Institute for Transportation

Description

The training class focuses on designing the length of steel H-pile needed for standard bridge designs in Iowa. The class considers the following:

• J- and H-standard bridges
• Pile lengths for integral abutments and pile bents
• Various soil types for assumed borings with assumed blow counts
• Consideration of friction and end bearing and the soil charts
• Consideration of scour
• Consideration of downdrag
• Consideration of setup in cohesive soil
• Effect of construction control method on design (Modified ENR Formula and WEAP)

The class leads participants through four different problems in order to demonstrate the design process. Participants will work at a computer using a spreadsheet setup to facilitate the design process.

NOTE: Each attendee should bring their own laptop computer. If this requirement results in a hardship, please contact Keith Knapp at kknapp@iastate.edu. The spreadsheet files will be provided before the course for download. Attendees will receive handouts detailing the examples and spreadsheet entry along with hand calculations.

Tentative Agenda

08:15 am – 08:30 am:   Registration
08:30 am – 11:30 am:   Design Length of Steel and H-Piles
11:30 am – 12:30 pm:   Break for Lunch
12:30 pm – 02:30 pm:   WEAP Analysis

NOTE: The class will be four to five hours in length, and it will not cover the Modified ENR formula or WEAP itself.

Instructors

Cassandra Rutherford
Dr. Cassandra “Cassie” Rutherford is an associate professor in geotechnical engineering at Iowa State University, holding the endowed Richard L. Handy professorship. A licensed professional engineer in Texas, she teaches advanced soil testing, deep foundations, and introductory geotechnical engineering. Before joining Iowa State, she worked at TDI-Brooks International and was an assistant professor at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Her research focuses on soil behavior under dynamic loading, geo-hazard mitigation, and deep foundation design, with support from federal and regional funding sources.

Desiree McClain
Desiree McClain has been with the Iowa Department of Transportation (DOT) for the past five years as the foundations field engineer. She is a graduate of Iowa State University and recently became licensed professional engineer in Iowa.