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By Jim Bruce

No answer required. From the drilling equipment suppliers, but the specifications must be tailored to be project-specific. Yes, the sonic technique is very interesting as we said, and it is not so much as an issue of the magnitude of power, it's about the efficient use of the power. The efficiency of the machine is not necessarily related to size so it is best to talk to the two contractors that supply the service about that. I think it can be scaled down but it is quite a big head, so therefore there are practical limitations on the size of the door it can walk through and also the size of the casings and rods that it can use. You might defeat the economic advantages if you were to use too short casing lengths. Boart Longyear have a low head room machine that can work within an 8 foot verical clearance.

Feb 10, 2003

By Edward Jacobsen

The Oak Creek Power Plant in Oak Creek, Wisconsin is currently undertaking an expansion project. In order to supply cooling water to this facility, a 27' (8.2m) diameter tunnel will be bored, in rock; to connect to 4 vertical Intake shafts located approximately 1.5 miles (2.4km) offshore in Lake Michigan. In 2004, Case Foundation Company was awarded a lump sum contract to Install these intake shafts. When complete, the plant is expected to circulate upward of 2 billion gallons per day (7.5 billion liters) through this system. Two shafts were drilled in a (shortened) construction season in 2005 and the remaining 2 shafts and 4 liner assemblies were completed in 2006. Future connection to the tunnel, in 2007, will be accomplished by mining upward to reach the lower portion of each liner and then removing its internal bulkheads to permit the flow of the lake water into the tunnel.

May 11, 2007

By Garland Likins, Gray Mullins, George Piscsalko

"Quality control of drilled shafts is greatly dependent upon the practices of the site personnel. For drilled shafts cast under slurry, inspection of the hole prior to concreting is very difficult or impossible. There are numerous non-destructive test (NDT) methods currently available to assess the integrity of drilled shafts. This paper will discuss the theory and use of an emerging NDT technology known as Thermal Integrity Profiling (TIP). The Thermal Integrity Profiling method measures the elevated concrete temperatures that occur during the hydration process. These temperature measurements are made along the length of the pile and can determine the integrity over 100% of the pile cross section, both inside and outside the reinforcing cage. With the known shaft volume information, TIP can evaluate the effective shaft radius at each measurement location. With the increased use of TIP on highway projects, there is a need to have standard criteria for shaft acceptance. Shaft acceptance criteria can be based upon thermal measurements and subsequent analysis of the data to determine the average shaft radius, local concrete cover, and cage alignment. With this additional information obtained via the thermal testing method, acceptance methods based upon concrete cover can be developed. In this paper the Thermal Integrity Profiling method will be described, results from a case history will be discussed, and an acceptance criteria based upon concrete cover will be proposed.INTRODUCTIONDrilled shafts are an attractive foundation element in many applications due to their large axial and lateral capacities. When drilled shafts are cast in a dry hole, it is possible to inspect the hole prior to casting, allowing for very basic level of quality control, although the shape of the completed element is still unknown without some form of post construction testing. When drilled shafts are installed where soil conditions are unstable, the shafts will often be cast under slurry to support the surrounding soils during the construction process. When casting a drilled shaft under slurry, it is very difficult to impossible to accurately and efficiently inspect the hole prior to casting concrete and it is equally difficult or impossible to inspect the shaft during the casting process"

Jan 1, 2016

By Joseph A. Sopko

The first documented procedures for designing frozen earth structures are over 50 years old, implemented long before the introduction of the Finite Element Method (FEM). Since that time, the development of three-dimensional models has made the traditional and often over-conservative methods relatively obsolete. This paper discusses a new approach that is largely dependent on the analysis of internal stresses with the frozen structure and comparison to frozen soil laboratory tests. A specific design process is discussed related to initial field investigation, laboratory testing, structural and thermal analysis, and performance monitoring. The design results are compared to case histories in the field that verify the procedure. BACKGROUND One of the first documented methods to designing frozen earth retaining structures was by Sangar (1968). Methodical refinements were published by (Harris 1995) and published by the International Symposium on Ground Freezing in 2002 (Andersland et al. 1991). The structural design or thickness of the frozen mass was based on the unconfined compressive strength of the frozen soils. Two simple equations for determining the thickness of a frozen shaft are shown in Fig. 1 and the first two equations below.

