Consolidation settlement calculation and examination of the foundation settlements with finite elements method, example of Batman city Gültepe bridge

Abstract

In this study, geological and geotechnical studies were carried out on the soil of a bridge built in 2015 in the Gültepe District of Batman City, located in southeastern Turkey, to perform the foundation settlement calculation. For this purpose, four foundation boreholes were drilled to determine the engineering parameters of the soil, and triaxial pressure and consolidation tests were carried out on the obtained samples. The consolidation settlement calculation was made in accordance with these parameters. Using the same data, numerical analysis was performed with PLAXIS V.8.2 (Finite Element Code for Soil and Rock Analyses), a two-dimensional finite element package program. The consolidation settlement value was calculated by performing dynamic analysis based on time in the computer software. The settlement value was determined to be 1.70 cm after the analysis, and it was evaluated by correlating with the consolidation settlement analysis results made according to Bowles (1988). Consolidation settlement calculations and finite element package program analyses gave similar results. We observed liquefaction risk and settlements in the structures with shallow foundations in the residential zone near the study area since the soils in the study area consist of silty sand of 5-10 meters and have groundwater. The Bored Pile technique, which is one of the soil improvement methods, was applied and discussed in order to determine the geological problems in the study field.