter of 62 mm. The tie rods have an active injected length of 16.00 m, while the passive part of 2.00 m consists of the length of the piece that extends out of the bulkhead (0.40 m), the thickness of the wall (0.60 m) and the remaining free part of 1.00 m, and that was in the test tie rods only, purposely not injected close to the internal surface of the wall. The tie rods are installed using the advancing jet grouting technique that involves the drilling of a hole 90 cm in diameter using a rotating doubled-headed drill bit on which are mounted two 2.5 mm diameter nozzles, one set at an angle of 45° and the other at 90° to the rotational axis of the tie rod (See Fig. 4 on page 14). The bulb is created by injecting a cement mixture through the two nozzles at a pressure of about 13 PIANC E-Magazine n° 143, July/juillet 2011 Fig. 3: Illustration showing the operation of the underwater tie rods A-B: Installation of underwater MiniJet tie rods from the yard using robotic systems C-D: Detail of the remote controlled robotic drilling unit Fig. 4: Diagram of the underwater tie rod injection and drilling system PIANC E-Magazine n° 143, July/juillet 2011 14 400 bar, having a water/cement ratio of 0.75, in this way creating a horizontal column with a diameter in the order of 40 cm with a cement absorption of about 100 kg/ml of tie rod. The bonding agent use, depending on the harshness of the marine environment, is CEM IV-32.5 R pozzolanic cement. The reinforcement of the underwater tie rod is in turn composed of the same drill/injection pipe that has a hollow section with an external diameter of 51 mm, an internal diameter of 33 mm and a resistant section area of 12 cm2. The reinforcing rods are of galvanised steel, have an improved adhesion since they have a continuous thread through rolling and they have a yield point of 630 KN, as well as a breaking maximum tensile stress of 800 KN. For permanent tie rods the U.W.A. technology then provides for the protection of the head by means of a truncated cone seal that is coaxial to the tie rod and an external hood, both made of polyethylene, into which protective grease is inserted together with a zinc anode. It is also possible to carry out the retensioning of the tie rod, as required for the permanent anchors by current technical regulations, since the head of the tie rod is directly accessible by the mere removal of the protective hood. Fig. 5: a) Site stratigraphy – b) Distribution of effective stresses 15 PIANC E-Magazine n° 143, July/juillet 2011 3. GEOTECHNICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF THE SITE The soil of the site where the test tie rods have been anchored is marked by the presence in the stratigraphic column of layers of fine sand and layers of silty sand having a medium density and that extends from the surface down to a depth of about 15 m (See Fig. 5a on the previous page). The CPT cone resistance of the soil in the layer that concerns the tie rod is of 4.0-5.0 Mpa with angle of friction values [ j ] in the order of 30°-32° and coefficient of thrust at rest [K0] values, produced by dilatometric tests, of 0.9 on average. The geotechnical parameters reported below to characterise the elastic plastic interaction between the tie rod and the soil in terms of resistance and deformability were therefore adopted in relation to the stratigraphy of the site. For the ultimate shear resistance [τlim] the simple mechanism activated through friction of the effective lithostatic pressure [σ’v] acting at the depth of the tie rod was considered to be the failure criterion. For the tie rods located at a depth of 8.00 m this criterion furnishes a value of the shear resistance of the soil τlim = σ’v,eq • tanϕ @ 50 KPa, corresponding to a pull resistance of the foundation bulb of 1,000 KN, σ’v,eq = [(1+K0)/2] • σ’v. being the average effective normal stress that takes account of the distribution of the effective radial normal stresses along the perimeter of the bulb (See Fig. 5b). Instead for the initial elastic stiffness [KH] of the constraint represented by the soil, a correlation typical in the literature was used, a function of the final shear resistance and of the nature of the soils, KH = 400 τlim/fb = 50,000 KPa/m, where fb = 0.40m is the external diameter of the active bulb. € 4. NONLINEAR ANALYSIS – TRANSFER CURVE MODEL The model taken as a reference for evaluating the structural responses of the underwater tie rod is that of an element with a linear elastic behaviour (the steel bar) restrained by means of springs with an elasto-plastic behaviour that simulate the reaction of the surrounding soil. The