Jan 1, 2019

By Rich A. Lamb, Paul J. Axtell, Michael K. Muchard

"Since 2010, the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) has performed eight full-scale compressive load tests on large-diameter pipe piles at four different project locations across the state. All of the piles were 42-in diameter, open-ended pipes driven to practical refusal on sedimentary bedrock with D125-32 diesel hammers from three separate manufacturers. The rapid load test method in general accordance with ASTM D7383-10 (Statnamic method) was used along with high-strain dynamic testing and subsequent signal matching. Results of these tests indicate that the axial nominal resistance of these piles in compression is not controlled by geotechnical considerations when driven with an appropriately sized hammer and installation criterion. Rather, the predominantly elastic load-deflection behavior of the piles under compressive load suggests the axial nominal compressive resistance is controlled by the structural capacity of the pile. In all instances, the rapid load tests indicated a nominal resistance exceeding that produced by high-strain dynamic tests due to insufficient hammer energy to fully mobilize resistance. In all cases, the hammers used were able to easily install the piles through the soil overburden. Mobilizing a larger hammer simply to demonstrate high-strain dynamic resistance is not economical or practical. This paper presents the subsurface conditions at each location, the ensuing test results, and the ramifications for future projects in Minnesota utilizing large-diameter open-ended pipe piles.INTRODUCTIONThe Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) has recently performed eight full-scale compressive load tests on large-diameter pipe piles at four different project locations across the state. The four project locations described in this paper where pile load testing was performed are shown in Figure 1 and exist in the southeastern portion of Minnesota. The projects are all major bridges crossing the Mississippi River in three instances and the St. Croix River just above the Mississippi River in the other instance. The first project is the TH 61 Mississippi River crossing in Hasting, MN where two load tests were conducted. The second is the TH 36 St. Croix River crossing in Stillwater, MN where two load tests were performed. The third project is the I-90 Mississippi River crossing in Dresbach, MN where three load tests were conducted. The final project is the TH 43 Mississippi River crossing in Winona, MN where one load test was performed."

Jan 1, 2017

By Fred Tarquinio, Giovanni Bonita, Lars Wagner

"A new embassy for the Peoples Republic of China is under construction in Washington, DC. The 475,000 square feet (44,125 m2) structure has five levels below ground and four above, making it the largest embassy in Washington DC. A vertical soil nail wall was used as the primary support of excavation system for the project. The soil nail wall was irregularly shaped, benched in areas, and up to 98 feet (29.9 m) in height. The soil nail and shotcrete system consisted of approximately 1,600 soil nails and 50,000 square feet (4,645 m2) of exposed shotcrete wall surface. Design and construction challenges included soft soil conditions, inside wall corners, underground utilities, seismic impacts from blasting, and logistical and political factors. Overall, wall movements were lower than expected, with maximum horizontal movement less than 0.25% of the total height of the excavation.INTRODUCTIONThe proposed Embassy of the Peoples Republic of China in Washington, DC, will consist of about 475,000 ft2 (44,125 m2) of building space and contain up to four fl oor levels above ground and fi ve levels of basement (Figure 1). When completed, the building will be the largest embassy in Washington, DC. The architect for the project, Pei Partnership Architects, along with the world-renowned architect I.M. Pei, made effi cient use of the site by inserting the building into the existing slope. Consequently, excavations reach heights up to 98 feet (29.9 m) on the southern side of the property and 42 feet (12.8 m) on the northern side.The soil nail and shotcrete system consisted of approximately 1,600 soil nails and 50,000 square feet (4,645 m2) of exposed shotcrete wall surface. The location of the building relative to the property line called for tight excavation requirements, including precise wall positions and shotcrete tolerances. Design and construction challenges included soft soil conditions, inside wall corners, arched walls, underground utilities, seismic impacts from blasting, and logistical and political factors.SITE INVESTIGATIONInformation obtained from the geotechnical investigation revealed about 10 to 20 feet (3.1 to 6.1 m) of a loose to medium dense fi ll material placed during previous site activities. The fi ll material was underlain by a silty sand and sandy silt residual soil derived from the natural weathering of the underlying bedrock. This soil sequenced naturally from a medium dense to very dense material through natural weathering of the underlying bedrock. This soil sequenced naturally from a medium dense to very dense material through natural weathering processes in the rock. The underlying bedrock was locally characterized as a gneiss. A water table elevation about 17 feet (5.2 m) above the fi nal excavation level was revealed, except in the “radius” area, where a leaking water main/hydrant generated a high local water table."

