Search Documents

By Patrick Bermingham

The advancement of hydraulic impact hammers has followed the general advancement of hydraulics. The construction industry has been revolutionized by the application of hydraulics in excavators, cranes and, of course, in the hydraulic vibratory driver/extractor, which has become a standard tool. The innate ability to move a large mass with a very small displaced volume has given hydraulic power the advantage over previous power mediums. Recent development of more specialized and complex seal configurations and compounds has greatly improved the reliability and permitted the use of higher pressures in hydraulic systems.

Jan 1, 1987

By John W. M. Lambert

This paper describes the execution and the results of a new method to seal off leaks in water retaining constructions. The new method, called BioSealing is based on activating the bacteries, present in soil and groundwater. The method was tested under field conditions in 2004 and applied at the HSL aqueduct of the 'Ringvaart Haarlemmermeer' in 2005.

Jan 1, 2006

By Mohammad Eslami

The Tabriz-Urmiyeh Highway shortens the distance of north-western cities of Iran by about 130 km, resulting in improved access and efficient transit between Iran and Europe through Turkey. The highway crosses the Urmiyeh Lake, an inland lake surrounded by mountains. Due to the circulation of salt-water in the lake and the necessity to continue shipping between adjacent ports, a waterway should be kept open. Consequently, a bridge was built to provide access of marine traffic. A causeway bridge had a length of 1,260 m, comprising of 19 spans. In construction of the bridge, more than 400 piles having a total length of 32 km have been driven. For design of piles different methods have been used such as static analysis, dynamic testing, and correlations to in situ tests, such as cone penetration test (CPT). This paper presents construction of bridge substructure, full-scale piling tests, and methods of analysis used in the evaluation of the deep foundation capacity. The presentation includes an assessment of four current direct CPT and one CPTu methods to calculate the bearing capacity of the piles. It was found that the CPTu and dynamic testing are two suitable tools for rapid and optimum pile design and verification.

Jan 1, 2010

By John Wise

Significant movement to an existing slurry wall which serves as a retaining wall on 'O' Street in Southeast Washington, D.C. initiated the Department of Public Works for the District of Columbia to invite specialty contractors to propose a rehabilitation and stabilization for the failed slurry wall. Nicholson Construction Company proposed and was awarded a contract for the construction of an anchored precast lagging and soldier pile wall to be located approximately 4 feet in front of the existing structure with granular fill placed between the new and existing walls. Stabilization of the existing slurry wall also included drilling horizontal weep holes and demolishing the failed panels down to the existing ground surface. A new and improved drainage system was also constructed to increase the amount of water directed toward the existing storm sewer system running along 'O' Street. This paper provides a detailed account of these construction activities.

Jan 1, 2003

By Joan Stoupa

The expansion of the West Point wastewater treatment plant located in Seattle, Washington, will require a permanent tieback retaining wall to enlarge the plant site for the new treatment plant facili­ties. The retaining wall will extend approximately 3,000 feet along the property boundary between the treatment plant and the neighboring Discovery Park. Wall heights will range from 35 to as high as 65 feet. The purpose of the retaining wall is to provide a more uniform grade on the plant site and to resist lateral pressures exerted by the upslope, unstable hillside. During preliminary design of the retaining wall, various wall systems were evaluated based on assumed subsurface soil conditions. Results of preliminary studies indicated that expected subsurface conditions and wall heights made a permanent tieback retaining wall feasible. However, uncertain loads on the wall and the capacity of anchors in the native soils were significant. As a result, a detailed geotechnical program was conducted. The scope of the program included conventional drilling, sampling, analyses, and a field test program to determine site-specific anchor capacities. This paper describes the anchor test program and results.

