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By Susan Rafalko, Mike Walker, John Sankey, Sherif Aziz, Alex Potter-Weight, Mary Nodine, Frederic Masse

"After several successful projects on the Garden State Parkway and New Jersey Turnpike for support of single-stage MSE (Mechanically Stabilized Earth) walls using rigid inclusions (Controlled Modulus Columns) as an alternate to two-stage MSE walls and surcharge, the Bass River Bridge Widening project presented additional challenges in terms of soil conditions and height of embankment that created opportunities for the design-build ground improvement contractor and its MSE wall-designing partner to enhance their design and construction methods. The specialist contractor decided, in association with the wall system supplier, to perform an independent large scale instrumented test area on the project to demonstrate the ability of the design techniques to model the behavior of the system, as well as the capacity of the rigid inclusions to provide the necessary bearing capacity and settlement control to allow the construction of the highway without any consolidation period. This paper presents a detailed description of the design of the ground improvement system and MSE wall system, as well as the results and conclusions of the monitoring data gathered on the large scale test program. The combination of rigid inclusion ground improvement technologies, such as the CMC system, together with an MSE wall system allows for the rapid and economical construction of high embankment without waiting for a surcharge and consolidation period or the necessity to use a two-stage wall system. In-depth understanding of the design techniques and advantages of this combination will be provided and should be beneficial for any geotechnical engineer or owner looking for innovative solutions to save both time and cost on their projects.1. IntroductionAs development continues on sites with poor ground conditions throughout the world, conventional MSE walls remain a flexible design solution; however, construction of MSE walls in combination with ground improvement is becoming more frequent where extreme differential and/or total settlement prevail due to soft ground conditions. Various techniques have been used in the past in such conditions (e.g. conventional surcharge, staged construction, or two-stage MSE walls), even though these design solutions have typically involved longer waiting times for settlement to occur. As a result, conventional MSE wall design has been combined with a variety of ground improvement techniques consisting of rigid inclusions for an economical and efficient solution with the potential to accelerate construction and limit long term settlement. For the particular subject of this paper, the specialist contractor (Menard) proposed to use CMCs (Controlled Modulus Columns) to support the highest part of the MSE wall. CMCs are grouted displacement rigid inclusions installed in a grid-like pattern using a displacement auger. Before the CMCs are installed, a working platform may first need to be placed to allow equipment to move around the site depending on the ground conditions. Following the CMC ground improvement, an LTP (Load Transfer Platform) is installed prior to the construction of the MSE wall."

Jan 1, 2015

By K. Madhusudan Reddy

Pile response under combined uplift and lateral load is very important and it is imperative to evaluate the effect of combined loading and only few studies were reported on pile behavior under combined uplift and lateral loads. Model pile made-up of aluminum having an outer and inner diameter of 25.4 mm and 19.4 mm respectively is used. Dimensions of the model steel tank are fixed as 1.0 m x1.0 m x 1.2 m (depth) to avoid the boundary effects under combined lateral and uplift loads. Experiments were carried out on single piles at isolated uplift, isolated lateral loading and combined lateral and uplift loading, embedded in sandy soil. Results indicate that load?deflection behavior is nonlinear for isolated uplift and lateral load tests as well as in case of combined loadings. It is also observed that the behavior of piles under isolated loadings is substantially different when compared to combined loading.

By Andrew Z. Boeckelmann, David S. Graham, Paul J. Axtell

In the last fifteen years, several research studies have evaluated the ability to detect various types of deep foundation concrete integrity flaws with crosshole sonic logging (CSL) and thermal integrity profiling (TIP). This paper synthesizes the findings from the research, focusing on two studies that included CSL and TIP testing of drilled shafts with various types of flaws. The first, a 2016 research study of test shafts for the Wisconsin DOT, included inclusions inside and outside the reinforcing cage, intentional tremie withdrawal during concreting, and soft bottom flaws. The second, a 2021 study of production shafts for the Missouri DOT, included one shaft with and another without soft bottom conditions. After synthesizing the ability of each test method to detect each type of flaw, the paper presents recommendations for improving how CSL and TIP results are evaluated in practice. The recommendations highlight DFI‟s CSL interpretation protocol as well as the importance of evaluating TIP data versus time, not just depth. The paper includes example temperature-versus-time plots for various types of flaws and emphasizes how temperature-versus-time evaluation can be used to distinguish soft bottom conditions from standard bottom-of-shaft temperature roll off.