constitutive law of the bar of steel is in turn identified by its axial rigidity, EAs, where Es is the elastic modulus of the PIANC E-Magazine n° 143, July/juillet 2011 16 steel and As is the resistant section area of the rolled bar. Instead the constraint offered by the soil is depicted by the technique of transfer curves in which the nonlinear constitutive bond between the applied shear stress [ t ] and the slippage of the interface [u] is modelled by means of the function (See Fig. 6): in which: KH = the initial elastic rigidity of the constitutive bond = interface shear resistance τlim Fig. 6 The stiffness of the constraint decreases proportionally to the mobilised tangential tension with law K NL (u) = K H ⋅ [1− τ(u) /τ lim ] . At the interface between the bulb and the soil, due to the compatibility of the horizontal movements, the slippage of the tie rod against the surrounding undisturbed soil matches the axial displacement u(x) of the current section of the steel bar. In fact it is possible to disregard in quantitative terms the relative slippage [ub = τ/Κb, Κb = 2Gc/fbLn(fb/fs)] induced by the shear stresses that transfer the load from the internal surface to the external surface of the bulb by virtue of the significant rigidity conferred to it by the shear modulus [Gc] of the cemented column. Remembering then the elastic constitutive law that binds the axial forces and the strain in the bar (N = EAsu’, u’ = du/dx) and the external perimeter of the bulb’s section being represented by pfb, the equation of equilibrium in the axial direction (See Fig. 7): (N + dN) − N − τ ⋅ pf b ⋅ dx = 0 then assumes the following differential form: € the following form: d2 u E s As 2 − pf b ⋅ K NL (u) ⋅ u = 0 dx du ui +1 − ui−1 = 2Δx dx d2 u ui +1 − 2ui + ui−1 = Δx 2 dx2 and indicated with: € € Fig. 7 that once integrated with the surrounding €conditions: E s Asu'(0) = 0 at the free end of the tie rod E s Asu'(L ) = P in the section applying the pull € € € of length Δx = L/m to which correspond n = m+1 consecutive joints in which to look for the unknown displacements. Taking account of the fact that to the finite differences the derivatives calculated in the i-th joints (i = 1, n) of the model (See Fig. 8) assume provides the required field of displacement. Since this is a nonlinear problem, the solution must be found numerically by using, for example, the finite differences method. With this technique the length L of the tie rod is subdivided into m finite elements € d2 u ui +1 − 2ui + ui−1 = Δx 2 dx2 the interaction parameter is deduced, for the i-th joint of the model (i=1,n), the recurring equation: ui +1 − [2 + r i (ui )]⋅ ui + ui−1 = 0 In this way, by assigning to the ends of the tie rod the stated surrounding conditions, the following system of equations is obtained in which the coefficients of the system matrix match less the factor EsAs/Δx with those of the stiffness matrix of the finite element model (on the next page): Fig. 8: Model of the tie rod-soil transfer curve interaction 17 PIANC E-Magazine n° 143, July/juillet 2011 € ⎤ ⎤⎡ u1 ⎤ ⎡ ⎡(1+ r1 /2) 0 −1 0 0 0 0 0 ⎥ ⎥⎢ ⎥ ⎢ ⎢ 0 (2 + r 2 ) −1 0 0 0 0 ⎥ ⎥⎢ u2 ⎥ ⎢ ⎢ −1 ⎥ ⎥⎢ ui−1 ⎥ ⎢ ⎢ 0 0 −1 (2 + r i−1 ) −1 0 0 0 ⎥ ⎥⎢ ⎥ ⎢ ⎢ 0 0 0 −1 (2 + r i ) −1 0 0 ⎥ ⎥⎢ ui ⎥ = ⎢ ⎢ ⎥ ⎥⎢ ui +1 ⎥ ⎢ ⎢ 0 0 0 0 −1 (2 + r i +1 ) −1 0 ⎥ ⎥⎢ ⎥ ⎢ ⎢ 0 0 0 0 0 −1 (2 + r n−1 ) −1 ⎥⎢un−1⎥ ⎢ ⎥ ⎢ 0 0 0 0 0 −1 (1+ r n /2)⎥⎦⎢⎣ un ⎥⎦ ⎢⎣P ⋅ Δx / E s As⎥⎦ ⎣⎢ Once resolved by a process of iteration, the coefficients of interaction ri depending on the level of displacement ui mobilised, for each level of load the system of equations produces the displacements of the joints (and in particular of that from the application of the pull) on the basis of which it is possible to obtain the distribution of the shear stresses acting on the bulb surface and of the normal forces along the axis of the tie rod. 5. DESIGN PARAMETERS AND NUMERICAL ANALYSIS RESULTS The design parameters used to simulate the underwater tie rod solution are reported in Table I. The strength of the tie rod is therefore identified by the 630 KN yield point of the bars, a value taken as the threshold level for the load tests. Therefore, the proposed sizing establishes the need to comply with a criterion of hierarchies of the ductile strengths, the ultimate unthreading load of the foundation bulb being greater than the yield point of the steel bars. The result of the numeric analysis, carried out with the nonlinear model using 32 finite elements, is reported in Table II and in Fig. 9 on page 19. As can be seen the elongation of the active part of the tie rod is of the order of 5.00 mm under an