Jan 1, 1990

By Dan A. Brown

This paper describes a method of conducting rapid lateral loading tests of deep foundations in which the load is applied to the foundation with a time duration of less than one second. For purposes of this paper the loading is applied using a pyrotechnic loading system commonly referred to as Statnamic. However, the method should apply to any lateral loading system which produces a force time history with a loading duration of 20 msec to 1 second. The test provides a measure of the dynamic and static response of the soil/foundation system and must be evaluated as a dynamic loading. Interpretation of the test includes a simple single degree of freedom (SDOF) model which can account for the inertial effects of foundation mass, system damping, and static foundation stiffness. The results of the test measurements are compared with four case histories in which comparative static load test data are available, including pile group foundations and large diameter drilled shaft foundations.

Jan 1, 2007

By Saeed Salehi Malekshah

In hybrid foundation system or piled raft foundation (PRF), the raft has adequate bearing capacity and piles are usually required to ensure overall stability of foundation and also to act as settlement reducer for high rise structures. When piles are connected to the raft, a high axial stress may develop and one alternative is to disconnect the piles from raft and consider them as stiffeners for supporting soil. This system is known as disconnected piled raft foundation (DCPRF). Cushion, a compacted coarse grained soil layer, can be used beneath the raft to redistribute and adjust the stress ratio of piles to subsoil and plays an important role in mobilizing the bearing capacity of subsoil and modifying the load transfer mechanism of piles. In this study, finite element method (FEM) has been employed to investigate the effect of different parameters such as cushion stiffness, gap height, raft thickness and piling configuration on the behavior of disconnected piled raft foundation. The analysis is performed on different foundations of hypothetical and real case histories. Results indicate that increasing the raft thickness reduces the differential settlement and pile head axial stress. Concentrating the longer disconnected piles similar to connected ones beneath the central area of raft, decreases settlement of raft. With increasing cushion stiffness, vertical stress ratio of piles to subsoil increases, but settlement decreases. Increasing gap height from 0.1 m to 1 m decreases the vertical stress ratio of piles to subsoil.

Jan 1, 2011

The process of pile driving disturbs the soil around the pile. The nature and magnitude of disturbance depends upon 1) the pile size, and 2) the nature of soil. Therefore, the prediction of a single pile behavior based on soil properties of undisturbed soil samples may not match its performance. Under lateral loads, the pile may loose contact with the soil near the ground surface especially in clays. The soil pile interactions are influenced the most by pile behavior in this zone. This situation further affects the tally of prediction and performance. Piles are used in groups. The zones of overlapping stress from one pile to the other both around the pile and below their tip particularly in soft soils, contribute to group effects. Empirical solutions have been developed for prediction of the pile group behavior. The group action is more involved under vibrations. Several cases of single piles and pile groups under static and dynamic loads from published records have been analysed. It has been shown that single pile test is the best source of information on the soil-pile-soil interaction effects.

Jan 1, 1989

By C. Van der Veen

The use of the quasi static (Dutch) Cone Penetration Test (CPT) is described as a tool to predetermine the ultimate bearing capacity of the pile point. An analysis is given why a purely theoritical approach does not meet with success. A practical method is explained of extrapolating the cone resistance to predict the pile point resistance. The method has been calibrated against the result of 32 selected high standard loading tests on pile points in the Netherlands.

Jan 1, 1989

By Mohammed Z. Islam

As cities are growing all over the world, the need for urban transportation facilities are on the rise. Designers (of these facilities) today are faced with a number of constraints for their design, of the most is the space limitation and impact of new construction activities to the community. A typical subway station, as the focus of this paper, is approximately 600 to 1000 feet long, 50 feet wide and 2 to 3 story high. With such a large volume of construction activities, it is easily realized why underground stations are becoming obvious choice for larger cities eventhough the cost could be 2 1/2 to 3 times as much as an aerial station and 4 to 5 times that of an at-grade station [O'Neil et. al.(1977)]. Since cost is an important factor which is always increasing, therefore, the designer should have a good planning, consider alternatives for design and come up with a realistic design with minimum impact to the community. This paper is about the geotechnical considerations that the designer should be aware of. PLANNING A 1977 report [O'Neil et. al.(1977)] on the construction costs for a number of underground subway stations indicate that about 4 0% of the cost is site-controlled, 35% is structural items, and 25% is finish and equipment. It is seen that of opportunity exists for cost savings in the site selection and proper use of the site. Once the site is selected, the cost of construction become controlled by urban conditions at the site, geotechnical conditions, station size and depth. Therefore, the design-solution is very much site-specific. The geotecnical designer should collect the following information at the early phase of the design:

