Soil nailing technology is very versatile and has been widely used worldwide over the last 3 decades for temporary and permanent excavation support. The design and performance of soil nail walls is intricately linked with its construction procedures.  To avoid adverse performance issues, design and construction processes for a soil nail wall must be tailored to specific geometry and the environment (conditions) expected over its specified lifetime. This workshop will help gain a better understanding of the design and construction procedures using concepts of limit states that will be indexed to the latest guidelines based on the Load and Resistance Factor Design (LRFD) methodology of the American Association of State Highway Officials (AASHTO) and Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). Contrast between LRFD and the Allowable stress design (ASD) methodologies will also be included. Design and construction (including field testing) aspects of Solid Bar Soil Nails (SBSNs) and Hollow Bar Soil Nails (HBSNs) will be discussed.

Using a collaborative and interactive learning approach, this virtual workshop will help you understand the design and construction aspects for soil nail walls. You will learn newer design approaches based on the LRFD platform that is the basis for guidelines for soil nail walls by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) and the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). The workshop will help you assimilate the design and construction aspects through active participation by frequent interactions throughout the workshop and real-time expert feedback. The interactions will facilitate a better understanding of the nuances of the newer design principles which would help you avoid costly design errors in real-world projects. In between the two live sessions, attendees will independently work on an application (e.g., exercises) or a reflection (e.g., reading) assignment.

Day 1

• Introductions
• Terminology, construction steps, applications, and explorations
• Limit states, load factors, and resistance factors
• Service limit state (wall movements)
• Strength and Extreme Event limit states
• Limit Equilibrium (LE) analysis software tools
• Corrosion Considerations
• Facing (shotcrete)
• Review of Day 1
• Interactive Question and Answer (Q&A) session
• Assignment of homework

Day 2

• Roadmap for Day 2
• Review of homework assignments
• Recap of Day 1
• Information for plans and specifications
• Nail types and construction processes
• Grout and grouting
• Nail testing and nail acceptance criteria
• Closure and References
• Review of Day 2 and full workshop
• Interactive Question and Answer (Q&A) session