Beckenried viaduct: Foundation problems in a creeping slope

Summary The 3150 m long Beckenried viaduct traverses an unstable creeping, slope, the surface of the sound rock lying at depths from 10 to 60 m. Altogether 44 of the total 58 piers of the bridge founded on the sound rock had to be protected by shafts against the creeping soil and loosened rock layers. Based on geological explorations and previous monitoring of the slope displacements the clearance between the rectangular concrete piers and the elliptical shafts was specified to be 1.5 m in the dip direction of the slope and up to ±1.0 m in lateral direction. In order to avoid failure of the shafts due to the unusually large slope movements likely to occur during the service life of the viaduct, an entirely new design concept was applied. It involves flexible shafts consisting of four main parts, namely a rigid shaft collar, articulated ring elements, a rigid trapezoidal cylinder and basal displacement rings resting on the pier footing. Fundamentally, this design permits both: sliding of the shaft as a whole along particular slip surfaces in the loosened rock at depth but also differential displacements due to the creep of the soil strata above it. The sliding at the base contributes to 50% and more to the total surface movements. The shafts also serve as a permanent drainage system for the highly water sensitive slope material. The paper describes the criteria upon which the novel design of the individual shafts were made and also particular constructional details. After a construction period of only four years the bridge opened to traffic in December 1980. Observations made on the completed structure indicate a behaviour of the slope and the shafts which is well in accordance with the predictions.