Application of Reinforced Soil Foundations in the Construction of Wooden Bridge Abutments Along Logging Road

Wooden bridges have been used quite frequently on logging roads, regardless of their low durability and weak fire resistance. The preference is determined by the application of local materials in the construction and reparation, thus reducing the cost of the structure. However, the standard construction of the wooden bridge demands large amounts of conditioned draining bulk materials to support the cones, stone materials, or reinforced concrete slabs to protect against soil erosion. Besides, pile foundations are used on soft ground, involving heavy construction machinery. Reinforced soil foundations don’t have disadvantages of this kind. The application of innovative mounds for coastal support may reduce construction costs and increase operational capability. The purpose of the study is to estimate the potential of reinforced soil foundations in the construction of wooden bridge abutments. The results of the calculation for an abutment using reinforced support are presented. The calculations were performed for the standard loads A11, N11, and a forwarder. Additional research was performed to determine the parameters for the forwarder. According to the results, a mark of the forwarder with the maximum load on the abutment was identified. The maximum applied force was exerted by the load H11, and the minimum was A11. The stress from the timber truck Iveco-AMT 633920 (6×6) significantly exceeded the characteristic load A11, yet it was slightly lower compared to H11. The calculations for the abutment were done using the finite element method of the Plaxis 2D software. The parameters were limited to two groups of states. The calculations contained the external and internal stability factors along with the vertical and horizontal displacements of the reinforced structure. The external stability coefficient for the first loading scheme was 2.14; for the second loading scheme, it was 1.44. They exceed the permitted limit that is 1.375. In general, the results demonstrated that the reinforced soil abutment totally meets the requirements of the regulatory documents. For citation: Burgonutdinov A.M., Burmistrova O.N., Kleveko V.I., Litsinger Yu.K. Application of Reinforced Soil Foundations in the Construction of Wooden Bridge Abutments Along Logging Road. Lesnoy Zhurnal = Russian Forestry Journal, 2023, no. 3, pp. 113–125. (In Russ.). https://doi.org/10.37482/0536-1036-2023-3-113-125