Jan 1, 2007

By Filippo Mira-Cattò, Andrea M. R. Pettinaroli, Elena Rovetto

"The construction of Powisle station of Metro Warsaw Line 2, in Poland, required the execution of two shafts next to an urban road tunnel adjacent to the Vistula River. The shafts were linked by three conventionally mined tunnels to be excavated 10 m below the water table level, into an upper sandy and sandy silty layer and a lower stiff clayey stratum. After a failed dig attempt under the protection of jet grouting and forepoling, it was decided to deal with the tunnels excavation problem by using the ground freezing technique as a temporary, non-polluting geotechnical treatment, keeping in service the upper road tunnel. The planning of the activities and the executive phases had a significant importance for the success of the work. For work scheduling reasons the mixed system was adopted, i.e. using both the liquid nitrogen system and the brine freezing method. The freezing process management, with a real time evaluation of the soil temperature measured by thermometric strings and an accurate monitoring of the overlying road tunnel structure, allowed the tunnel excavation and lining stages to be performed under difficult conditions, without water leaking from the frozen ground shell, within the expected times and saving extra costs.INTRODUCTIONThe new Underground Line 2 in Warsaw connects the eastern and western part of the town. One of the most critical interferences was the under passing of the Vistula river and of the Wislostrada motorway tunnel, a very congested motorway along the western bank of the river, with the construction of the new station Powisle. The construction of the station required the excavation of two shafts, using the top-down system with the creation of intermediate slabs while deepening the excavation.The shafts were used for the extraction of four Tunnel Boring Machines (TBMs), two approaching from the Vistula river side (east-side) and two approaching from downtown (west-side); in order to connect the two shafts was foreseen the realization of three tunnels, two for the underground lines and the central one for the exchanging passenger platform. These tunnels were underpassing the “Wislostrada Road Tunnel” and interfered with this tunnel foundation, which consisted of diaphragm walls (DW), the “barrettes” (Figure 1).Due to the variable geological conditions at the site, the first excavation stage, with a temporary underground support constructed of horizontal jet grouting columns and forepoling, caused the North tunnel face failure, that required an immediate filling of the empty cavities with lean mix concrete under the Wislostrada tunnel slabs. Thereafter, the recovering attempt with the grout injections could not be completed because of the development of heaves induced on the tunnel structures (Bringiotti et al. 2016). In those conditions the tunnel excavation with traditional technologies appeared to be very problematic, with high risk for the structural safety of the Wislostrada tunnel. This would have meant longer duration for the works and higher costs for the General Contractor as well as for the city Council."

Jan 1, 2015

By G. Ranjan

The designers and the practicing engineers have started using latest and cost effective techniques of ground improvements which utilise the weak and poor sub-soil deposits efficiently for the civil engineering construction. In the present investigation, a new concept of 'skirted granular piles' has been advocated. An effective method of construction of granular piles as an economical alternative to vibroflot, and the skirt has been developed. The construction technique is based on indigeneous know how which effectively utilises the man-power technology avoiding import of costly equipment suiting to the developing countries. Full scale insitu tests have been carried out at four sites, having different soil conditions, on virgin weak sub-soil, and improved ground by casting plain and skirted granular piles. Effectiveness of different types of skirt has been demonstrated through insitu tests. A simple analytical approach has been proposed to predict the ultimate pile capacity. The predicted values of ultimate capacity have been found to demonstrate a good correspondance. Granular pile behaviour in terms of pile depth, diameter, spacing and stress deformation characteristics of the improved ground have been discussed. A significant improvement in ultimate capacity in improved ground has been noted. This is further augmented when granular pile group is skirted.

