DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION OF THE RION

ANTIRION BRIDGE FOUNDATIONS

Alain PECKER

Technische Universitt Hamburg-Harburg, January 29, 2008

Finance
Design Continental Greece

Build
Own
Peloponese
Operate
Transfer
 KEY DATES

Launch of tender : 1992

Contract award : December 1997
Start of construction : 1999
Opening to traffic : August 2004
Total cost : 770 Mi Euros (630 construction)
 OUTLINE OF PRESENTATION

Overview of project
Geotechnical and environmental conditions
Description of foundation system
Design strategy
Construction methods
 ANTIRION
Gulf of Corinth

RION
RION ANTIRION

286 560 560 560 286

2252
 230 m

0 m 65 m
9
GEOTECHNICAL CONDITIONS
WEAK ALLUVIUMS :

SAND AND GRAVEL

CLAY
SILT

RION ANTIRION

65 m.
 SOIL CHARACTERISTICS
0
Depth below ground surface

20

40

60

80

100
0 100 200 300 400 500 0 100 200 300 400 500 600

Undrained shear strength (kN/m2) Shear wave velocity (m/s)

ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS
 Earthquake performance level
Fully Operational Life Near
operational safe collapse
Earthquake design level

Frequent

Unacceptable
Occasional Es
sen Ba
sic performance
tia ob
l/H j ec
Sa az tiv
fet a rdo e
Rare y Cr u
itic so
bje
al cti
ob ve
jec
Very Rare tiv
e
 DESIGN SPECTRUM
Sea bed level
1.5
Damping 5 %
S pectral acceleration (g )

M = 7.0
1.0
Return period 2000 y

0.5

0.0
0.0 1.0 2.0 3.0 4.0 5.0
Period (s)
TECTONIC MOVEMENTS

PIER BASE

ELEVATION : VERTICAL SLIP : 2 m

PLAN : HORIZONTAL OPENING : 2 m

 SHIP IMPACT :

16 knots
RION ANTIRION

180 000 t
 CONTROLLING FACTORS

No rock formation at less than 500 m

Large water depth : 65 m
Performance objectives (2000 year return period):
Damages acceptable but bridge repairable, and re-usable
horizontal sliding acceptable ; tilt prohibited (<0.1 %)
Significant duration for design
Possibility for development of innovative concepts
FOUNDATIONS ?

PILES
EMBEDDED CAISSONS
SOIL SUBSTITUTION
SHALLOW FOUNDATION

Soil reinforcement with stiff inclusions

 SOIL REINFORCEMENT

Driven steel pipes

Diameter 2 m, Thickness 20 mm
Length 25 m to 30 m
Spacing 7 m x 7 m
Gravel layer : 3m thick

200 INCLUSIONS UNDER EACH FOUNDATION

FOUNDATION LAYOUT
ROLE OF INCLUSIONS
+ GRAVEL LAYER
P P

n
n 1
N Brittle links Ductile link Ductile chain
 CAPACITY DESIGN PHILOSOPHY

Plastic hinge = Gravel bed Fuse

Overstrength = Reinforced soil

COMBINED EFFECT PROVIDES

Bounds for forces in the superstructure
Control of failure mode (horizontal sliding)
 DESIGN STRATEGY
Facing a new design situation
Keep things as simple as possible
Three steps process
Conceptual design : New tools (Yield Design Theory)
Amenable to parametric studies
Validation : Physical modeling (centrifuge)
Final design : non linear finite element models
dynamic macro element
Structural analyses
SEISMIC CAPACITY
 M BEARING CAPACITY
Q N under
T
COMBINED LOADS
B
Fx

M T
O
Yield design theory

M M / CB 2 N
T T / CB
N N / CB
 BOUNDING N = 860 MN - L = 25 m - S = 7 m
SURFACE

WITHOUT WITH
inclusions Gravel layer
Overturning moment (MN m)

35000 WITH
30000 inclusions
WITHOUT
25000 Gravel
20000 layer
15000

10000

5000

0 200 400 600 800 1000

Horizontal shear force at foundation level (MN)
Overturning moment (MN-m) INCLUSIONS SPACING

30000 7m x 7m
M=V.h
20000
9m x 9m

10000

0
0 200 400 600 800
Horizontal shear force (MN)
 EXPERIMENTAL VALIDATION

Centrifuge tests

Ultimate failure loads Monotonic tests

Push over test

Cyclic behavior Cyclic tests

Overturning moment (MN-m)
CYCLIC TEST # 2
1200

1000

800

600

400

200

0
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80
Horizontal shear force at foundation level (MN)
 MONOTONIC FAILURE LOAD

120

Computed failure load (MN) 100

80

60

40

20

0
0 50 100
Measured failure load (MN)
 CYCLIC LOAD
75% Failure load
Horizontal force (MN) 50

30 11

10 10
10

-10

-30

-50
-0.50 -0.30 -0.10 0.10 0.30 0.50

Horizontal displacement (m)

 FINITE ELEMENT ANALYSIS
35000
Overturning moment (MN-m)

30000

25000

20000

15000

10000

5000

0
0 100 200 300 400 500 600 700
Horizontal shear force (MN)
GRAVEL BED DESIGN
 SEISMIC DEMAND
SOIL STRUCTURE INTERACTION
DYNAMIC MACRO ELEMENT

V Nonlinearities :
geometrical (interface behaviour) :
M
H Uplift model

NEAR FIELD material (elasto-plastic soil behaviour) :

M Plasticity model

Wave propagation :
FAR FIELD dissipation of radiation energy
Dynamic elastic impedances
K C
 RHEOLOGICAL MODEL

FAR FIELD NEAR FIELD

C

FOUNDATION
 SOIL STRUCTURE INTERACTION
500
Horizontal shear force (MN)

250

-250 Simplified model

Finite element model

-500
0 10 20 30 40 50

Time (s)
 PIER OFFSET DURING EARTHQUAKE
0.15

0.10

0.05
Uy [m]

0.00
-0.40 -0.35 -0.30 -0.25 -0.20 -0.15 -0.10 -0.05 0.05 0.10

-0.05

-0.10

-0.15

Ux [m]
TECTONIC MOVEMENTS
CONSTRUCTION METHODS
 Off-Shore Foundations

Cable stayed
bridge
Inclusions

Steel Pipe Driving & Gravel Bed Installation

 AUGUST 8th, 2004

END OF AN EXCEPTIONAL
TECHNICAL CHALLENGE
AND HUMAN ADVENTURE
 CONCLUSIONS
Key factors to the success

Correct assessment of foundation performance

criterion
Time allowed for design
Close collaboration and confidence between all
parties:
Owner, Contractor, Design team, Checker
 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
GEFYRA SA (Concessionaire)
Jean Paul Teyssandier
GEFYRA KINOPRAXIA (Contractor)
Gilles de Maublanc , Pierre Morand
DESIGN JV
Jean Marc Tourtois
DESIGN CHECKER
Peter Taylor
Ralph Peck, Ricardo Dobry