Oct 1, 2022

By Meeok Kim, Paul Beljan, Gordon Chen

"Clinton combined sewer overflow storage (CSO) facility project developed by the Department of Water Environment Protection of Onondaga County, New York, is to improve sewer facilities and infrastructure in Syracuse, New York. The below grade facility will provide a storage of untreated stormwater during highflow periods to be treated later, thus reducing CSO discharges to Onondaga Creek.The CSO system consists of three parallel storage tunnels and two end chambers (west and east chambers) as main underground structure. The storage tunnels are about 850 ft. long, 55 ft. wide, 24 ft tall and located 20 ft deep below grade. The chambers, include above access and operation structure, are about 40 to 55 ft. deep and approximately 60 to 100 ft. wide.Kiewit Infrastructure and Weidlinger Associates Inc. developed an alternative approach for the tunnels to meet the facility completion schedule, strict design guide lines and quality control as an environmental and water tight concrete structure for the project. The original design anticipated use of a TBM machine to bore three parallel tunnels between two previously constructed chambers.The alternative design used a three barrel culvert cast-in-place structure in a cut and cover excavation supported by a soil bentonite wall. The SOE along the jet grouted bottom seal provided a ground water cut off as well.The SOE system is specially designed to enhance the quality of culvert CIP structure construction by providing enough space for a full height construction. Also it further reduces the construction time by having the less squarefootage of jet grout installation. The design of tunnel systems is accomplished effectively through the utilization of soil structure interaction using a finite element methodIntroductionTo avoid construction of an additional treatment plant to handle increases in combined sewage flows, the Department of Water Environment Protection of Onondaga opted to construct the Clinton combined sewer overflow storage (CSO) facility.The Clinton CSO facility provides an environmental friendly mitigation method for combined sewer overflows on Onondaga lake which is located in northwest of Syracuse."

Jan 1, 2015

By K. Madhusudan Reddy

"Pile response under combined uplift and lateral load is very important and it is imperative to evaluate the effect of combined loading and only few studies were reported on pile behavior under combined uplift and lateral loads. Model pile made-up of aluminum having an outer and inner diameter of 25.4 mm and 19.4 mm respectively is used. Dimensions of the model steel tank are fixed as 1.0 m x1.0 m x 1.2 m (depth) to avoid the boundary effects under combined lateral and uplift loads. Experiments were carried out on single piles at isolated uplift, isolated lateral loading and combined lateral and uplift loading, embedded in sandy soil. Results indicate that load–deflection behavior is nonlinear for isolated uplift and lateral load tests as well as in case of combined loadings. It is also observed that the behavior of piles under isolated loadings is substantially different when compared to combined loading.INTRODUCTIONPile foundations are generally used to support compressive loads from superstructures. Some structures, like transmission towers, mooring systems for ocean surface or submerged platforms, tall chimneys, jetty structures, etc. are constructed on pile foundations, which have to resist large lateral and uplift loads and moments. The various loads (compressive, lateral and uplift) and moments act on the piles simultaneously rather than isolated manner. There are well-established theoretical methods present to evaluate the pile behaviour under different isolated loadings namely, verticalcompressive, vertical-uplift and lateral (Poulos and Davis, 1980), but there are very limited studies focused on pile behaviour under combined loadings. Though there is good number of studies reported on pile behaviour under combined compressive-lateral and compressive-uplift loadings (Ramasamy, 1974; Jain et al. 1987; Zhang and Small, 1999; Dash and Pise, 2003; Karthigeyan et al. 2006 & 2007; , there are only very few studies reported on pile behaviour under combined uplift and lateral loads. Darr et al. (1990) described an approach to a rational solution of the interaction of pile to combined uplift and lateral loads based on analytical and experimental studies. Influence of cyclic loading was also considered. Narasimha Rao and Prasad (1993) investigated the uplift behaviour of pile anchors subjected to lateral cyclic loading. There were many onshore and offshore situations where lateral cyclic loading may affect both the pullout and lateral loading capacity of pile anchors. Jetty and wharf structures are usually subjected to lateral forces from wave and wind action. If these cyclic lateral loads are acting on the supporting piles, the resulting movement of the upper part of the embedded length of pile may reduce the skin friction. This progressive deterioration in pullout resistance may not be reflected by a pullout test made soon after the installation. Hence, Tomlinson and Woodward (2008) pointed out that a generous safety factor on the ultimate pullout load should be adopted for piles in such situations. Mroueh and Shahrour (2007, 2008) presented a threedimensional finite element analysis of the response of battered piles to the combined lateral and vertical pullout loads. Nevertheless, the model is not validated well due to lack of good experimental data based on rigorous experiments. Thus there is a scope for investigating the effect of lateral load on pile behaviour under uplift load and vice versa based on carefully designed experiments, which is main focus of the present investigation."