Jan 1, 2010

By Emad Farouz, Roger Failmezger

"The proposed reconstruction of I-75 downtown consists of widening an approximately 2.46 Km section of IR-75 through the northern section of downtown Dayton, OH, USA. Bridge B-13 is a 9-span continuos prestressed concrete I-beam, 319.0-meter (1,048-foot) long bridge with a stub abutment on MSE walls for the rear abutment, and a stub abutment with spill-through slopes for the forward abutment. The piers in the river were located parallel to the Great Miami River, and are full-height reinforced concrete walls. PRESSUREMETER TEST PROCEDUREThe driller advanced either casing or augers approximately 1 meter above the pressuremeter test. Steel casing was used to advance borings performed in the river, and augers were used for borings on land. Mud rotary drilling with a large diameter roller bit was used to remove all of the gravel and cobble fragments inside the casing or augers.At the pressuremeter test elevation the driller used a 63.5-mm (2.5-inch) carbide button bi-cone bit, using a rotation rate of about 60 rpm, a mud fl ow rate of about 10 gallons per minute (40 liters per minute), and an advance rate of 6 to 10 minutes per meter (2 to 3 minutes per foot). To minimize vibrations, advance rates were slower where excessive cobbles were encountered. The 63.5-mm (2.5-inch) O.D. slotted casing pressuremeter was lowered to the test elevation, often requiring either pushing or hammering into the test zone. We believe that the test zone was not perfectly straight, or that gravel or cobble fragments jutted into the test zone and had to be displaced to advance the pressuremeter into the test zone. The slotted casing prevented membrane damage during insertion. A photograph of the slotted casing being lowered into the borehole is shown below.The pressuremeter was calibrated for system compressibility and membrane resistance. At full expansion of 800 cm3, the membrane resistance of the slotted casing was about 2.5 bars.Strain-controlled tests were performed using a Texam control unit with a monocell probe. Volume increments of 20 cm3 were injected into the probe and corresponding pressures were measured. Near the end of the elastic portion of the test, an unload-reload cycle was done. A creep test was performed for 10 minutes at the next volume increment. The test continued until either 800 cm3 were injected or the membrane burst."

Jan 1, 2007

By Emad Farouz, Roger Failmezger

"The proposed reconstruction of I-75 downtown consists of widening an approximately 2.46 Km section of IR-75 through the northern section of downtown Dayton, OH, USA. Bridge B-13 is a 9-span continuos prestressed concrete I-beam, 319.0-meter (1,048-foot) long bridge with a stub abutment on MSE walls for the rear abutment, and a stub abutment with spill-through slopes for the forward abutment. The piers in the river were located parallel to the Great Miami River, and are full-height reinforced concrete wallsPRESSUREMETER TEST PROCEDUREThe driller advanced either casing or augers approximately 1 meter above the pressuremeter test. Steel casing was used to advance borings performed in the river, and augers were used for borings on land. Mud rotary drilling with a large diameter roller bit was used to remove all of the gravel and cobble fragments inside the casing or augers.At the pressuremeter test elevation the driller used a 63.5-mm (2.5-inch) carbide button bi-cone bit, using a rotation rate of about 60 rpm, a mud fl ow rate of about 10 gallons per minute (40 liters per minute), and an advance rate of 6 to 10 minutes per meter (2 to 3 minutes per foot). To minimize vibrations, advance rates were slower where excessive cobbles were encountered. The 63.5-mm (2.5-inch) O.D. slotted casing pressuremeter was lowered to the test elevation, often requiring either pushing or hammering into the test zone. We believe that the test zone was not perfectly straight, or that gravel or cobble fragments jutted into the test zone and had to be displaced to advance the pressuremeter into the test zone. The slotted casing prevented membrane damage during insertion. A photograph of the slotted casing being lowered into the borehole is shown below.The pressuremeter was calibrated for system compressibility and membrane resistance. At full expansion of 800 cm3, the membrane resistance of the slotted casing was about 2.5 bars.Strain-controlled tests were performed using a Texam control unit with a monocell probe. Volume increments of 20 cm3 were injected into the probe and corresponding pressures were measured. Near the end of the elastic portion of the test, an unload-reload cycle was done. A creep test was performed for 10 minutes at the next volume increment. The test continued until either 800 cm3 were injected or the membrane burst."