Jan 1, 1993

By James Su

The Green River Valley in Kent, Washington, is a fast growing area containing retail facilities, warehouse factories and industrial businesses, including the Boeing Space Center. Traffic from Interstate - 5 to the West Valley Highway is highly congested. Accordingly, a new corridor, including a bridge across the Green River, was designed and constructed between 1996 and 1997. This paper presents a case history of the design elements and issues associated with the construction of the pier foundations of the bridge. Subsurface conditions were evaluated using both deep test borings and CPT soundings to evaluate the strength and consolidation properties of the supporting soils. Subsurface conditions consisted of alternating layers of loose and medium dense silty sand and sandy silt. Engineering analysis included an assessment of liquefaction as well as pier supporting capacity and associated settlement. The constructed foundations included 6-foot-diameter piers cased to a depth of 120 feet below the ground surface. The pier casings were driven to the design tip elevation and the soil inside the casing was removed by drilling. Despite performing borings and CPT soundings at specific pier locations, occasional trees, buried thousands of years ago through geologic processes, were surprisingly encountered during pier construction. This presented unique and difficult driving and drilling conditions. During drilling, the water level inside the piers was maintained near the ground surface to create a balance of hydrostatic pressure and prevent boiling of soils the bottom of the casing. After the casings were installed, the soil inside the casing was excavated, the rebar cage was installed and the pier was filled with concrete using treme techniques. Construction of the piers is complete and the completed piers have experienced negligible settlement. Owner: City of Kent Engineering Department Timothy La Porte, Project Manager Kent, Washington General Contractor: Mowat Construction Company, Kirkland, Washington Foundation Contractor: Condon - Johnson & Associates, Inc., Tukwila, Washington

Jan 1, 1998

By Anuj K. Singh, Shuvranshu Rout, Manos De

"Foundation for tracks of coke transfer car and dust extraction pipe was designed as series of isolated foundations spaced at 11.0m along length of coke oven battery resting on soil at depth of 2.5m. In one region the foundations are close to adjacent 12m deep underground junction house. Five foundations in this zone were constructed on backfilled soil without proper compaction instead of engineering soil fill or concrete fill. The foundations settled under loads and the supported frame structure tilted after equipment erection and during trials endangering the safety of the structure and equipment operation. The distorted structure had to be rectified in-situ by arresting settlement. In order to stabilize the foundation and supported structure the supporting soil had to be strengthened in situ without any dismantling, reconstruction and adverse effect to equipment operation. This paper presents the case study on the evaluation of defects for the foundation failure and analysis of the problem, proposed rectification of the situation by appropriate soil stabilization scheme, monitoring of the stabilization operations and verification of effectiveness of the rectification work by measurement of settlements. The implemented solution has ensured safety of the structure and equipment without any adverse impact on normal operation.INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUNDNew Coke Oven Battery was being installed for an integrated Steel Plant. The hot coke from oven is pushed out after completion of coking process through a coke transfer car onto a hot coke receiving car. The coke transfer car runs on rail track parallel to the line of ovens forming the coke oven battery. One rail is supported on the structure of the operating platform of the battery and the second rail rests on independent structure of track beams. A large diameter pipe for extraction of the dust emitted during coke pushing operation is also supported on the same structure that supports the track beams. The entire structure rests on columns spaced at approximately 11.0m along the length of the battery. The columns transfer load to ground through individual foundations resting on competent subsoil strata.Two sets of foundations for the rail track beam support and dust extraction pipe support are adjacent to deep underground junction house of coke carrying conveyor. The depth of the pit for the junction house is 12m. The layout and arrangement of the foundations in this region around the junction house (JH-1) is shown in the “Figs. 1a, 1b”."