Jan 1, 2017

By Brendan Stepek, Mike Senior, Gary Brill

Norfolk Southern Railway (NS) has mainline rail passing through the foothills of the Blueridge Mountains of Central Virginia. The project site is a 70-foot-high cross valley embankment fill in close proximity to an adjacent stream. The embankment has a history of instability dating back to the 1960’s with both significant track and slope movement and numerous attempted repairs. NS elected to have a comprehensive geotechnical study of the embankment performed, install slope inclinometers to identify sliding planes, and ultimately stabilize the slope. The slope stabilization system included a two-tiered system. The primary and lower slope support consisted of a concrete cap beam with post-tensioned tieback anchors and compression micropiles socketed into sandstone. The secondary and upper slope system consisted of a concrete cap supported by an A-frame layout of tension and compression micropiles in soil. All elements of the stabilization system were designed to allow for construction while the track remained in service without impacting rail operations. This paper will discuss the geotechnical conditions of the site including brief overview of past stabilization attempts, the design of the slope stabilization elements, and a successful construction summary given limited access and close proximity to active rails.

Oct 31, 2023

By Dan Brown

Improvements in construction equipment and techniques in recent years have made possible the use of drilled shaft foundations in diameters and lengths not previously considered practical or feasible. Many highway bridge and other structures are now routinely founded on drilled shafts which are 2.5 m to 3.0 m (8 to 12 feet) in diameter and extending over 60 m (200 feet) in depth below grade. There are unique challenges associated with constructing such large and deep cast-in-place foundations and engineers should be aware of the special needs associated with site investigation, construction specifications, material requirements, and quality assurance. This paper outlines a number of special considerations for these foundations, along with strategies that may be employed to improve the reliability and quality of large drilled shaft foundations.

Jan 1, 2008

By Yazen Khasawneh, Osvaldo P. M. Vitali, Mohammad Nassim

The demand for renewable energy is growing as the conventional energy resources are becoming more limited and we are more conscious about the negative impact of conventional energy sources on the environment. Wind turbines technology is evolving in a fast pace, the towers are becoming taller, and the rotors are getting larger. The challenge is to maintain the Levelized Cost of Electricity (LCOE) as low as possible to ensure a sustainable and an economically feasible energy supply. Thus, the foundation systems for wind turbines should evolve to meet the increasing load demand, while reducing the LCOE. In this paper, an innovative foundation system for onshore wind turbines is presented. The new foundation system is the conventional P&H tensionless pier foundation (PHTP) with a reinforced concrete collar at the top of the pier. 3D FEM modeling was conducted to assess the benefits achieved by adding a collar at the top of the PHTP foundation. The numerical results show a significant performance enhancement of the proposed foundation system over the conventional PHTP foundation. The enhanced foundation system also has an economical advantage because the depth of the pier can be greatly reduced while maintaining a superior performance.

