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By Patrick T, David K. Miller

Driven piles are an effective and cost-efficient deep foundation method; however, when piles are driven near existing buildings and improvements, vibrations must be controlled to non-damaging levels. Monitoring of adjacent structures is important for loss prevention, specification compliance, and public relations. The fundamentals of ground vibrations, including particle velocity, acceleration, displacement and frequency will be discussed. Types of pile driving and the ground vibrations that result will be summarized. Industry standards for safe vibration levels for various structures (residential, commercial, industrial, historic, utilities) will be reviewed. The paper/presentation will include a discussion of soil settlement from pile driving vibrations and case histories of observed settlements. Methods for calculating vibration amplitudes and frequencies will be presented. Best practices for monitoring and controlling ground vibrations, including available state-of-the art equipment, will be outlined. The paper/presentation will conclude with steps for designing and implementing a monitoring and control program.

By Michal Topolnicki

Deep Mixing Series: This article is the second keynote highlighted from DFI's virtual Deep Mixing Conference in 2021, for which Topolnicki served as a committeee co-chair Polish applications of deep soil mixing (DSM) technology occupy a leading position in Europe. That includes use for road and railway embankments, bridges, residential and industrial build- ings, silos, commercial centers, slabs, car parks and storage yards, excavation supports and cut-off walls. In fact, more than 350 road and railway viaducts and 200 wind turbines have been founded nationally on DSM columns, which are firsts on an international scale. This represents more than 1,200 imple- mentations by the Polish geotechnical industry. Considering the need to update DSM design recommendations, this article will attempt to summarize the best practices of wet DSM design and implementation, in particular. It draws on 20 years of experience and will high- light the properties and principles of the design of stabilized soil and lessons learned. Case studies are included to fur- ther understanding of the careful con- siderations needed with this technology.

Apr 1, 2022

By Morgan NeSmith

The Port of Palm Beach is a full-service landlord port in Riviera Beach, Florida. The port and its tenants process more than $14 billion in commodities. About 80% of these are exports, which makes the Port of Palm Beach one of only 16 "Export Ports" in the U.S. More than 2.5 million tons of cargo move through the port every year. Ozinga, a fourth-generation family- owned construction materials company, has supplied ready-mix concrete for commercial, residential, public works, landscaping and excavation projects from several of its Florida locations. It planned to build a one-of-a-kind cement storage facility to receive and store international ship- ments of cement for transport to other facilities for the production of ready- mix concrete. Dome Technology, of Idaho Falls, Idaho, designed and constructed the 125 ft (38 m) diameter storage facility. The design and working volume of cement for the facility was just under 27,000 cu ft (765 m3). The design loads required to be supported by the foundation system are shown in this table:

Apr 1, 2023

By Chen Zhiquan

Author has exhaustively researched into soft ground through construction of a large open caisson on soft ground (muck) which weighs more than 4, 000 tons. To avoid any contingency during construction, we precompressed muck stratum with a sand cushion and consolidated it with sand piles before construction of the caisson. We made borehole surveyings and soil tests many times before and after ground treatment. Following the tracks of changes of the caisson at all stages of precasting, we surveyed a large number of data. On the basis of analysis of the data we changed the original construction plan of precasting in four stages and sinking in three stages into that of precasting in three stages and sinking in one stage. Through the practice of the whole caisson construction the author has advanced new theory of kinematic law for soil particles and the change's law for strength of muck during precompression of sand cushion and consolidation of sand piles.

Jan 1, 1991

By John Y. L Chen

This paper presents full-scale instrumented pile static compressive and tensile load tests to be conducted in the area of Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. Thousands of piles have been installed to support the existing piers and wharves in the Pearl Harbor area. Due to the absence of bedrock within practical depths, most of the piles use combined friction and end bearing. A new 925 feet (282 meters) long and 50 feet (12 meters) wide reinforced concrete wharf supported on pile foundation is planned. This paper will present results of soil investigation, laboratory testing, dynamic load tests during indictor pile driving and static pile load tests. The subsurface conditions consist of soft harbor sediment, young alluvium deposit, volcanic tuff rock formation and stiff old alluvium deposit. The load test piles consist of 20-inch (508 mm) square and 24-inch (610 mm) octagonal pre-stressed, pre-cast concrete pile and instrumented with embedded strain gauges. The length of the piles ranges from about 50 to 125 feet (15 to 38 meters). The test pile program consists of probing, driving indictor piles, dynamic load tests during indictor pile driving and static load tests. The standard loading procedure method was used during static pile load tests.