operating load of 300 KN, corresponding to a stiffness of the constraint of 60 KN/mm, and of 15 mm under the maximum test load of 630 KN. This result highlights the notable stiffening effect produced by the columnar treatment of the soil and typical of load bearing elements through lateral friction, an effect as a result of which the elongation of the tie rod is reduced at the operating load to about ¼ of that of a free bar subjected to a constant axial force. Table II: Theoretical elongation values in relation to load Table I: Design parameters for underwater tie rods in the Sapir test site PIANC E-Magazine n° 143, July/juillet 2011 18 Fig. 9: Chart showing Load – Theoretical elongation of active parts of U.W.A. tie rods Fig. 10: Distribution of adhesion tensions along the axis of the tie rod 19 PIANC E-Magazine n° 143, July/juillet 2011 € The distribution provided by the nonlinear analysis for the shear stresses acting at the tie rod-soil interface is in turn reported in Fig. 10 on the previous page. This diagram shows how at the operating load (300 KN) the nonlinear behaviour of the soil increasingly involves the front length close to the pull head, where the elastic solution provides a strong concentration of tangential forces in a limited length introductory part and with an amplification compared to the average value equal to λ = K H pL2 / EA = 5.64 , forces that with the plasticisation are redistributed in the area rearward. Conversely at the maximum test load (630 KN) the extent of the plastic deformation of the soil becomes significant, as also highlighted by the sideways movement of the point of inversion of the curvature in the diagram of the adhesions tensions that separate the zone with the nonlinear behaviour from the one that is still substantially in an elastic field. 6. CONSTRUCTION PHASES AND OPERATING PARAMETERS OF UNDERWATER TIE RODS a) Once the theoretical reference framework had been defined, the next step was to illustrate the salient phases of the true and proper experimentation that is divided into two phases: the first related to the installation of the underwater tie rods and the second to the tensioning. The first phase was carried out in the period from June 16 to 28, 2010, while the second one took place on July 29-30, 2010. For the installation of the tie rods a robotic U.W.A. underwater drilling unit (Photo 1-5) was used, supplied, by means of a motorised pump for the high pressure jetting injection, by a cement grout preparation unit that produces a mix based on the weight ratios specified in the mix-design for the water and the cement that is stored in a horizontal silo. The operations to install the tie rod were programmed by carrying out the drilling of the concrete wall beforehand with a bit suitable for the purpose. At the end of this operation the automatic system proceeded to insert the rolled bars into the drilled out hole taking them from a loader, then moving them forward by rotating them and at the same time injecting the mixture and, at the end of that phase, inserting the pipe coupling. The installation of the tie rod was carried out at a speed of advancement [va] of the order of 10-15 mm/s, with an injecting pressure [pm] of about 400 bar, a velocity of the fluid in the nozzles [vm] of 150 m/s corresponding to a flow rate of the mixture [Qm] out of the two nozzles of about 1.5 l/s. In the construction of the tie rods all the phases of the production cycle were properly monitored through the continuous acquisition of various operating parameters. In this regard Table III reports the most significant Table III: Operating parameters for construction of the underwater tie rods PIANC E-Magazine n° 143, July/juillet 2011 20 values recorded during the course of the installation of the underwater tie rods. a relationship in which: b) On the basis of the injection parameters thus acquired an estimate was made a posteriori of the diameter of the horizontal jet grouting column, assessing beforehand the volume of the mixture injected knowing the absorption of the cement and the specific weight of the mixture and subsequently, by means of a mass balance described below, the volume of the bulb produced. In the case in question the weight of the water and cement mixture turned out to be: γ m = γ cγ w (1− v)(1+ r) = 16.0 KN /m3 γ w + rγ c € Photo 1: View of the machine Photo 2: Detail of the U.W.A. unit 21 PIANC E-Magazine n° 143, July/juillet 2011 Photo 3: Detail of the remote control console Photo 4: Alignment of the tie rod with the project axis Photo 5: Positioning of the U.W.A. unit in the water PIANC E-Magazine n° 143, July/juillet 