Jan 1, 2017

By Walter I. Paniagua

Drilled shafts and precast concrete piles were installed for the foundation of several structures in a reconfiguration project of a refinery in Minatitlan, Veracruz, in the Gulf of Mexico. The soils are alluvial deposits of flat land from the Coatzacoalcos River, which are embedded with layers of sand, soft clay, and peat. As part of a QC/QA program, load tests, both static and dynamic, axial and lateral, were performed. In this paper results of 32 axial tests are presented, in which typical load-displacement curves were measured at the top of the foundation elements; from the interpretation of these plots, data were recorded for ultimate side shear and in some cases for end bearing capacities, which are compared with the theoretical results of the final stage of the foundation design. The comparison shows that under allowable loads, side shear determines the bearing capacity of piles, even when the tip is embedded in a hard layer. Underestimation of the side shear is evident; therefore design criteria, as well as the methods used for obtaining soil parameters, should be reviewed.

Jan 1, 2007

By Jared M. Green

This paper presents the wall stabilization design and implementation for a 541 linear ft masonry and concrete gravity-type retaining wall flanking the west perimeter of a 7.37 acre parcel in Bronx, New York. This paper will discuss the results of static and dynamic stability analyses performed for the pre- and post excavation phases for the proposed 300 ft wide open-cut of up to 14 ft of contaminated soil below the toe of the retaining wall. The wall stabilization consisted of over 74 inclined drilled and grouted anchor dowels, and 55 tiebacks drilled and grouted to the underlying mica schist bedrock. Three over-lapping rows of jet grout columns were chosen as the foundation solution for the existing retaining wall. This paper focuses on the design, construction and performance of the jet grout curtain wall. The jet grout wall served three purposes: 1) underpinning and excavation support for the removal of contaminated site soils, 2) permanent hydraulic barrier, and 3) resistance against a deep seated failure within the thick clay layer present at the site. The originally designed jet grout wall had unexpected negative effects to the existing retaining wall. The jet grouting program was modified while the Observational Method (Peck 1969) was employed to keep wall movements to a minimum. This paper discusses the diagnostic methods used to determine the cause of retaining wall movement; the implementation of a remedial ground improvement program; the modification to the jet grout installation procedure; and the ultimate performance of the jet grout wall.

Jan 1, 2011

By M. Dondelinger

This paper presents a comprehensive review of steel sheet piling including internationally manufactured hot rolled sections, their history, applications, installation and driving techniques. The discussion will cover both temporary and permanent installations; temporary piling used in construction of cofferdams with various bracing systems, deep foundation installations for buildings, bridges and tunnels, etc., and permanent piling used for highway, railroad and bridge construction as well as for riverbanks, piers, wharfs and docks, normally required for port facilities. In addition, cofferdams, as self-supporting gravity structures where interlock strength is of prime importance, will be discussed. The design and application of light, intermediate and heavy sections will be presented including heavy combined walls and information on Z-shaped, U-shaped and HZ sections and their corresponding interlocks. Emphasis is placed on new developments for design applications for deep foundations and waterfront structures within the "state of the art".

Jan 1, 2010

By Peter Faust

The foundations for the new South Viaduct Bridge in San Francisco were extremely challenging due to the requirement for very large and deep piles installed adjacent to historic structures. Drilled shafts up to 12? foot in diameter were constructed to a maximum depth of 200? feet in alluvial soils and Franciscan Bedrock using an oscillator system for the installation of the permanent steel casing. This paper provides an overview of the construction techniques, the equipment, and the challenges associated with constructing 12? foot diameter shafts on this very complex project in one of the nation?s nicest landscape setting.

