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By Hodjat] [Shiri

A 4-legged jacket structure was installed by an Offshore Installation Contractor (OIC) in the Persian Gulf. In addition to four open-end pipe piles, six conductors were installed by OIC. During the installation of the piles and conductors, some cemented layers were encountered, which had not been accounted for in the foundation design performed by an independent well known offshore geotechnical site investigation contractor (OGSIC). Six months later, the Drilling Company (DC) hired by Client to execute the wells, reported that all of the six conductors were presenting anomalies, such as vertical misalignments up to 10o and/or collapse of the conductors tip and mid height. The DC faced with serious problem in drilling of the wells and in spite of several times milling the conductors and spending 40 days unpredicted extra time, some of the routes could not be opened and Client lost millions of dollars due to direct and indirect associated costs and expenses. This paper presents a complete overview of all engineering, construction and specially geotechnical investigations and shows that how an inaccuracy in interpretations of the results of an offshore geotechnical site investigation as the main reason in this case study can cause serious damages to whole project with unbelievable time and cost impacts some times up to millions of dollars.

Jan 1, 2006

By Timothy C. Siegel

In response to a solicitation for ground improvement for the construction of a new hospital in Owensboro, Kentucky, the team of Berkel & Company Contractors and Dan Brown and Associates PC designed and installed lightly reinforced cast-in-place piles (known commercially as Cast-in place Ground improvement Elements or CGEs) as part of a composite ground system. The concept of the design is that the structure load is shared between the piles and the soil subgrade. The load sharing is controlled (to some degree) by the placement of a cushion between the pile head and the bottom of the overlying spread foundation. In an effort to confirm the design principles and to better understand the behavior of composite ground, the design-build team performed plate load tests on ground with a single CGE and with a group of CGEs. The small plate test (on ground with a single CGE) characterized the stiffness of the cushion. The large plate tests showed that the cushion will distribute the applied load to the CGEs and to the soil subgrade between the CGEs. On the basis of the plate tests, it was concluded that the plate stiffness can influence the test results. The use of a concrete layer was effective at supplementing the plate stiffness. The cushion was shown to be an important component of a composite ground system by allowing mobilization of the soil subgrade resistance and avoiding a stress concentration at the tops of the CGEs that would otherwise be present if the spread foundation and piles were rigidly connected. Because the composite ground system engages the resistance of the soil subgrade, the structural demand is reduced and consequently there is a potential for savings when compared to a conventional pile foundation. Several foundations for the new Owensboro hospital are being monitored for vertical movement during construction of the superstructure that will extend through 2011. At the time of this paper (mid 2011) the settlement of the foundations due to only part of the structural load (primarily the structural steel) has been negligible.

Jan 1, 2011

By Jiwei Duan

The deformation and load transfer behavior of a single soil-cement column are studied with the finite element method. The results show that there is an effective length for a soil-cement column. Beyond this length, the settlement of the column is approximately equal to a constant. The effective pile length is introduced to the concentric cylinder approach (Randolph and Wroth 1978), and an analytical formula for estimating the settlement of a single flexible pile is presented. A second analytical formula for determining the effective pile length of a soil-cement column is obtained and an example shows that the calculated and measured results are in quite good agreement.