Jan 1, 2007

By Stefan Larsson, Sadek Baker, Razvan Ignat

"This paper describes the execution of two full-scale field tests where a braced steel sheet pile wall interacting with rows of overlapping dry deep mixing columns was first excavated and then loaded to failure. The aim of the tests is to provide insight of the performance of dry deep mixing column rows located in passive zone and interacting with a retaining structure. The column rows were installed perpendicular to the sheet pile walls with two different area ratios, i.e. different distanced between the column rows. Both tests were extensively instrumented with inclinometers, pore pressure transducers, bellow-hoses, earth pressure gauges and strain gauges mounted on the struts. Results of the performedtests will serve as development of design methods for excavation support with columns.INTRODUCTIONDry deep mixing has been used with good results to strengthen the soil when excavations are to be performed in locations with thick soft clay deposits. An application that has increased in recent years is to install columns on the passive side of the retaining structure. Columns can be installed in different patterns but rows, grids or blocks are the most common arrangement. The use of column type ground improvement installed on the passive side of a retaining structure has been documented for a few field cases, Tanaka (1993), O’Rourke et al. (1997b), O’Rourke and McGinn (2006), Ou et al. (2008). By improving the soil on the passive zone, the passive earth pressure in front of the retaining structure is increased. This has proven to reduce the excavation induced deflections behind the retaining structure, reduce the structural forces (bending moment in the retaining structure, strut and anchor forces) and improve the safety against basal heave failure. The main focus of the conducted measurements within these cases has been on recording deflections and structural forces on the retaining structure and there is very little documentation available of the stress-strain behavior of the improved soil acting on the passive side of the retaining structure.Two full-scale tests of braced steel sheet pile walls interacting with rows of overlapping dry deep mixing columns were first excavated and then loaded to failure was conducted during the spring-summer of 2014. This paper briefly describes the test set up, instrumentation, test procedure and some selected results from one of the conducted tests."

Jan 1, 2015

By Andrew Moran, William H. Walton, Matthew D. Emrick, Mary C. Nodine

"A rapidly growing company in the northern US needed a large auditorium built into a dolomite bedrock hillside. The structure required an 80-foot-deep earth retention system independent of the auditorium foundation and superstructure. Allowable wall movements were limited to less than two inches. A 60-foot-tall permanent shotcreted soil and rock nail wall was designed for excavation support. The soil and rock nail wall utilized both active (post-tensioned) and passive nails, with capacities and installation angles optimized to address varying soil and rock conditions and to support heavy surcharges. The wall was configured with three two-foot-wide benches to facilitate controlled blasting and removal of more than two million cubic yards of soil, limestone and dolomite bedrock, and featured a permanent cast-in-place concrete face and a robust waterproofing and drainage system. A 20-foot-high reinforced concrete retaining wall was required at the top of the soil and rock nail wall to raise grades, resulting in a large surcharge.Design of the soil and rock nail wall was initiated less than three months before the start of construction, requiring expedited geotechnical explorations, analyses, design, and construction that would occur simultaneously. Design changes were made to address the discovery of a weak clay residuum seam at depth running along the base of the excavation, as well as significant changes to the building footprint made after the start of construction. Extensive performance monitoring was conducted during construction to measure vibrations and movements.Introduction and Project BackgroundA fast-growing company in the northern United States had a need for 600,000 square foot, 11,000 seat auditorium as part of its campus expansion. The auditorium was built underground, into a hillside to preserve the views of rolling terrain and farmland beyond. It featured a green roof and rockwork facing that mimicked regional geologic formations. The sixstory building required up to 80 feet of earth retention, including 60 feet of excavation beneath existing grades.As concepts for the project evolved, it became apparent that due to the geologic conditions, space limitations on site and the depth of cut required, a standard counterfort wall system would not be feasible. With groundbreaking for the building three months away, Thornton Tomasetti (structural engineer) engaged GEI Consultants, Inc. (wall design engineer) to design a 1,600-foot-long permanent soil and rock nail wall to support the excavation. The wall design engineer implemented a geotechnical exploration program immediately and began the design process, coordinating closely with Nicholson Construction (specialty"