2011 22 The volume of the mix injected was obtained in its turn from the weight of the cement used per linear metre of tie rod (C @ 1.00 kN/ml; r = A/C = 0.75) and the density of the grout as a ratio of the quantity injected [C • (1+r)] and the specific weight of the mix [γm], thus obtaining: C ⋅ (1+ r) Qm Vm = @ = 0.11 m3 /ml va γm € Instead, to determine the volume taken up by the € the bulb, one must take into account the fact that formation of the jet grouting column takes place primarily through the erosion and in situ mixing of the soil with the grout of water and cement. In this event, the volume of the bulb being represented by Vb and the porosity of the undisturbed soil by n, the mass balance predicates that the useable fraction of the mix that is absorbed by the soil (aVm) goes to fill the volume (nVb) of the initial spaces in the soil, increased by the volume of the solid parts (1-n) • bVb of the volume βVb of the soil at the site that was removed from within the tie rod by the pressure of the jet. The following is therefore obtained from this balance: Vb = € a ⋅ Vm = 0.14 m3 /ml [n + (1− n)b ] having adopted, in relation to the effective pressure operating at the depth of the tie rod and the injecting pressure, α @ 0.70 for the useful percentage of mix absorbed by the soil that contributes to the formation of the column, β @ 0.30 for the percentage of soil removed by the pressurised jet and n @ 0.40 for the initial porosity of the soil. The diameter of the bulb is obtained as follows: n fb = 4 ⋅ Vb @ 0.40 m p 7. OPERATING PHASES OF THE TENSIONING OF THE UNDERWATER TIE RODS The tensioning of the tie rods was carried out by means of a hydraulic jack driven by a two-stage pump located on the surface and making use of the support provided by the wall making up the waterside face of the wharf. For each tie rod, after preparation of the surface of the wall, a steel plate was first of all put in place and tightly secured with a nut against the wall. Then, onto the part of the tie rod bar projecting out from the wall a pipe coupling was screwed fitted with a piece of threaded bar inside of which had been inserted the hydraulic jack which was in the form of a hollow cylinder, sliding it until its lower base was resting on the steel plate. Onto the part of the connecting bar that protruded from the cylinder of the jack a second plate was then fitted, as well as a second locking nut, in this way completing the assembly of the tensioning device (See Fig. 11). Fig. 11: Schematic representation of the tensioning device 23 PIANC E-Magazine n° 143, July/juillet 2011 Subsequently, the tensioning force was applied in the various pull phases using the support provided by the two steel plates on one side against the fixed part and on the other side against the moveable part of the jack. During the tensioning cycles measurements of the elongations of the tie rod were also taken by means of a Vernier calliper, using as a comparison the travel of the piston of the jack. The underwater operations described above were carried out with the assistance of a team of scuba divers from the Società Marine Consulting di Ravenna, with a live video connection and continuous recording and real-time communications via radio. 8. RESULTS FROM THE TEST SITE The results obtained with the experimentation carried out on the SAPIR test site are reported in a graphical form in fig. 12-14, which illustrate the correlation between the forces applied and the elongations of the test tie rods, as well as the sequence in which the loads were applied. To be specific, the programme of tensioning that was followed, where possible also in relation to the kinds of breakage that resulted, was as follows: - pretension of 90 KN in order to permit the settling of the steel plates against the surface of the wall, taken to be point zero as a reference for the measuring of the elongations of the subsequent cycles; - the carrying out of the first cycle rising in steps of 90 KN up to 360 KN, i.e. equal to 1.2 times the working load of the tie rod in order to simulate the test tensioning of an actual tie rod; - release of the first cycle down to 180 KN and then to 90 KN; - execution of the second load cycle again taken up in successive steps of 90 KN up to the nominal yield point of the bars of 630 KN, then reduced during the course of the tests to slightly lower levels (600 KN) in order to be able to carry out a subsequent third load cycle; - release of the second cycle in three phases (360-180-90 KN); - execution of the third cycle in successive steps of 90 KN up to breakage, when it occurred, of the coupling