Sep 8, 2021

By Patrick J. Hannigan, Seth Robertson, Frank Rausche, Rozbeh B. Moghaddam

The Top-Loaded Bi-Directional Test (“TLBT”) and the conventional Bi-Directional Load Test (“BDLT”) are full-scale load tests where loads are applied bi-directionally to the foundation element. The BDLT uses an embedded loading source consisting of a jack assembly with one or multiple hydraulic jacks located between two steel bearing plates. As the jack(s) within the jack assembly is/are pressurized, the plates receive the load from the jack(s) and transfer these loads to the foundation element. In the case of the TLBT, the loads are also applied bi-directionally to the foundation element. However, in the TLBT case, the loading source is located above the foundation head. With the TLBT’s non-embedded and reusable load assembly, the loads are applied to the foundation using the steel shaft bearing and base bearing plates cast within the foundation. These plates are connected to the load assembly at the foundation head via Grade 75 or Grade 150, threaded, steel bars. This paper presents comparison results from a full-scale load test performed by both bi-directional load testing methods on adjacent test shafts. Details regarding subsurface conditions as well as test shaft construction and installation are included for the comparison tests. Test results and corresponding analyses are presented and discussed in detail.

Sep 8, 2021

The intent of this manual is to provide guidelines for inspectors of drilled shaft construction otherwise referred to as drilled piers, caissons or bored piles. It should also be helpful to train beginning geotechnical engineers with limited first hand experience or for geotechnical engineers who are training inspectors. It is expected that the general guidelines and procedures described here will be supplemented by local geotechnical engineers working in a particular region based on local practice and experience. Since drilled shaft construction procedures vary widely based on local geology and size of project, an all-inclusive manual is not considered practical. This manual focuses on traditional topside inspection for routine drilled shaft construction. Other inspection and evaluation methods that rely on electronic equipment are available, but these methods require extensive training and experience in the interpretation of results. These more sophisticated methods of drilled shaft inspection and evaluation are common in construction, but they are usually provided by specialty subconsultants. The subconsultant will typically submit a report for each shaft, which will be reviewed by the geotechnical engineer. Other manuals are available to describe the electronic methods of drilled shaft inspection.

Jan 1, 2004

By Burt G. Look, David W. Lacey

"Certification of foundation capacity during the construction phase is often assessed by strength or weathering state descriptors based on visual observations. This case study used the Point Load Index (PLI) test as a quantitative tool in the construction certification of a pile’s design capacity. Construction phase tests were completed on irregular sized rock samples whilst comparable design phase testing was completed on intact rock core samples. Statistical comparisons were made to assess the repeatability between the PLI tests, with best-fit Probability Distribution Functions (PDFs) determined for both datasets. Pronounced differences were observed based on the PDF adopted to characterize the PLI dataset, the consequence of which would be a significant change to the pile’s design capacity. The adoption of the lower quartile value is shown to satisfy both design conservatism and construction simplicity requirements. The commonly held belief that rock samples produced during socket excavation may be biased towards the higher strength portion of the rock mass, is shown to be invalid for this site. As the central bridge piers were certified using Plate Load Tests (PLTs), the resultant load-settlement relationships were compared with the PLI strength assessments made for similar materials recovered from the adjacent abutment piles.INTRODUCTIONThe upgrade of the Foxwell Road Overpass across the Pacific Motorway in South East Queensland required the duplication of an existing four span bridge structure. The foundations of the new bridge included the installation of 1.2m diameter cast in place (bored) piles at the bridge abutments and 900mm diameter cast in place (bored) piles below a retaining wall to be constructed adjacent to the existing abutment.The site geology was dominated by the Palaeozoic Neranleigh–Fernvale Beds, predominantly comprised of argillite, sandstone and greywacke. Limited soil materials existed at the site, with Extremely Weathered (EW) rock typically encountered within metres of the existing ground surface. The exception to the existence of shallow rock were locations where existing filling of the site had occurred – i.e. approach embankments to existing bridge structure.Capacity of pile sockets is typically assessed onsite by descriptive rock strength or weathering assessment. Such descriptors encompass a wide range of values and lack precision. Due to the subjectivity of such assessment techniques – a factor of 3 is often observed in terms of strength assessment based on one’s interpretation of rock strength descriptors alone – uncertainty on site often occurs regardless of whether a lower bound, average or other characteristic design parameter applies."

