AN INVESTIGATION OF BEARING CAPACITY AND SETTLEMENTS OF SOFT CLAY DEPOSITS AT SHELLHAVEN

The paper describes the foundation design for haul routes at the Shellhaven Refinery. Large modules, weighing up to 770 tonnes with their transporters, were to be transported approximately 2 km over soft normally consolidated clay. Preliminary assessment indicated that the problem was one of plane strain bearing capacity of a stiffer crust overlying normally consolidated soil, and that careful design would be necessary to ensure stability of the road at an economic cost. A full scale load test was carried out on a section of road, and finite element analyses carried out to match predicted and observed response of the trial. From these, design recommendations were made for the whole length of the road. Finally, the response of the road was monitored as a module was transported along it, and the measured results compared with the predictions. (A) For the covering abstract see IRRD 859983.