pipe. Fig. 12: Load curve – elongations of tie rod 2/A at a depth of 5.00 m PIANC E-Magazine n° 143, July/juillet 2011 24 The detail of the results obtained in terms of resistance to breakage in the course of the load tests is reported in Table IV. Table IV: Results of the load tests of the underwater tie rods As can be noted from the attached diagrams the load cycle results were regular, with elongations at operating loads in line with the theoretical forecasts and with modest residuals on the releasing of the first cycle. The areas of the hysteresis loops are small and the reloading stress paths are substantially elastic up to the threshold of the force reached in the preceding load cycle. Furthermore, the breakage of the tie rod, where it occurred, involved the pipe coupling with force values even greater than the nominal yield point of the bar of 630 KN. For traction forces above this threshold the increments in the elongation are deemed to be attributable in large measure to the plastic yielding of the mechanical parts, bar and pipe coupling. Fig. 13: Load curve – elongations of tie rod 1/B at a depth of 8.00 m 25 PIANC E-Magazine n° 143, July/juillet 2011 Fig. 14: Load curve – elongations of tie rod 4/B at a depth of 8.00 m Fig. 15: Comparison between theoretical and experimental elongations of the 4/B tie rod sample located at a depth of 8.00 m. PIANC E-Magazine n° 143, July/juillet 2011 26 In order to interpret the elongations of the tie rods correctly, it should be remembered that for the methods adopted for taking the measurements, the only ones objectively and operationally possible in an underwater environment, the values recorded are inclusive not only of the outward elongation of the active and passive part of the tie rod, but also of the displacement of the wharf inward, it not being possible to separate the individual measurements of these two contributing elements. On the other hand, an indirect estimate of the displacement of the wall was carried out by means of structural analysis of the bulkhead, an analysis that showed how the inward shift of the wall was limited to values of few millimetres under the action of the maximum test load. As far as the overall assessment of the validity and reliability of the tests carried out is concerned, Fig. 15 shows a comparison, for tie rod No. 4/B installed at a depth of 8.00 m, of the experimental measurements of the elongations with the corresponding theoretical curve obtained, adding to the elongation provided by the nonlinear analysis of the active length of the tie rod (L = 16.00 m) the elastic elongation of the free length (Lo = 2.00 m) and taking into account a hardening plastic behaviour of the steel beyond the yield threshold. As can be noticed, the back-analysis curve faithfully reproduces the envelope of the maximum values of the elongations of the three load cycles of the experimental curve. Thus the design parameters adopted for the modelling with the transfer curve of the interaction between the tie rod and the soil [τlim = 50 KPa; KH = 50,000 KN/m3] interpret correctly the behaviour of the underwater tie rod in the test site. These circumstances, together with the salient result of the positive check during operation of the load-bearing capacity of the tie rod according to the hierarchy of the resistances forecast during the design, show the overall set of results obtained to be reasonable and consistent and the outcome of the tests to be satisfying and exhaustive. 9. CONCLUDING COMMENTS The technical note has illustrated the summary of the results of an experimental test site set up for the testing of underwater tie rods designed by SAPIR Engineering for the deepening of the harbour of the Intermodal Port of Ravenna. For the below head construction of these anchors an innovative technology called U.W.A. – Underwater Anchors – was used, a system perfected by Tecniwell, which operates directly from the yard surface using the technique of progressive jet grouting. The note then presented the back analysis of the results of the experimentation adopting a nonlinear transfer curve constitutive model of the soil to assess the resistance and the rigidity that were triggered by the interaction of the tie rod and the soil at various levels of load. The salient outcome of the experimentation was both the correct installation of the tie rods and the confirmation of their load bearing capacity of 630 KN in accordance with what was assumed in the structural and in the geotechnical design. It was also confirmed that the axial displacements necessary to put the underwater tie rods under stress was of just a