Characterization of soil-foundation interaction for a T-wall flood protection system in New Orleans

The tragedy of Hurricane Katrina left the city of New Orleans and the southern part of the United States vulnerable to future flooding. This initiated the construction of pile-founded concrete floodwalls (T-walls) in spatially constrained areas as a successor to I-walls. Design methodologies for T-walls are not as established as other flood protection systems due to their relatively high cost and corresponding small percentage of use. In order to efficiently and effectively install them, the design parameters must be characterized and evaluated. A series of centrifuge experiments were commissioned to study the interaction of the soil-foundation system, particularly the global stability. The models utilize traditional and novel sensors in the soil and foundation to identify critical aspects of the system behavior. These include the resultant of force in the flood-side soil; the bending and axial loading of the battered piles and sheet-pile; and the displacement in the soil itself. The results are used to calibrate a numerical model and facilitate safe, cost-effective installation.