Jan 1, 2017

By Diego Bellato

Production data recorded by special foundation rigs during construction activities at the site are commonly used for quality assurance / quality control procedures and, in particular, to prove that the installed foundation elements comply with the geometrical and quality requirements defined in the design specifications. Parameters such as crowd force, penetration/withdrawal rate, rotational speed etc. are usually presented in reports in the form of depth and/or time profiles. This type of protocols are already standard QA/QC solutions for ground improvement methods like deep soil mixing or jet-grouting, but they are quite rarely applied in combination with other techniques like diaphragm walls or Kelly drilling. In the latter cases, one of the main reasons behind this lack of site documentation is related to the difficulty in interpreting huge amount of data collected during the creation of single elements, which, in some cases, can last several days (not always in a row). In addition, the building sequence is often characterized by many alternated operations involving different movements of the rig and the use of different tools. In this context, the identification of specific construction activities based only on the mere exam of the time profiles of the recorded production parameters is extremely difficult. In this paper, the time profiles of production parameters obtained from a fully-cased Kelly drilling rig employed on a site in Karlsruhe (Germany) have been investigated and compared with a detailed series of activities deduced from a video filmed during installation. Typical time profile patterns associated to specific procedures have been identified by combining the different information available. The outcome of this study helped project engineers to automatize the recognition of activities directly from production data and led to an overall understanding and optimization of the construction process. INTRODUCTION The special foundation industry is characterized by the use of highly sophisticated machinery for the realization of geotechnical systems such as piled rafts, retaining walls and slabs for excavation pits, cut-off walls for levees and embankments or ground improvement solutions. Rigs can vary in size, weight, and power and can be provided with several drilling tools to cope with the different soil conditions (e.g. clay, sand, rock) and the different geometries of the elements to be built at the site (e.g. micro-piles, large- diameter bored piles, diaphragm walls, anchors). Due to the challenging construction procedures, various types of sensors have started to be mounted on the equipment in the last decades to monitor the behavior of some important machine parameters and to inform rig operators about the on-going process and the status of their devices.

Jan 1, 2019

By Eleonora Di Mario, Colin B. Turnbull, Matthew G. Mills, Chengbin Miao, Wilhelm S. Degen

"In the past decade, the ‘zero-dredge’ philosophy has become the preferred option for the formation of marine seawalls and reclamations, compared to the partially or fully dredged options, as this solution presents several environmental advantages. Recent relevant project experience is presented herein in order to highlight key design principles and construction issues central to the successful construction and performance of a sloping rubble seawall founded on soft soil improved by stone columns. If designed and installed with proper quality control, correct treatment intensity and sensible construction staging, stone columns are a safe and cost effective method for seawall foundations. This paper provides guidelines with regards to the design, construction and quality control for the correct implementation of stone columns as a foundation element for sloping rubble marine seawalls.INTRODUCTIONBenefits of sloping marine seawalls founded on stone columnsTo suit the current environmental requirements in Hong Kong, recent projects are tending to favour zero-dredge solutions, such as the Hong Kong Boundary Crossing Facility and the forthcoming Three-Runway System. The installation of stone columns allows the underlying deposits, generally consisting of very soft to soft clay and silt (soft soil), to improve in strength to the extent that the seawall can be directly placed on the seabed. This negates the need to dredge the soft soil and, therefore, this ground improvement technique represents an ideal solution for zero-dredge projects.Stone columns can also provide several other beneficial effects, including: accelerated drainage, reduced settlement, increased slope stability and soil reinforcement in the event of an earthquake. Stone columns, in contrast to competing cementitious methods, are a very ductile foundation method. This ductile behaviour is part of the design concept of stone columns in soft soil. Past projects located in Hong Kong and elsewhere, with an improved soft soil layer thickness of over 15m, have shown that stone columns can remain fully functional in terms of both drainage and horizontal reinforcement, even after settlements of over 3m and lateral displacements of up to 1m have occurred."

Jan 1, 2017

By Fred Tarquinio, Giovanni Bonita, Lars Wagner

"A new embassy for the Peoples Republic of China is under construction in Washington, DC. The 475,000 square feet (44,125 m2) structure has five levels below ground and four above, making it the largest embassy in Washington DC. A vertical soil nail wall was used as the primary support of excavation system for the project. The soil nail wall was irregularly shaped, benched in areas, and up to 98 feet (29.9 m) in height. The soil nail and shotcrete system consisted of approximately 1,600 soil nails and 50,000 square feet (4,645 m2) of exposed shotcrete wall surface. Design and construction challenges included soft soil conditions, inside wall corners, underground utilities, seismic impacts from blasting, and logistical and political factors. Overall, wall movements were lower than expected, with maximum horizontal movement less than 0.25% of the total height of the excavation. INTRODUCTIONThe proposed Embassy of the Peoples Republic of China in Washington, DC, will consist of about 475,000 ft2 (44,125 m2) of building space and contain up to four fl oor levels above ground and fi ve levels of basement (Figure 1). When completed, the building will be the largest embassy in Washington, DC. The architect for the project, Pei Partnership Architects, along with the world-renowned architect I.M. Pei, made effi cient use of the site by inserting the building into the existing slope. Consequently, excavations reach heights up to 98 feet (29.9 m) on the southern side of the property and 42 feet (12.8 m) on the northern side.The soil nail and shotcrete system consisted of approximately 1,600 soil nails and 50,000 square feet (4,645 m2) of exposed shotcrete wall surface. The location of the building relative to the property line called for tight excavation requirements, including precise wall positions and shotcrete tolerances. Design and construction challenges included soft soil conditions, inside wall corners, arched walls, underground utilities, seismic impacts from blasting, and logistical and political factors."