Jan 1, 1900

By C. Guney Olgun, Mohammad Khosravi, Daniel W. Wilson, Deepak Rayamajhi, Scott A. Ashford, Shuji Tamura, Ross W. Boulanger

"Dynamic centrifuge tests were performed on unimproved and improved soil with soil-cement column models. The reinforcing effect of isolated soil-cement columns for reducing liquefaction potential and ground deformation in improved soil were investigated. This paper presents the observed acceleration, pore pressure, and settlement responses under an earthquake base motion for both unimproved and improved soil models. In addition, lateral reinforcing effects of soil-cement columns were also investigated in terms of site stiffening effects and the increasing natural frequency of improved soil. The test results show that the soil-cement columns were rather ineffective in preventing liquefaction triggering in improved soil and in significantly reducing the magnitude of the resulting soil settlement compared to the model with unimproved soil profile. Furthermore, the predicted natural frequency of the improved soil profile estimated using existing design equations is shown to be significantly higher than the observed natural frequency inferred from centrifuge tests results. These design equations assume shear strain compatibility between the columns and the surrounding soil. On the other hand, revised design equations that account for shear strain incompatibility between column and surrounding soil are shown to give reasonable estimates compared to the observed natural frequency of the improved soil model.INTRODUCTIONGround improvement using stiff columns (e.g., stone columns, deep-soil-mixing columns, and jet-grout columns), are often used in practice to reduce liquefaction potential (and associated deformations) in loose soil sites. Typically, saturated silty soils are difficult to densify or drain rapidly due to their lower hydraulic conductivity, so densification and drainage techniques of improvement are often found to be ineffective. Instead, the shear reinforcing mechanisms of stiff columns are considered effective for reducing the seismic stresses and strains, and thereby reducing liquefaction potential in the enclosed saturated silty soils (Baez 1995, Adalier and Elgamal 2004, Mitchell 2008)."

Jan 1, 2015

By Rahul Wankhade, Sunil S. Baswankar, Aditya S. Kharatkar

Despite advances in pile design methodologies and piling techniques at site, difficulties and uncertainties still exists for design of piles particularly in coralline deposits and weak carbonate rocks. Such deposits are known to be heterogenous in nature, and occupy major stretches of earth, where piling experiences are probably very scanty. Such deposits are associated with low unit weights and usually consist of weakly cemented calcareous and carbonate soils interbedded with coral rocks containing cavities, which are completely void or filled with coral debris. Many of the studies indicate that conventional parametric relationships are may not apply to such sediments and rock formations. This paper intends to provide an appraisal of the available information that cautions against risks involved in conventional design practice and also serve as a guideline for pile design in such formations despite being a grey area of research. Contents of the paper is expected to provide a basis for the pile design and likely to serve as an eye-opener for research into this important soil-pile structure interaction problem.

Sep 1, 2022

By Joseph T. Coe, Siavash Mahvelati, Philip Asabere

Characterization of existing foundations remains an important issue as foundation reuse and rehabilitation continue to garner increased attention. In the case of unknown foundations, geophysical and nondestructive testing (NDT) methods have been utilized in the past to evaluate foundation geometry and could serve as useful tools in the case of foundation reuse. A comprehensive study was initiated in the late 1990’s and early 2000’s that evaluated the effectiveness of the available geophysical and NDT technologies to characterize unknown foundations for scour evaluation purposes. At the time of that study, the Multichannel Analysis of Surface Waves (MASW) geophysical method was in its infancy and not widely used. Since then, MASW has become increasingly prevalent in geotechnical applications as the method presents a number of potential advantages when characterizing the subsurface, including rapid testing, increased signal to noise ratio, and ability to resolve velocity inversions. This paper presents a case study that explores the abilities of MASW as an unknown foundation characterization tool. MASW was applied to determine subsurface stiffness at a bridge foundation site in the Philadelphia metropolitan area. One MASW survey line was performed immediately over the foundation of interest and another was performed over a control zone adjacent to the foundation to establish a baseline site profile. The purpose of this testing was to examine whether MASW could establish the geometry of the foundation at this site. This paper presents the site conditions and MASW testing procedures, followed by a discussion of data analysis and interpretation.

