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https://hdl.handle.net/11681/21387| Title: | Investigation of levee unit, East Side Levee and Sanitary District, East St. Louis, Illinois |
| Authors: | U.S. Army Engineer Waterways Experiment Station |
| Keywords: | East Side Levee, East Saint Louis, Illinois Borings Sand stratum Foundation |
| Publisher: | U.S. Army Engineer Waterways Experiment Station. Engineer Research and Development Center (U.S.) |
| Description: | Technical memorandum Synopsis: The improvement of a unit of the levee system of a tributary of the Mississippi River in the vicinity of East St. Louis, Illinois, was undertaken and accomplished during the latter part of 1938. The improvement consisted essentially of enlarging an existing levee, so as to increase its net grade from El. 420.0. to El. 426.7, a height of 6.7 ft. Following the completion of the structure, a failure was experienced in a portion of the unit approximately 4000ft. long which crossed an old lake bed. Preliminary inspection of the failure indicated that the foundation medium of that portion had failed because the stresses created therein exceeded the strength of the material, particularly in a stratum of plastic clay beneath the levee. Temporary repairs which relieved the excessive stress and stopped the movement of the structure were suggested by a representative of the Experiment Station, and accomplished by the St. Louis District. These repairs provided the same protection that existed prior to the improvement, sot hat the safety of the area from floods was not impaired. A detailed investigation of the structure and its foundation was planned immediately following the failure, and has been completed. The results of the investigation, as presented in this report, show that the foundation medium was over-stressed, that immediate repairs could have been undertaken provided relatively flat side slopes were used (1:7); or, repairs may be delayed to allow the week material to gain strength through consolidation. The increase in strength after the intervals of 6 mos 1, 1.5, 2.5 and 4 years has been ascertained and suitable sections designed accordingly. It was found that by delaying reconstruction for 1.5 years, a saving of 192,600 cubic yards would be accomplished without impairing the safety of the structure. |
| Rights: | Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited. |
| URI: | http://hdl.handle.net/11681/21387 |
| Appears in Collections: | Technical Memorandum |
Files in This Item:
| File | Description | Size | Format | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| WES-Technical-Memorandum-No154-1.pdf | 9.67 MB | Adobe PDF |  View/Open |