DFI Journal - The Journal of the Deep Foundations Institute
Volume 1, Issue 1, April 2007
DOI: 10.1179/dfi.2007.001
Design and Construction of the Sutong Bridge Foundations
Article Type: Case Study
Bittner, R. B., Safaqah, O., Zhang, X. & Jensen, O. J.
Abstract
The Sutong Bridge across the lower Yangtze River in China will have, when completed, the longest span (1,088 m) and the highest towers (306 m) of any cable stayed span in the world. The foundations for this record setting span will also be record setting. They are located in water depths exceeding 30 m with maximum flows exceeding 3 m/sec. The soil at the site of the main pylons consists of layers of silty sands and silty clays extending to bed rock at 270 m below river elevation. This paper describes the innovative methods used by the team of foundation designers and constructors to support this record setting bridge at this very challenging site. This paper covers three specific topics related to the foundations of the Sutong Bridge: 1) Design and construction of the 131 drilled shafts (2.8/2.5 m diameter and 114/117 m long) under each of the two main pylons, including the post-grouting of all drilled shaft tips; 2) Design and construction of the scour protection for the two main pylons; 3) Construction methods used to construct the waterline pile caps (113.8 m by 48.1 m by 13.3 m deep) under each pylon.
Keywords:
drilled shaft design, scour, bridge foundations, post grouting