Jan 1, 2016

By O. Craciun, C. A. Bridges, M. Cai, J. Sugawara

There are a number of methods that can be adopted for predicting the ultimate lateral resistance of a free-head rigid pile, from the conventional Brinch Hansen and Broms solutions to three-dimensional finite element analyses. Often these methods give rise to significantly different pile ultimate lateral capacities which could lead to either unsafe or too conservative designs. It is also well known that finding a rigorous and practical solution is challenging due to the complex three dimensional and nonlinear soil-structure interaction. This paper reviews some of the most common methods and produces results of pile ultimate lateral capacities embedded in cohesive or cohesionless soils. Subsequently, a finite element analysis is performed using PLAXIS 3D modelling under the same design conditions. Based on comparison of results, limitations and advantages are highlighted, and the most suitable method is proposed from a practical point of view.

Nov 1, 2022

By Vijay Kumar, Serhat Baycan, Karsten Beckhans

For the deep foundation of podium and tower of the Kuala Lumpur City Centre, BAUER (MALAYSIA) SDN. BHD. constructed 225 bored piles with diameter range of 2.0 to 2.5 m. In order to comply with the depth requirement of the design, for planning purposes and preparation for site, the drilling equipment was required to achieve a maximum drilling depth of 150 m. Actual piles constructed on site were deeper than 120 m. These dimensions caused superlative challenges which included but were not limited to; controlling the open hole stability over time with polymer, installing 70-ton heavy steel cages, pouring up to 550 m³ concrete continuously, in conjunction with installation of kingposts into workable, fresh concrete. The piling works were executed with a BG 72, the biggest drilling rig globally available, and the stringent verticality of the pile bore holes which required approval prior to cage installation. For verification of verticality, Bauer’s patented Drilling Inclination System was successfully used.

Nov 1, 2022

By Jie-qun Zhai, Jian Jia, Ke Yang, Xiao-lin Xie, Yu Zhang

"With cities’ development, underground space exploitation presents a need for bigger and deeper constructions now. Technical problems founded during the construction of deep foundation pit support become more and more important. The supporting system has to cut or partly cut off hydraulic connection outside and inside the foundation pit, control the ground settlement caused by dewatering and make sure safety of foundation pit and its surroundings. Some preliminary study and application of ultra-deep soil reinforcement methods have been conducted in Shanghai’s deep excavation engineering. On the basis of engineering practice of ultra-deep foundation pit in Shanghai, some field and laboratory test, this paper analyzes effects of different ultra-deep soil reinforcement methods and their influence characteristics of surrounding environment. It also summarizes these methods’ sealing effect, construction and economic efficiency and concludes their characteristicsINSTRUCTIONShanghai is formed from marine sedimentation. In Shanghai, from earth’s surface to 30~40m underground, soil is mainly consist of soft clay with 40% moisture content. There are also many thin silty-sand layers in the earth, so the soil is both soft and permeable. Under 40m, soil is mainly thick silty-sand layers and fine-sand layers with medium density and confined groundwater whose water head is about 7m high.With the rapid development of Shanghai’s municipal construction and high-rise buildings in the recently ten years, the number of underground structure including subway station, tunnel and high-rise building basement are constructed rapidly. Due to the permeability and softness of Shanghai’s soil, it is necessary to reinforce soil to make sure the safety and high construction rate of engineering project in Shanghai.Because of deeper excavation depth and bigger excavation area in Shanghai, ultra-deep soil reinforcement is used preliminarily in Shanghai. Combining with engineering practice of ultra-deep foundation pit in Shanghai and employing field and laboratory test, this paper analyzes effectiveness of different ultra-deep soil reinforcement methods and concludes these methods’ characteristics and their applicability. All this can guide further application of these methods."