Jan 1, 2002

By K. J. Yang

Based on investigations and model tests combined with pile foundation on Code compilation of drydocks, we present this report to give informations against uplift pressure of piles beneath floor of drydock. In a same kind of soil, we have got comparative tests results with single pile and pile group, and the latter was performed at different spacings, different embedded depths and different number of piles in the group. Having analyzed through the results, there are some new understandings of regularity about failure mechanism and uplifting capacity of single pile and pile group, as well as optimum embedded depth of pile foundation. The results of research approach to measured values of full-scale and model tests at home and abroad, it has been placed into the Design Code of Drydock in China (1985), and can give a reference to design of pile foundation at sea and on land under uplift loading.

Jan 1, 2010

By Z. C. Chen

Based on the analysis of load test data of long floating piles in soft soil regions, the expressions of load-transfer function of pile shaft and tip for soft soils are presented in this paper, and the data of cone penetration test are suggested to use for calculating the parameters of load-transfer functions. For the loads of pile within the range of the working load of pile, the estimated pile stiffness by the suggested method in this paper are in satisfactory agreement with the results of load tests. The current Vijayvergiya's method and Satowa's method also are used to calculate pile stiffness in soft soil for comparison.

Jan 1, 2010

By Z. Q. Bian

The wireline sampling originates from core drilling in rocks. The authors combined the wireline sampling technique with conventional undisturbed soil samplers, including Osterberg sampler, Denison sampler and double tube barrel, and then developed the wireline samplers of WPS, WSS and WSR models. These samplers are able to sample various soils. They reserve all the advantages of the original samplers, and moreover, they are noted with quick hoisting and lowering by wire rope. Therefore, it becomes an efficient new technique of sampling undisturbed soil from deep foundation.

Jan 1, 2010

By David White

When finished (projected completion in 2016) the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge Project will comprise three cable-stayed span bridges and a 4.15 mile immersed tube tunnel - linking Hong Kong to Macau and the mainland Chinese city of Zhuhai. The design included two artificial Islands to serve as the transition structures for the tunnel to bridges, entailing a massive seaborne land reclamation project, and the use of thousands of sheet piles, and man-hours. The challenges of driving individual steel sheet in 100? of water are well known, let alone in the open waters of the South China Sea. In 2010 a joint effort between American Piledriving Equipment (APE) and Allnamics Pile Testing Experts convinced the Chinese contractor First Harbor Marine Group China that a massive multi-vibro hammer can be used to drive 130? long, 72? diameter steel pipe piles weighing 662 US tons each into the sea bed of the South China Sea for the Hong Kong - Zhuhai - Macau bridge artificial islands. Combining APE?s hammer design, production and operation know-how with the pile driving simulation and installation know-how of Allnamics made it possible to show the feasibility of driving these gigantic piles into bottom of the sea to the required depth.