Jan 1, 2007

By Howard A. Perko, Melinda J. Hummel

"Hydraulically jacked piles, herein referred to as jacked piles, are commonly used for underpinning existing structures to arrest settlement or augment an existing foundation for higher loads. They consist of steel pipe segments coupled together and jacked into the ground using a hydraulic ram. Pipe sections can vary in size from 3"" diameter to 18"" diameter or larger. Jacking resistance is typically provided by dead loads of existing structures. This type of piling system has been utilized for foundation underpinning, repair, and augmentation for more than 120 years, yet little has been published on the capacity, installation standards, and reliability of these systems. Pile load tests from a number of projects are presented and analysed. The data show that previous methods of jacked pile capacity and depth prediction are crude at best. Empirical relationships between capacity, depth, soil type, and standard penetration resistance blow count contain a high degree of scatter. Scatter in the data indicate capacity prediction for jacked piles needs further research and refinement.INTRODUCTIONPush pier, resistance pile, steel pier, and jacked pile are some of the names often applied to hydraulically jacked piles used for underpinning. The term ‘jacked pile’ is more common in building codes and will be used herein. Although jacked piles can be installed for new construction, this paper is focused on piles used for support of existing structures.Jacked piles consist of short segments of pipe or structural steel tube that are coupled together and forced into the ground using a hydraulic ram fastened to or beneath a footing, stem wall, or grade beam of an existing structure. In this way, the weight of the structure provides the resistance necessary to force the pile into the ground. A factor of safety can be achieved in design by redundancy, which is consecutively installing more than one jacked pile to support the same portion of foundation. Installing jacked piles consecutively using the same dead load and then releasing the load after each pile installation allows one to continue adding piles to the same general area until a total aggregate capacity is achieved to account for anticipated dead plus live loads and a desired factor of safety for that area.An engineering schematic of an example jacked pile connected to a footing foundation is shown in Figure 1. Modern jacked piles typically incorporate a steel bracket. There are many sizes and styles of brackets available. Some categories include plate brackets that bolt to the outside of an existing foundation wall, wide and narrow angle brackets that extend under existing footings, pin brackets for attachment to structural steel, and reverse angle brackets for attachment to footing and wall. Table 1 lists example brackets and their benefits."

Jan 1, 2017

By Xavier Pita, Alexandre Pinto, António Cristovão, Rui Tomásio

"The cutter soil mixing technology was been applied in Portugal since the last seven years. The aim of this paper is to present the main design and execution criteria, related with both the cofferdam and foundations solutions, using soil-cement panels, reinforced with steel profiles, at the new Leixões Cruise Terminal, located at the Leixões Port, in Portugal. The Terminal building was built with one basement on a marine environment, over very difficult geological and geotechnical conditions, which demanded the use of some unusual and integrated geotechnical solutions. It is also pointed out the importance of the QC/QA, as well as the technical, economic and environmental advantages of the cutter soil mixing technique, comparing with same more conventional solutions.1 INTRODUCTIONThe construction of the new Cruise Terminal at Leixões, main gate of the Atlantic Ocean to the North of Portugal and Spain, as a consequence to the constant increase of the cruise traffic, was a challenge from both the geotechnical and structural point of views, mainly due to very difficult and unusual conditions, ranging from the geological and geotechnical scenario to the existent and under operation Leixões Port infrastructures, mainly the South break water, as well as the existent cruising boarding deck (Figure 1).According to the Terminal Project it was necessary to build one basement below the water table level, including several earth retaining structures in order to allow the excavation works on dry conditions leading to a global cofferdam effect. For this purpose soil - cement panels, using CSM technology, reinforced with steel profiles, micropiles (both for foundation and cut off effect) and the existent sheet piles were used. Also pointed out are the adopted special foundations of a very complex structure, including bored piles and micropiles (Figure 1)."