few millimetres at the operating load (5-6 mm at 300 KN) and of a couple of centimetres at the maximum test load (15-20 mm at 630 KN). Therefore, there are significant differences from tie rods with strands that, being usually installed near the top of the wharf, require the passive parts to be of much greater length and hence call for pre-tensioning. This characteristic of deep underwater tie rods of limited deformability allows them therefore to be used both as an elastic constraint put under stress by a small deflection of the structure, as well as an active constraint, it being possible to carry out pre-tensioning of it. It should also be stressed that the positioning at depth below the sea level of the tie rod allows it to be used very effectively, since it is able to provide the required reactions where the flexional stresses are the greatest. Moreover, the possibility of installing tie rods in positions closer to the seabed requires that the internal part of the tie rod at the point of pressure should be of limited length, thus making available a longer useable length of the active part of the anchor. As far as possible future developments are concerned in connection with U.W.A. technology, the experimentation has shown that it is operationally possible to install tie rods with higher capacities by varying the diameter of the reinforcing bar and the length of the active part. Nevertheless, this option needs to be verified in realistic terms in relation to the resistance of the structure that is called upon 27 PIANC E-Magazine n° 143, July/juillet 2011 to absorb the forces transmitted by the tie rods and to the onerousness of the structure that must share the applied load among the concrete panels or the steel sheet piling so depending heavily on the construction method of the wharf that is to be reinforced. The development of greater load bearing capacities or the use of additional rows of underwater tie rods could instead become of interest after the necessary ad hoc evaluations, both structural and geotechnical, for greater heads of water, such as those called for by the ports’ regulatory plans for the harbour bottoms of wharves being constructed from new. Therefore, this outcome offers a range of applications for this innovative technological solution that is of undoubted interest, also in the light of the validation provided by the results from the SAPIR test site. Ravenna, July 31, 2010 10. TECHNICAL SCHEDULE OF THE EXPERIMENTAL ACTIVITIES OF THE SAPIR TEST SITE 11. BIBLIOGRAPHY - UNI EN 1537 (2002): “Execution of special geotechnical works: Ground anchors”, Milan. - UNI EN 12716 (2003): “Execution of special geotechnical works: Jet grouting”, Milan. - D.M. 14/01/2008 (2008): “New Technical Regulations for Construction”, Ministry of Infrastructure, Rome. PIANC E-Magazine n° 143, July/juillet 2011 28 SUMMARY This paper illustrates the results of a theoretical analysis and experimental tests concerning underwater anchors (UWA). The anchors are built by means of an innovative onshore technology which operates all the executive steps in remote control. This technology can be used especially in the re- habilitation of port bulkheads. The construction steps are illustrated together with the comparison between the theoretical values of the elongations of the anchors provided by a nonlinear model and the experimental results of the load tests. RéSUMé Cet article décrit les résultats d’une analyse théorique et de tests expérimentaux d’ancrages géotechniques sous eau (UWA). Les ancrages sont réalisés par télécommande à partir de la terre selon une technologie innovante qui exécute toutes les phases de construction. Cette technolo- gie peut particulièrement être utilisée pour réhabiliter des parois portuaires. Chaque phase constructive est illustrée avec la comparaison entre la valeur théorique, selon un modèle non linéaire, d’allongement des ancrages et le résultat expérimental des essais de traction. ZUSAMMENFASSUNG In diesem Artikel werden die Ergebnisse einer theoretischen Analyse und experimenteller Untersuchungen bezüglich Unterwasseranker (UWA) dargestellt. Die Anker werden mittels einer innovativen on-shore-Technologie eingebaut, bei der alle ausführenden Schritte durch Fernbedienung ausgeführt werden. Diese Technologie kann ins- besondere bei der Sanierung in Häfen eingesetzt werden. Die Bauschritte werden vorgestellt, zusammen mit einem Vergleich mit den theoretischen Werten der Ankerverlängerungen, die von einem nicht-linearen Modell und den experimentellen Ergebnissen der Belastungstests geliefert werden. 29 PIANC E-Magazine n° 143, July/juillet 2011