By David White

"When finished (projected completion in 2016) the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge Project will comprise three cable-stayed span bridges and a 4.15 mile immersed tube tunnel - linking Hong Kong to Macau and the mainland Chinese city of Zhuhai. The design included two artificial Islands to serve as the transition structures for the tunnel to bridges, entailing a massive seaborne land reclamation project, and the use of thousands of sheet piles, and man-hours. The challenges of driving individual steel sheet in 100’ of water are well known, let alone in the open waters of the South China Sea.In 2010 a joint effort between American Piledriving Equipment (APE) and Allnamics Pile Testing Experts convinced the Chinese contractor First Harbor Marine Group China that a massive multi-vibro hammer can be used to drive 130’ long, 72’ diameter steel pipe piles weighing 662 US tons each into the sea bed of the South China Sea for the Hong Kong - Zhuhai - Macau bridge artificial islands. Combining APE’s hammer design, production and operation know-how with the pile driving simulation and installation know-how of Allnamics made it possible to show the feasibility of driving these gigantic piles into bottom of the sea to the required depth.INTRODUCTIONThe challenges of driving individual steel sheets in deep water are well known, let alone in the open waters of the South China Sea. Often the challenges of construction are overcome with engineering or equipment. The challenges of China’s Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge, on the drawing board since 1983, were to overcome both. The challenges of overcoming the skepticism of the Chinese Engineering community would be another story.The finished project will comprise three cablestayed span bridges and a 4.15 mile immersed tube tunnel linking Hong Kong on an eastern span to the China mainland cities of Zhuhai and Macau via two western spans."

Jan 1, 2017

By Y. W. Mou

In order to improve the construction of pile foundations and deep foundations of largo sizes, the paper deals with the method of installing square or rectangular bored-piles for annular foundation as well as large-sized hollow or solid foundation.

Jan 1, 2010

By M. Soranzo

This paper presents a restoration operation of the load-bearing capacities of a deep foundation which did not satisfy the original design conditions. The operation was preceded by a series of tests carried out after construction of the pile foundation. In order to verify the efficacy of the method, both load tests on piles before and after intervention and tests on the material used in underpinning the piles were carried out.

Jan 1, 2010

By H. Mori

This paper describes a new borehole loading test using a self-boring instrument appropriate for dense sandy soils and stiff clayey soils. The results of loading tests for the bearing strata of deep foundations according to this method are also presented. This method has been applied to the study on the settlement behavior of heavy foundations resting on dense sand, stiff clay or soft rock in Japan.

Jan 1, 2010

4.5.1 General The provisions of the article shall apply to the design of axially and laterally loaded driven piles in soil or extending through soil to rock. 4.5.1.1 APPLICATION (Revised Article 4.3.1.1) Piling may be considered when footings cannot be founded on rock, or on granular or stiff cohesive soils within a reasonable depth. At loca-tions where soil conditions would normally permit the use of spread footings but the potential for scour exists, piles may be used as a protection against scour. Piles may also be used where an unacceptable amount of settlement of spread footings may occur. 4.5.1.2 MATERIALS Piles may be structural steel sections, steel pipe, precast concrete, cast-in-place concrete, prestressed concrete, timber, or a combination of materials. In every case, materials shall be supplied in accordance with the provisions of this Article.

Jan 1, 1989

By Jesús E. Gómez

A recent bridge underpinning project provided a unique opportunity to obtain information on the load-deflection response of 260 hollow-core bar micropiles. All production micropiles were proof-tested to a maximum load of 125 percent of the design load. In addition, four verification tests were performed on sacrificial micropiles to at least two and a half times the design loads. This paper presents the results of the verification and proof tests performed for this project, and provides recommended values for design of hollow core bar micropiles in soils similar to those encountered. This work shows that hollow core bar micropiles provide a significant unit bond capacity in both granular and fine soils, which may be greater than that typically expected in pressure-grouted (Type B) micropiles. The hollow core bar system allows faster installation rates in the soil types encountered than other traditional micropile techniques, and can be installed with relatively simple quality control procedures.

Jan 1, 2007

By Saba Mohan

For the three full-scale pile installations, two different high-energy hydraulic hammers were selected for the installation. However, these hammers may not have sufficient energy to drive these large diameter piles at their ultimate capacity following long-term set-up. Nevertheless, these hammers were selected because, soil plug behavior, the generation of excess pore pressures and remolding of soil during driving were expected to reduce the shaft and end bearing resistance, and therefore reduce the energy required to drive these piles to design penetration. Data collected during continuous installation driving and after a series of re-strikes at different set-up times ranging from 1 to 33 days were used as input data for CAPWAP analyses. These results were used to estimate the soil resistance along the pile length and at the toe of the pile, and the soil pile set-up behavior. Validity of the procedures used to predict the soil resistance to driving and predicted blow counts were verified with the field observed blow counts and the energy that was delivered to the pile. Based on combined CAPWAP analyses, the soil pile set-up with time was predicted.