Jan 1, 2002

By M. Hesham El Naggar, Osama F. E. Drbe

"Abstract: The use of micropiles has greatly increased the last twenty years, including applications involving low capacity micropile networks, seismic retrofitting, underpinning of existing foundations and high capacity foundations for new structures. This paper presents a field study of the behaviour of single hollow core micropiles in firm to stiff lean clay. Eight micropiles were installed using hollow bars (76 mm OD and 48 mm ID) with air/water flushing technique and advanced to a depth of 5.75m: six micropiles were installed using 228 mm (9 in) drill bit and two micropiles were installed using 178 mm (7 in) drill bit. All micropiles were instrumented with linear potentiometers to measure the vertical displacement of the micropile head and vibrating wire strain gauges to measure the axial strain at three points along the micropile length. Twelve full scale tests were conducted on the eight micropiles, four monotonic compression, four cyclic compression and four tension tests. Only the results of micropiles tested under monotonic compression is presented in this paper. The full scale load tests and a comparison of the performance of the micropiles with 228 mm and 178 mm drill bit are presented and discussed in terms of load-displacement curves, bond strength and tip resistance. The results showed that the proposed values of bond strength in FHWA give a conservative design of the hollow core micropiles. The micropiles constructed with 228 mm drill bit performed marginallybetter than the micropile with 178 mm drill bit in terms of the ultimate capacity.IntroductionMicropiles have been defined in a variety of ways, but can universally be classified as small diameter (less than 300mm), bored, and grouted in place piles (FHWA, 2005; Bruce et al., 1999; and Scherer et al., 1996). They can sustain axial (compression and tension) and/or lateral loads. Dr. Fernando Lizzi used micropiles in 1952 for underpinning of historic buildings damaged during World War II (Bruce D. A., 1988). Since then, micropile applications have expanded rapidly to include underpinning for existing foundations, in situ reinforcement, and seismic retrofitting and foundations for new construction. In particular, micropiles have graduated from use in low-capacity micropile networks toapplications as single high-capacity foundation.Micropiles capacity is affected by the construction technique, which involves drilling, placing reinforcement, and placing or pressurizing the grout. For example, the drilling method influences the degree of bonding between the grout and the ground, and the placement of reinforcement and the choice of grouting method have an impact on the development of the bonding. Bruce et al. (1997) showed that grout/ground bond is most affected by the grouting method. Based on the type of pressure applied during the grouting process, micropiles are classified as follows (FHWA, 2005): Type A: grout is placed under gravity pressure only using either sand-cement mortars or neat cement grout. Type B: pressures typically in the range of 0.5 MPa to 1 MPa are applied in order to inject the neat cement grout into the drilled hole while the temporary drill casing is withdrawn. Type C: involves two-step process; neat cement grout is first placed in the hole under gravity pressure head only as in type A, and prior to the hardening of this primary grout, a similar grout is then injected via a preplaced sleeved grout pipe at a pressure of at least 1 MPa. Type D: like type C, this type is a twostep process: neat cement grout is placed in the hole under gravity pressure head only (but pressure could be applied in some cases), additional grout is injected via a sleeved grout pipe at a pressure of 2 MPa to 8 MPa once the primary grout has hardened. In some cases, a packer is used inside the sleeved pipe, enabling specific horizons to be treated. Recently, Type E micropile is proposed, which involves"

Jan 1, 2014

By Amr M. Sallam

In recent years, with the increase of the number of high-rise buildings that are proposed and being built in Central Florida especially in Downtown Orlando, Augered Pressure Grouted Displacement (APGD) piles became a pronounced foundation option. The APGD pile is a bored displacement pile that does not result in drilling spoil. APGD piles are mostly suited for loose to medium granular soils and slightly silty/clayey sandy materials, such as those encountered in Central Florida. The case history presented in this paper involves the APGD piles recommended for a 35-story mixed-use condominium in Downtown Orlando. The subsoil condition was typical for the region; that is loose to medium fine sands underlain by thin layer of plastic sandy clays and plastic clays followed by mixed clayey sands and sandy clays with phosphates and traces of shells transitioned to the weathered limestone. Four APGD test piles were installed and were, statically, tested. Three of the tested piles failed to support the design load. Analysis of load test results showed that the bottom half of the test piles, below the plastic clay deposits, was not effective, which was attributed to structural deficiency resulted from possible pile necking due, in our opinion, to the increase of the porewater pressure within the plastic clays. Three additional test piles were constructed with modified reinforcement cage; that is to extend beyond the plastic clays with tighter stirrups. The additional test piles were, statnamically, tested and were able to sustain the design loads. The construction of the APGD piles through subsoil conditions similar to those of Downtown Orlando, where plastic clayey deposits are encountered, should account for the high porewater pressures that mostly will be developed within the plastic clay, hence, may cause pile necking. Extending the cage to penetrate through and pass the plastic clays reduced the necking potential and improved the test piles performance.

