Soldier pile software

[Laaitie]

Hi
Could anyone recommend software for the analysis of soldier pile retaining walls?

Many Tanks

 

[jdonville]

Everyone uses Shoring from CivilTech. Not bad, but not perfect either. Use the earth pressure and surcharge modules with caution.

Jeff

 

[VoyageofDiscovery]

If using for AREMA designs consult AREMA. There are differing approaches.

VOD

 

[PEinc]

If you are doing DOT highway design, you will probably need to use the new FHWA/AASHTO earth pressure diagrams for anchored walls. I am not aware of any computer program that will automatically develop the new unsymetrical trapezoid shapes. You will need to calculate the earth pressures and trapezoid shape by hand and then enter the information into the computer program. Also, the new FHWA/AASHTO diagrams do not address layered soils or variable or sloped ground surfaces behind the wall.

 

[jdonville]

All,

Further to my previous post and echoing PEinc, I would develop the earth pressures by hand or other calculation verified by hand calcs unless the soil conditions are simple.

The earth pressure (EPRES) module in Shoring has a tendency to not to handle non-homogeneous soil conditions properly. There are other less-serious problems with EPRES that I have found also.

A disadvantage of the LPRES module is that all surcharge loads are assumed to be applied at the same elevation, which is not always the case for, say, a combined construction surcharge and foundation loading situation. Shoring will, however, let you apply multiple LPRES pressures on the wall.

Note also that Shoring applies to vertical walls only. Battered walls will need to be analyzed by hand.

Jeff

 

[PEinc]

jdonville,

What version of CivilTech are you using? I'm using Version 8.8i which has had many bugs fixed. I think it's running pretty well now. CivilTech has been very responsive to my input.

 

[PEinc]

P.S.

CivilTech's LPres does allow the surcharges to be applied at elevations above or below the top of the wall. Also, if you have a battered wall, you can can modify the earth pressure by using a lower earth pressure coefficient or by using an earth pressure load factor. But first you would have to calculate the earth pressure reduction factor due to the batter.

 

[jdonville]

PEinc,

I'm running 8.8i too.

I should have said that LPRES applies all loads within one save file at the same elevation. It is possible to apply the lateral pressures from multiple elevations (save files) to the Shoring module. I dislike the fact that the elevation is a global rather than a case-by-case parameter.

I have found that EPRES still does not like/can not handle very well certain situations, such as backslope, toe in bedrock/concrete/IGM, bedrock/concrete/IGM behind the wall and above the dredge line.

It's almost to the point that I don't trust EPRES to do very much and end up generating the active/passive pressure envelopes by hand.

I am also disappointed that the documentation does not explicitly describe the method used to generate the moments in walls with multiple levels of tiebacks/struts.

Jeff

 

[DRC1]

I use version 8 of civiltech shoring. I like it, but I do not like how the information transfer from the modules to shoring, although it has gotten better. If I am doing a fast estimate, I may use the transfer feature. Otherwise I print out the results from the modules, devlop my on pressure diagram on paper and input that. It really does not take that long, and I feel gives me the control and understanding I should have over the input data. So it may not be completely automatic, but I dont think that is a bad thing. Compared to doing the analysis entirely by hand, I am still way ahead by doing the input myself.

 

[Touma08]

We've using LatPilePro by Tsoft quite satisfactorily. In additon to the conventional triangular pressure diagrams, it offers several models for Peck, Tshebotariof.