Search Documents

By Wolfgang G. Brunner

The closing of the gap in the European waterway- net is one of the big and challenging traffic projects following the German reunification. The water canals in the North German plain connect the Rhine river, the border between Germany and France, with the Oder, the German border river to Poland. As early as in the 30's of the 19th century the planning and construction of a ship- lift and a canal bridge started, in order to close this last big gap in the system between the Mittelland Canal and the Elbe- Havel Canal near Magdeburg. This main waterway connects the West of Germany, known for its coal mines and steel mills, with the capital Berlin, and from there it goes on into Poland. The building activities started in 1934 but came to a complete stop in 1942 because of the war. The communist government in East Germany was not interested in continuing this huge project, including the ship lock Rothensee, the canal bridge crossing the river Elbe, the former border river between West and East Germany, and the lock Hohenwarthe due to lack of political backing along with low construction capacity. Now this important project is in progress and this report describes the special foundation techniques used on the great ship lock Hohenwarthe. Hohenwarthe is a double- bay ship lock of considerable scale, which is notable for recirculating water rather than letting it flow. It includes 44 800 m2 ( 481 720 sq. ft) of up to 55 m ( 180 ft) deep cut- off walls, ground water control, 1248 bored piles with a depth of 22 m ( 72 ft ) serving as foundation and 28 000 m ( 91 864 ft) of soil densification with vibroflotation equipment for ground improvement. In the year 2003 the project shall be completed and all ships can travel from the West to the East through Germany without expensive and time- consuming detours through other canals and locks.

Jan 1, 2000

By Thomas Lardner

Excavation for The Bow, EnCana, in downtown Calgary, occurred between May 2007 and September 2008. A monitoring programme was used to determine the behaviour of the shoring wall, soil and bedrock during the excavation for the 21 metre (69 ft) deep excavation with a footprint of approximately 17,000 m2 (183,000 sq ft). Results from the inclinometer readings indicated that significant horizontal movement due to a weak rock layer and shear band effect. These modes of movement account for up to 100 mm (4.0 in) and 45 mm (1.8 in) of lateral deflection, respectively. Based upon the results of the monitoring programme, rock samples were collected from the weak mudstone bedrock, with great difficulty, to determine the strength and deformation parameters. Results from the uniaxial compression tests indicate a UCS around 830 kPa (120 psi) and elastic modulus between 80 and 180 MPa (11 and 26 ksi). Mohr-Columb parameters were determined to be c' = 340 kPa (49 psi) and f' = 24°. Residual strengths were determined to be c'r = 0 and f'r = 15°. Using the results of the laboratory tests and field investigation records, an initial finite element analysis was conducted. Results of the analysis show good correlation when compared with the observed monitoring deformation, indicating accurate portrayal of rock parameters. Additional analysis and investigation is required to determine the principal horizontal stresses in magnitude and direction.

Jan 1, 2010

By W. J. Kingwell

Where the equipment, technique and materials are available for the construction of large diameter rock socketted piles, this is frequently the most economical and environmentally acceptable method of supporting very large concentrated foundation loads in geoglogically appropriate areas. This paper outlines the current approaches in Australia to design and installation of large diameter rock socketted piles. The equipment and procedures described generally reflect those developed or used by Vibro-Pile (Aust.), a company which, while installing the usual range of driven and bored piles, specializes in the design and construction of large diameter rock socketted piles and possesses special expertise in drilling in high strength rock. A high capacity crane attached drill for large diameter drilling in rock is briefly described. Discussed in detail are the construction techniques employed and structural and geomechanical design methods adopted.

Jan 1, 1989

By Thomas C. Anderson

Tiedback walls are now recognized and accepted as a good solution for a variety of structural problems: ? Retaining Walls and Bridge Abutments in cut situations ? Landslide stabilization ? Repair/support of existing walls Acceptable techniques have been developed for anchoring in cohesive and granular soils and in any kind of rock. Methods have been developed for adequately protecting tieback tendons against corrosion and for testing every tieback to verify its long-term load-carrying capacity. However, the major problem that the industry faces today is how do we get constructable and economical tiedback walls contracted for and built with minimal claims. This paper will explore the issue of "constructability" through a look at specific problems from actual projects. From a research report from the Construction Industry Institute, Austin, Texas (1986), constructability is defined "as the optimum use of construction knowledge and experience in planning, design, procurement and field/operations to achieve overall project objectives." Maximum benefits occur when people with construction knowledge and experience become involved at the very beginning of the project." The design and installation of tiebacks has been developed primarily by specialty contractors; each contractor has evolved its own methods of performing the work, and consequently, many of the techniques are patented and proprietary. The real question is, how do we make effective use of this knowledge and experience during the design phase of the project?