Jan 1, 2006

By M. Tominaga

An industrial port complex was constructed on the west coast of Leyte Island The work was started in December 1981 and completed in May 1984. This port complex includes a 665 m long wharf and can accommodate vessels ranging from a 60,000 DWT ore carrier to a 4 000 DWT general cargo ship. It now handles materials for and products from a copper smelter with an annual capacity of 130,000 t and a fertilizer plant with an annual capacity of 900,000 t. The Wharf structures consist mainly of interlocked steel pipe piles, steel sheet piles and steel pipe Piles. Material handling equipment such as unloaders, shiploaders, etc. were installed on the wharf. Site survey, planning, engineering design and construction aspects of the port development are discussed in this paper with particular emphasis on the wharf structure.

Jan 1, 2010

By Jeff Wilkinson, Brandon Walter

"A&N Electrical Cooperative provides electrical service to the counties of Accomack and Northampton along Virginia’s Eastern Shore and to Smith Island in Somerset County, Md.A&N recently worked to improve the efficiency of power distribution to a small island community and marina on Tangier Island in the Chesapeake Bay. This improvement consisted of upgrading the existing distribution substation with a new 25 kV 2-bay box distribution structure. Earth Contact Products (ECP) collaborated with PowerServices, Inc. (PSI) to design and install a helical foundation support system as part of the substation upgrade. Feasibility EvaluationThroughout the design process, A&Nworked with its partners PSI (design) andT&D Solutions (installation) to identifycost-effective alternatives. Foundationsystems considered included cast-in-placereinforced concrete caissons, precastconcrete foundations, driven steel piles and helical piles. In evaluating all of theoptions, the greatest concern was gettingthe material onto the island, followedclosely by the availability of the equipmentto install the foundations. Clearly, cost,more specifically the installed cost, was asignificant consideration and decisionfactor throughout the process.There were several limiting factors that had to be considered during the design process, the most significant of which was that all of the material had to be barged to the site. With traditional reinforced concrete deep foundations in mind, the cost for installing these piles was projected to be nearly $2,000/cu yd ($262/cu m) of installed concrete. Given that approximately 5 to 6 cu yd (3.8 to 4.6 cu m) of concrete would be required for this structure, the cost was significantly high for this project. What’s more, because the components of the concrete mix would have to be barged and then hand mixed on site, there was concern regarding both the time required to complete the piles and the quality of the installed concrete. For the driven pile alternative, the availability, or lack thereof, of equipment and material cost resulted in a total cost estimate that was more expensive than that of the concrete piling alternative. The high material cost for the piles, which was more than double than the cost of concrete, was due to the number and size of piles needed to resist the overturning moment. Ultimately, the team selected the helical pile alternative. The decision to a use helical pile foundation system was based on many factors, not the least of which was the remote location of the project site and the difficulties associated with getting material, equipment and construction personnel to the project site."

Jan 1, 2017

By Amalia Giannakou

This paper utilises 3-D finite-element modeling to study the static and dynamic lateral harmonic response of inclined piles, in a homogenous and a non-homogenous soil, modeled as a linear hysteretic medium. The results of a comprehensive parameter study are presented in the form of dimensionless plots of: (a) static and dynamic swaying and rocking stiffnesses and damping ratios, and (b) distribution of internal forces (bending moment, shear and axial force) with depth. These plots can be readily utilised in practical applications and they offer insight on the role of the inclination in the response of flexible piles.

Jan 1, 2006

By A. F. Deng

A general description of the project, mainly the pier foundation design of the ZHU JIANG FANYING is presented in the paper. The major contents include the foundation scheme, the evaluation of bed-rock characteristics, the allowable bearing pressure, the design and construction of pier foundation.

