Development of U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Engineering Guidance for the Barge Impact Design of Navigation Structures

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) guidance, Engineering Technical Letter 1110-2-563, was developed for the design of navigation structures subject to barge impact loading. The new guidance was developed with the use of the results from full-scale experiments conducted under the Innovations for Navigation Projects Research and Development Program. An empirical impact force model was derived from the experimental data, and probabilistic procedures were developed to assist with the design and analysis of navigation structures for impact loads from transiting vessels. Uncertainties in loadings due to a wide range of events from both natural and human sources are crucial in the design of these critical structures. These uncertainties are defined in terms of the distributions for impact angles, velocities, and tow masses, as well as the need to account for loss of power and control events. The methods developed in the guidance for the design and analysis of these structures are focused on defining the return periods for the usual, unusual, and extreme loads for the navigation structures. An example of the probabilistic procedures developed in the guidance is highlighted for the design of an upper guide wall at a navigation project.