Jan 1, 2002

By Ray Zelinski

Caltrans sponsored a research project in 1992 which incorporated proprietary and generic pile types. The piles were subjected to axial tensile/compressive loads in deep, soft soils. Descriptions of various pile types and systems, scenarios leading to the proposal to test the systems, and load test results were/will be provided by other presenters at this seminar. Therefore, this paper will focus on the issues surrounding use of test results and proprietary pile systems on Caltrans construction projects. The primary issues facing Caltrans during implementation are as follows: 1) producing pile cap designs for a range of pile types and loads; 2) providing construction specifications which allow fair competition among the system vendors, yet assure design and ultimate capacities; 3) Develop quality control standards for pile system materials and installation techniques which guarantee pile durability for static and dynamic loads; and 4) assure that foundations have adequate lateral capacity.

Jan 1, 1993

By Arash Khosravifar

One of our research thrusts at Portland State University (PSU) centers on developing design guidelines for pile foundations in liquefiable, laterally spreading grounds. This research has been primarily sponsored by the DFI Committee Project Fund (CPF) program through four awards, totaling nearly $240,000 in financial support. DFI contributed half of this financial support, while the other half was contributed in-kind by PSU and DFI Project Advisory Board members. Leveraging the CPF funds, we secured an additional $550,000 in financial support from the National Science. Foundation (NSF), which has enabled our research group to continue exploring this topic and contributing to the broader engineering community's understanding of the behavior of pile foundations in liquefiable soils. The CPF funds have fostered collaborations with practitioners and researchers beyond PSU. Notable examples include collaborative research involving data from five large-scale centrifuge tests on pile-supported wharves by Steve Dickenson, Ph.D., New Albion Geotechnical; Nason McCullough, Ph.D., Jacobs Engineering and Scott Schlechter, Geotechnical Resources, as well as 1-g shake table tests of bridge pile shafts conducted by Professors Ahmed Elgamal, Ph.D., and Ahmed Ebeido, Ph.D., of the University of California, San Diego. In addition to these collaborations, our research has benefited from industry-university partnerships formed through the involvement of DFI Project Advisory Board members. Their support and feedback ensure that our research products are practical and imple- mentable in real-world projects. The impact of the CPF funds extends to supporting graduate students' theses, which were the basis for 17 technical publications. Some of these publications are expected to have a significant impact on the industry. For instance, our 2018 DFI Journal paper, co-authored by former master's student Jonathan Nasr, cur- rently with the Army Corps of Engineers, has been cited in the 2022 British Columbia Supplement to Canadian Highway Bridge Design Code S6:19. A noteworthy product of our study is a step-by-step design procedure for pile- supported wharf structures subjected to the combined effects of lateral spreading and inertial loads, outlined in a 2022 American Society of Civil Engineers' (ASCE) Journal of Geotechnical and Geo- environmental Engineering paper co- authored by former doctoral student Milad Souri, Ph.D., PE, Geotechnical Resources.

Nov 1, 2023

By J. P. Powers

Methods for dewatering and the control of ground water for construction and mining are discussed, including open pumping; predrainage with deep wells, wellpoints or other systems; cutoff or exclusion of water by steel sheet piling, slurry concrete walls and slurry trenching, grouting, ground freezing, compressed air, slurry shields and earth pressure balance shields. Criteria are given for the selection among the methods for a given project. Unwanted side effects of dewatering are listed, with procedures for evaluating and avoiding them, by cutoff or artificial recharge.

Jan 1, 2010

By M. Nomura

This paper describes the results and field measurements of two long-term observation tests and two short-term loading tests to confirm the effectiveness of NF piles in reducing negative skin friction. All the test piles were equipped with strain gauges, allowing measurement of the compressive axial forces in the piles. These test results prove that NF piles are effective in reducing the negative skin friction to an insignificant value. Some examples of the design procedures used in Hong Kong and Japan are also presented.

Jan 1, 2010