Jan 1, 2011

By Walter E. Vanderpool

Full scale load tests are frequently performed immediately prior to deep foundation construction to verify the design assumptions. Occasionally, load tests are performed during design development and applied to the final design for critical and non-redundant structures. We believe that full scale load tests can be very valuable and economical for projects, especially in a geologic environment where the record of full scale load testing is very limited or non-existent. The load testing for the Utah Transit Authority?s Airport Light Rail Trax project provides an example of the advantages of a load test in design development. The savings realized by the owner was in excess of $800 thousand dollars.

Jan 1, 2011

By Elizabeth M. Smith

The kcICON design-build project in Kansas City, Missouri includes widening the existing roadway, improving interchanges and grade separation bridges, and replacing the Missouri River Bridge. The Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) typically utilizes steel H-piles and steel pipe piles as driven pile support for bridges. After bidding the kcICON project, the cost of steel rose significantly and the design-build contractor used an innovative approach to reduce foundation costs without significantly affecting the project schedule. The kcICON team conducted a value engineering evaluation of alternative foundation types for use at four grade separation structures. The result of the value engineering evaluation was selection of precast, pre-stressed concrete (PPC) piles as the preferred foundation alternative. Terracon developed a test program to evaluate the performance, capacity, and suitability of PPC piles at the site using a PDA and CAPWAP analyses. This paper presents the value engineering design, rationale for selection of PPC piles, results of the pile test program, and findings during production pile driving. The collaborative approach to the project by MoDOT and the kcICON team, combined with testing and a site-specific design approach, resulted in substantial savings for the design-build contractor.

Jan 1, 2009

By Mark R. Svinkin

Regulations are needed to keep construction vibrations in tolerable limits. The existing regulations were developed for low-rise residential structures, but they are incorrectly used for different super and underground structures. The existing regulations cannot prevent most of harmful vibration effects on sensitive devices, people and structures from construction and industrial vibration sources. It is important to determine the areas of application of the existing regulations and bring attention to the necessity of measurement of the structural responses for assessment of vibration effects on structures. For multi-story residential, commercial and industrial buildings, the frequency-independent safe limit of 51 mm/s (2 in./s) can be chosen for the peak particle velocity of structural, not ground, vibrations. Specifications for construction operations with dynamic sources have to consider specifics of each construction site. Preventive measures can be used to mitigate harmful vibration effects on various structures and settlements in sand and clay soils.

Jan 1, 2006

By Franz-Werner Gerressen

"The use of soil improvement to utilize areas, which are not suitable for foundation purpose, has a long tradition. Due to the increasing demand of foundation works in areas of unsuitable soils, the improvement of the existing soils becomes even more important in the future.Various applications and systems for various demands exist around the world. Either it is a “simple” improvement for settlement reduction or a more important aim as liquefaction mitigation. However, each system has its advantages, limits and needs.Furthermore to the soil improvement, using various tools, soil mixing can also be used for applications like cut off and/or retaining wall.The paper will describe some basics of various techniques and different applications of the systems all over the world where the systems provided solutions for different purposes, e.g. simple foundation or liquefaction mitigation.It will describe also the main equipment which will be needed to execute these works under the various conditionsINTRODUCTIONSoil mixing is a methodology where the soil is improved by mixing it with cement, lime or other binders in situ by using a mixing tool. This methodology can be used either as wet mixing or as dry mixing. In the more frequently used wet mixing process, usually a mixture of binder and water, maybe with additives, is injected and mixed with the soil. Depending on the type of soil and binder, by the end of the mixing process, a mortar like mixture is created which hardens during the hydration process. In the dry mixing process, the binder is directly mixed with the soil and reacts directly with the existing soil and water.Mixing tools show several versions, so that they are mixing around either a vertical or horizontal axis, mixing in a trench and maybe are jet assisted. Figure 1 shows a classification done by Bruce 2010. Depending on the technique, improvement depth of up to 80 m can be achieved."

Jan 1, 2017