Jan 1, 2010

By Mu Chen, Ye-Shuang Xu, Dong-Wei Hou, Shui-Long Shen, Huai-Na Wu

"This paper presents a laboratory investigation on the mechanical behaviors of the cement-clay admixture improved by polypropylene fiber. Cement can significantly improve the clay admixture. The fiber additive also improves the strength and ductility of the improved clay. The Unconfined Compression Strength (UCS) of the polypropylene fiber-reinforced cement-clay presents an overall trend to grow with the increase of fiber length. The improved clay reached its peak strength at the fiber content of 0.5%. Then the UCS of the improved clay will slowly reverse if the fiber content continues to rise. For study of curing time, improved clay behaves better in its early strength, but an inhibition will be brought about if fibers are excessive.INTRODUCTIONGround improvement technology is essential for construction of structures in soft ground. Some traditional techniques often cost much but result in little. For instance, along the coastal region of China, soft ground is often improved by backfill with high quality sandy soil transported far away, leading to high additional haulage costs and long construction period. Reutilizing the excavated soil as backfill or subgrade after treatment, by contrast, will be more economical and effective (Hufenus et al., 2006). Many researches have been conducted to improve the compression strength of soft soil, among which, the method of mixing the soft soil with cement and fly ash is one of the most common ways (Kolias et al., 2005; Horpibulsuk et al., 2009; Porcino et al., 2012). It is known that soil resists well against compression and shear force but behaves poorly in resistance to tension. Therefore, utilizing tensile elements such as fibers and strips to improve the tensile strength will be effective because of its strength isotropy, better durability and cost effective (Haeri et al., 2000; Kaniraj and Havanagi, 2001; Consoli et al., 2010)."

Jan 1, 2015

By E. R. Wang

This paper outlines the engineering properties of shallow soil in Shanghai area. The main points that should be paid attention to during deep foundation investigation, and general conditions of experimental soil engineering are discribed.

Jan 1, 2010

By Keith MacKay, John Carter, David Siddle, Fernando Faminia

"The River Green Residential development, is located in the municipality of Richmond, BC adjacent to the Fraser River. Ground conditions at the site consisted of medium to fine grained alluvial sands and a high groundwater elevation. A temporary low permeability retaining wall was required in order to facilitate the construction of an underground parking structure without inducing settlement of adjacent structures, which include the Richmond Olympic Oval; part of the legacy of the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics. Golder Associates Ltd. and GeoPacific Consultants Ltd. utilized Cutter Soil Mixing (CSM) technology to enable construction of a continuous combined low permeability cut-off and retaining wall around the perimeter of the property. The 350m long wall was keyed into marine clay at a depth of 28m below ground surface, and contained H-Pile reinforcement installed at regular intervals. The CSM technology provided many benefits for this project, allowing the combined cut-off and retaining wall to be constructed within a very narrow footprint (650mm width). The low noise impact and near vibration free construction of the CSM equipment provided minimal inconvenience to nearby stakeholders during construction. To reduce dewatering volumes during excavation and prevent significant water-table drawdown the Hydraulic Conductivity requirements for the wall were 1 x 10-7 cm/s or less. Project specifications called for a different strength requirement for upper and lower portions of the wall. The top 13 meters of the wall required an Unconfined Compressive Strength (UCS) of 4MPa to act as a retaining and cut-off wall, whereas the bottom 15 meters of the wall required a UCS of only 0.5 MPa to act only as a cut-off wall. Wet-grab and core samples were obtained from the panels to confirm the UCS and Hydraulic Conductivity specifications were met.INTRODUCTIONGolder Construction Inc. and GeoPacific Consultants Ltd. conducted the design and construction of a deep soil mixed cut-off and retaining wall system. The “dry-box” solution was used to surround the excavation of an underground parkade and prevent flows of groundwater into the excavation."

Jan 1, 2016

By Luo Yang

A one-dimensional wave equation based algorithm for estimation of shaft and toe resistance of driven piles using High Strain Testing (HST) data is presented. The pile is represented by a uniform elastic bar, while the soil around the pile is assumed as a homogenized isotropic medium, and Smith model is adopted to represent soil-pile interaction in the wave equation analysis. In most cases, the displacement of pile particles along pile shaft is greater than recoverable soil deformation (i.e., soil quake in Smith model). Therefore, static shaft resistance could be reasonably assumed to be totally mobilized during pile driving. Smith damping factor is used to account for combined dynamic and rate effect. Force and velocity time histories measured at the pile head are used as input boundary conditions in an analytical solution of the one-dimensional wave equation. As a result, two unknown parameters, static shaft resistance and Smith damping factor, can be incorporated into the one-dimensional wave equation and determined analytically for the time duration prior to the first downward wave reaching the pile toe. Then, soil resistance and Smith damping factor at pile toe can be further determined. The advantage of the proposed analysis technique is that the Smith damping factor and the static soil resistance can be directly determined based on the closed-form solution of the one-dimensional wave equation, which is computationally efficient. Numerical examples are given to illustrate the use of the proposed method to determine the pertinent Smith model constants and the static resistances.