Jan 1, 2015

By Madhav, V., M. R., Ahmad, Padmavathi, M. S.

Modulus of deformation (Es), also referred to as elastic modulus is dependent on many variables such as type of loading, degree of anisotropy and non-homogeneity of strata, etc. and is one of the most challenging soil parameters to estimate. Modulus of deformation of soil can be obtained from elemental tests in the laboratory, from in-situ tests or on the basis of correlations with other soil parameters. Back analysis of full-scale loading test is the most appropriate method for the estimation of the deformation modulus since the effects of installation and pile-soil interactions are accounted for. Moduli of deformation of the ground are estimated from different pile load tests, viz., compression, pull-out, and lateral load tests and compared. The method of interpretation of pile load test is based on the initial liner portion of the load-displacement curve. Theoretical solutions of Poulos and Davis (1980) and Madhav and Poorooshasb (1988) that relate settlement or displacement with load based linear elasticity theory are used. It has been established that the modulus of deformation of the ground is not unique but depends on the type of test and the type of loading. The differences can be significant.

Sep 1, 2022

By John Turner, Joseph Hakim, Peter Faust, Benjamin Turner, Michael K. Muchard

An overview is presented of a unique axial bi-directional load test performed on a 3.0-m diameter (118inch) drilled shaft in January 2023 in Tucson, Arizona as part of a bridge replacement project. The shaft was excavated using crane-mounted grab tooling, resulting in a slightly curved base and corresponding uncertainty about the nominal base resistance relative to a conventional flat excavation base. The shaft was approximately 80 ft long and the load assembly was installed about 8 ft above the base. The load assembly location was selected to balance the estimated axial resistance above and below the jacks, as is customary. However, the presence of a 13-ft thick layer of strongly-cemented caliche with unexpectedly high compressive strength (2.8 to 5.1 ksi) produced higher than anticipated side resistance above the load assembly, resulting in a very stiff reaction against which significant load was transferred to the bottom segment. The maximum test load of approximately 9,000 kips resulted in just 1/8-inch upward displacement of the top segment and 5.0 inches of downward displacement of the bottom segment when the jacks reached their maximum stroke. Mobilized unit side resistances for the top segment ranged from about 2 to 9 ksf. Mobilized base resistance was on the order of 75 ksf. Since a primary objective of the load test was to confirm unit base resistance exceeding the AASHTO limit of 60 ksf for refusal blowcount sand, the test was deemed very successful and allows significant optimization of drilled shafts for the project. The test results also confirm that a curved base resulting from grab tooling can generate significant base resistance.

Oct 31, 2023

By Ashirbad Satapathy, Sanket Rawat, Ramanand Shukla, Ravi Kant Mittal

Bearing capacity factor (Nq) and Adhesion factor (α) are the key parameters for analyzing the load carrying capacity of pile foundations embedded in cohesionless and cohesive soils respectively. Numerous models are available in the form of charts or equations for the computation of these parameters and hence, have been adopted by most of the International and National standards. Indian Standard for the Design and Construction of Concrete Pile Foundations, IS 2911–Part 1 (2010), also makes use of charts detailed in its Annexure B. However, the sources of these charts have not been specified clearly, making it difficult to back-refer to the actual models to assess their basis for resolving any critical scenarios encountered during design. The present study aims at acquiring a distinct understanding of the development of these charts in order to bring more clarity to the design process of pile foundations. The given charts have been compared with various models specified in existing literature and international standards for the calculation of Nq and α for both driven and bored piles and hence, the basis of Indian Standard charts has been identified. Moreover, it is evident that the use of these charts complicates the process of automation of analysis and design of pile foundations as well as the associated optimization studies. Additionally, the manual entry of data especially, from the logarithmic graph of Nq, escalates the chances of error thus, making it a critical concern for design offices. Therefore, this paper also presents a non-linear regression model for Nq and α, developed using NCSS software for both driven and bored piles. Through multiple iterations, the value of coefficient of determination for Nq and α has been found to reach greater than 0.995. The developed equations can be simplistically used for both manual and automated analysis of pile foundations.

Nov 1, 2022