Jan 1, 2015

By Sherif Elfass, Gary Norris

Bi-directional load testing of drilled shafts has been widely adopted as a means to evaluate their load carrying capacity. However, in order to reach failure, most of these tests are carried out on sacrificial shafts using expensive sacrificial elements such as hydraulic jacks. A proposed low-cost bi-directional testing technique is discussed. It mechanically loads the end bearing soil below a drilled shaft, against its side shear resistance. The technique was originally established as an alternative to post-grouting to reliably account for the forfeited end bearing resistance. However, since it loads the shaft in a manner similar to conventional bi-directional tests, it can be used to not only load test sacrificial shafts, but production shafts as well. Furthermore, unlike conventional bi-directional load tests, the load is applied through surface jacks. These jacks, along with other load test components, are movable and can be reused to load test all the shafts of the project thus presenting an economic benefit. The concept of this technique has received favorable feedback from a few consulted departments of transportation, and while promising, has not been field tested to date. A U.S. patent was issued for the tip loading module and the loading technique described.

Sep 8, 2021

By Michael Oakland

This paper will discuss the design analysis of sheet pile cofferdams for static and dynamic blast loads. Following construction of the new Willis Avenue Bridge across the East River between Brooklyn and Manhattan, in-river piers No. 9 and No. 10 from the former bridge were demolished, partially by explosive charges. The blast at Pier 10 was conducted first and though the demolition charge was relatively small, it gave confidence that the sheeting could be designed to resist the blast load. This paper primarily summarizes our analysis and performance of a sheet pile cofferdam at Pier 9 used to withstand the larger blast loads, contain the blast debris, and allow excavation of the pier below the existing river bed mudline. The program NLFlex was used to predict stresses and deformations of the cofferdams under dynamic blast loads, using simplified equations to estimate the underwater blast pressures. Specifically, the analysis focused on the stresses in the struts, waler beam, sheet pile interlocks and connection of the sheeting to the waler beam. Design included allowing plastic deformations and limited rupture of the sheet pile interlocks under the blast loading. Comparisons are made between stresses assessed by the dynamic finite element modeling and empirical relationships used within the industry. The performance of the system after the actual blast is discussed as well as details of the performance of welded vs. bolted connections within the system.

By John Mould, Gordon Chen, Michael Oakland, William McElwee

"This paper will discuss the design analysis of sheet pile cofferdams for static and dynamic blast loads. Following construction of the new Willis Avenue Bridge across the East River between Brooklyn and Manhattan, in-river piers No. 9 and No. 10 from the former bridge were demolished, partially by explosive charges. The blast at Pier 10 was conducted first and though the demolition charge was relatively small, it gave confidence that the sheeting could be designed to resist the blast load. This paper primarily summarizes our analysis and performance of a sheet pile cofferdam at Pier 9 used to withstand the larger blast loads, contain the blast debris, and allow excavation of the pier below the existing river bed mudline. The program NLFlex was used to predict stresses and deformations of the cofferdams under dynamic blast loads, using simplified equations to estimate the underwater blast pressures. Specifically, the analysis focused on the stresses in the struts, waler beam, sheet pile interlocks and connection of the sheeting to the waler beam. Design included allowing plastic deformations and limited rupture of the sheet pile interlocks under the blast loading. Comparisons are made between stresses assessed by the dynamic finite element modeling and empirical relationships used within the industry. The performance of the system after the actual blast is discussed as well as details of the performance of welded vs. bolted connections within the system. IntroductionThe Willis Avenue Bridge is one of the major access ways from the Bronx into Manhattan. The location is shown on Figure 1. The original bridge constructed in 1901 was a swing bridge over the East River. The bridge was in disrepair and outdated with regards to its ability to handle the flow of traffic resulting in numerousaccidents.In 2007, Kiewit Constructors Inc./Weeks Marine, Inc., A Joint Venture was selected to construct a replacement bridge. The $612 million project included construction of a new bridge just to the south of the original bridge. The most notable aspect of the construction was floating and lifting the new 350 ft. long swing span in place as a single piece. However, another significant challenge was using blasting to demolish two of the abandoned piers which were within the East River. The blast would be near existing structures in both Manhattan and Brooklyn and would be within 30 ft. of the new bridge."

Jan 1, 2017