Jan 1, 2006

By Kenneth Gavin

Design practice for piles installed in Irish glacial till has developed in an ad-hoc manner, based on the results of un-instrumented load tests. This had led to designers using similar design parameters for both CFA and displacement piles. To address the concerns of industry a series of instrumented pile tests were performed by two Irish Universities. These tests summarized herein, revealed that CFA piles develop higher shaft resistance than piles driven in glacial till. However, they exhibit low base stiffness and the end bearing resistance that can be mobilized at acceptable pile settlement is low. The use of simple non-linear elastic design approaches to predict the load-displacement response is considered. The methods are used to predict the capacity of two large diameter CFA piles installed in glacial till. While the predictions were reasonably accurate at predicting the initial load-displacement of the piles, significant creep settlement developed at higher load levels. The cause of the creep settlement was investigated through the use of plate load tests and the consequences for pile design are discussed.

Jan 1, 2009

By Davide Grassi, Joel Joaquin Cortez, Giovanni Spagnoli, Nick Chittenden

Grouting is a technique used to improve the engineering properties of soils and rocks. Grouting techniques are classified under different criteria: injection method used, type of grout material injected, typical application, and the sequence of construction. The best-known criterion is the mode of entrance or admission of grout into the soil or rock. It is possible to identify therefore several grouting techniques: compaction, fracture, jet/mixing and permeation. The function of penetration grouting is to reduce the permeability of the soil or rock and/or increase the strength and density. In order to avoid displacement, permeation grouting shall be carried out at carefully controlled pressures and flow rates, using appropriate grouts. Colloidal silica is an innovative binder which has low viscosity (about 5 m·Pas), it is not toxic (pH lower than 9) and it is workable between +5°C and +45°C. This paper presents several case histories: a consolidation job related to the installation of a new sewer in North Italy in cohesionless soils, water stopping injection in a weathered granitic bedrock in California, permeation works in the US in sandy soils to improve excavation and the installation of sheet piles in the UAE. Results show that the colloidal silica an innovative and robust technology to perform grouting in very fine soils where conventional binders or micro-fine cements cannot penetrate.

May 1, 2022

By Ke Yang

Drilled shafts are widely adopted as the foundation for sound walls. However, there has been a lack of uniformity in design and analysis methods and design criteria, in terms of factor of safety against ultimate capacity failure as well as the allowable deflection. In order to establish a uniform design methodology for the drilled shafts supporting sound walls in cohesive and cohesionless soils, respectively, a database of full-scale lateral load tests on fully instrumented drilled shafts was collected. Based on the compiled database, existing design methods and design criteria of laterally loaded drilled shafts were evaluated. Broms method and COM624P (or LPILE) are suggested as the design methods for drilled shafts supporting sound walls in both cohesive and cohesionless soils. Additionally, the corresponding design criteria, including factor of safety and permissible deflection, for both design methods are recommended. Two full-scale lateral load tests on fully instrumented drilled shafts were subsequently conducted in Colorado to further verify the design recommendation. A comprehensive geotechnical investigation program was also carried out at the two new lateral load test sites that included pressuremeter test, SPT, as well as laboratory triaxial consolidated undrained tests and direct shear tests on the soil samples taken from the lateral load test sites. The test results obtained at these two load test sites were employed to validate the recommended geotechnical design and geotechnical testing methods for the drilled shafts supporting sound walls.

Jan 1, 2007

By Dennis Wrixon

It was a little bit exceeded. The decision was the uniform settlement is measured at each one corner and the highest one corner is the important one. And in addition there is a differential settlement of 2.1 mm allowed. So we reached about 7.8 or 7.9 mm with the highest corner and in addition 2.1 so it was a little too much. But behind there is a very difficult calculation of the authorities where all of the displacements are combined together and there are of course some more factors of safety in these settlements.

