Evaluation of the Geo-Con VERT Wall System

Book excerpt: Prepared by the Highway Innovative Technology Evaluation Center (HITEC), a CERF/IIEC Innovation Center This report describes a HITEC evaluation designed to determine the basic capabilites and limitations of the Geo-Con VERT Wall for use as a technically viable permanent excavation support retaining wall system. The evaluation was conducted based on design, construction, performance, and quality assurance information outlined in the HITEC Protocol. The Geo-Con VERT Wall System is an in-situ retaining wall system intended as an alternative to other types of cut walls such as soldier pile and anchored retaining walls. Geo-Con VERT Wall System is comprised of: deep soil mix columns consisting of overlapping or tangent soil-cement columns along the front face backed up by tangent rows of overlapping soil-cement columns; a soil-cement relieving platform overtop the columns; steel beams embedded in the front face soil-cement columns for support of the permanent facing; and permanent facing consisting of precast, reinforced concrete panels or reinforced cast-in-place concrete. The relieving platform is intended to provide internal stability by typing the soil-mix columns together and transferring the load to the bottom of the columns.