Feb 10, 2003

By Eiji Kojima

In this research, dynamic and static load tests were performed on permanent foundation piles which had a pile length of 30 m, 800 mm in outer diameter and 15 mm in wall thickness. In this site the dynamic horizontal load test on a smaller test pile, 12 m in length, 500 mm in outer diameter and 12 mm in wall thickness, was also carried out. The static horizontal load versus horizontal displacement derived from the dynamic load test conformed well to that measured in the conventional static horizontal load test of the pile with 800 mm diameter. Then an attempt was made to predict the horizontal load displacement of the pile with 800 mm diameter based on the results of the dynamic horizontal load test of the pile with smaller diameter of 500 mm.

Jan 1, 2006

By Amaneh E. Kenarsari

Among the different sources of uncertainty in pile bearing capacity prediction including inherent heterogeneity, measurement and model uncertainties, the inherent heterogeneity of soil properties is of particular interest and is considered in this study. Cone tip resistance data are utilized to calculate pile bearing capacity by considering vertical soil variability. In this regard, cone tip resistance component of CPT data is assumed as a random parameter. Realizations of this parameter are achieved with the aid of local average subdivisions and random field theories. Monte Carlo simulation is used to generate different realizations of CPT or CPT-u data. Pile bearing capacity was then calculated by the use of direct method. Pile bearing capacity are predicted for a project in south of Iran using this method and probability density function for the total bearing capacity of pile is plotted. Coefficient of variation of 33% for ultimate bearing capacity shows the variability of bearing capacity due to variation of soil strength in depth. Cumulative probability chart for the ultimate bearing capacity are plotted as an efficient tool for estimating ultimate bearing capacity of piles with different desired confidence levels for vertically variable soil strength properties. Significant difference between mean value of pile bearing capacity (18 MN) and limit with 95% confidence level (8 MN) emphasizes the importance of considering soil variability.

Jan 1, 2011

By Shinji Sassa, Naoki Takahashi, Eiji Kohama, Wakaki Tsuda, Hidenori Takahashi, Ikuo Towhata, Yoshiyuki Morikawa

"Abstract Deep mixing method has been employed increasingly in recent years as a countermeasure against subsoil liquefaction. Column-type solidification, however, has been thought to have little effect as a liquefaction countermeasure, because the shear deformation of unimproved soil between the columns cannot be reduced. In recent years, experimental results have been reported that imply that solidified columns can reduce the shear deformation of unimproved soil around them. A new arrangement has been proposed to mitigate lateral flow induced by liquefaction. In this study, a series of dynamic centrifuge model tests was conducted to verify the lateral flow resistance of stabilized columns. The results indicate that stabilized columns can reduce the lateral flow of liquefied ground if the column displacement and the column head rotation are restricted. This paper concludes that it is important to restrict the displacement and the rotation of the column head by surface improvement to mitigate the lateral flow of liquefied ground.INTRODUCTIONDeep mixing method has been employed increasingly in recent years as a countermeasure against subsoil liquefaction. The solidified body formed by the deep mixing method is usually block or lattice shape, composed of solidified columns that overlap each other horizontally. Lattice-type solidification has been shown to be effective as a liquefaction countermeasure despite the presence of unimproved soil inside the lattice wall, because the shear deformation of the interior soil is restrained by the wall (Suzuki et al., 1989). On the other hand, it has been thought that column-type solidification cannot reduce shear deformation of unimproved soil around columns, because the displacement of a solidified column is less restricted than that of a lattice wall. Column-type solidification has been reported to have little effect as a liquefaction countermeasure, but to be superior in terms of construction cost and applicability around existing underground structures (Koga et al., 1986). However, there are experimental results implying that solidified columns have reduced the shear deformation of unimproved soil and mitigated its liquefaction (Yasuda et al., 2003; Tanaka et al., 2003). Yamamoto et al. (2006) conducted dynamic analyses of ground improved with lattice- and column-type solidification. Their results showed that column-type solidification with an improvement ratio of more than 35% reduces excess pore water pressure generated by earthquakes. Furthermore, the new column arrangement shown in Figure 1(a) has been proposed to mitigate lateral flow induced by liquefaction. It was developed and has been verified using dynamic model testing in a 1 g field (Takahashi et al., 2010a; 2010b; 2013; Towhata et al., 2010). The stabilized columns in this configuration interrupt lateral flow in any direction, unlike those placed in square and triangular arrangements."

Jan 1, 2014