Jan 1, 1991

By Joel Moskowitz

A new office complex is being constructed within 25m of the Hudson River in New Jersey. The project, about 140 m by 100 m, will include 4 basements under the entire footprint. The perimeter was to be secured by a 0.8 m thick diaphragm wall, laterally supported by high capacity tieback anchors to rock. Columns were to be supported on footings or piers to rock at a nominal bearing pressure of 3.8 MPa at depths up to 17m. Although some variation in rock quality was observed in borings, a substantial vertical seam of weathered and/or decomposed rock, 1 to 2 meters wide by as much as 8 meters deep, was encountered during construction necessitating field redesign. In some locations the seam dipped below more competent rock. Footings were redesigned for support on drilled caissons, or soft rock was excavated and replaced with concrete necessitating a reduction in bearing pressure of the footings by one half.

Jan 1, 2002

By J. Matos e Silva

"Abstract Although one can think that it is very low the probability of a seism occurrence during the execution of an excavation in an urban lot protected by a diaphragm wall curtain, reality shows that whenever a seism occurs in an urban area several diaphragm walls will be affected by it. So it is advisable to consider the seismic action when designing a diaphragm wall curtain. The paper refers the main information about the seismic design of diaphragm walls according to the Eurocodes 7 and 8 and to the Portuguese Norms related to them (respectively NP EN 1997-1 2010 and NP EN 1998-5 2010), as the Eurocodes consider the possibility of each European country to adopt their own seismic parameters as the seismic risk is different in each country. Thus the so-called National Document of Application (in our case the Portuguese Norms) prescribes the seismic local parameters.1 - EUROCODES AND PORTUGUESE NORMS PRESCRIPTIONSAccording to Eurocode 8 - Part 5 and to the related Portuguese Norm NP EN 1998-5 2010, seismic actions on soils should be quantified adopting the Mononobe-Okabe method that gives goodapproaches when compared with reality.From paragraph 7.3.2.2 of the referred Norm, the horizontal seismic coefficient kh will be:"

Jan 1, 2014

By Bernard H. Hertlein

All methods of deep foundation construction present challenges to the contractor and engineer that vary according to the method employed, and the geotechnical conditions in which it is being used. Augered-Cast-In-Place (ACIP) piles are generally regarded as one of the most challenging, because the construction method precludes the use of traditional shaft inspection and quality control techniques. Application of Nondestructive Test (NDT) methods can provide quality control for ACIP shafts that traditional methods cannot, but each NDT method has limitations. These make some NDT methods unsuitable for use on ACIP shafts, and may limit the effectiveness of others, depending on geotechnical conditions. To help contractors and engineers working with ACIP piles select the test method most appropriate to specific site conditions, this paper presents a summary of the major NDT methods currently available, and reviews their capabilities with respect to the unique conditions presented by ACIP pile construction. Case histories illustrate how a combination of careful method selection, skilled data interpretation, and experienced engineering judgment have resolved problems and ensured quality in foundation construction by discriminating between potentially serious defects, and those that are unlikely to be significant.

Jan 1, 1997

By I. Stanculescu

The consolidation of thick and very compressible soil deposits by stone columns associated with cast-in-place plain concrete columns, has been performed for shallow foundations of some heavy industrial structures. The reduction of settlements and increase of soil bearing capacity were thus ensured as a result of soft soil interaction with stone and concrete columns. The results of model tests and in situ large scale applications are presented. A calculation procedure is also suggested for foundation bases improved by the proposed method.

Jan 1, 2010

By Charles Pol Vuillier

Piling work for modification to the Charles Grimes Bridge in Melbourne, Australia required piles to be installed through 15 to 20 m thickness of very soft to soft silty clay overlying 10 m of stiff clays and sands in turn overlying siltstone. The presence of an old sewer founded at depth in the soft clays demanded that vibrations be kept to a minimum. Two pile type were used by Vibro-pile (Australia) to provide the client with the most economical piling price. The two pile types were CFA piles of 750mm diameter founded in the weathered rock and a full displacement concrete injected screw pile developed by Vibro-pile called the "Z" pile, founded on the rock. The development and features of the "Z" pile are briefly discussed, including the perceived applications and advantages of the pile type. On board instrumentation comprising a computer was used to monitor all aspects of the construction. The rig instrumentation provided an important quality control measure that gave confidence in the pile installed. Pile performance was proved on the cast in situ piles by dynamic load testing methods. Initially tests performed with a 120 kN drop hammer, which was not capable of mobilising the required loads. The performance was then satisfactorily proved by using a drop hammer of 20 tonne mass delivering blows drop heights of 1.5m. Low strain integrity tests on a number of piles were also used to confirm the structural integrity of the piles.

Jan 1, 2000

By N. Som

The pile capacity in cohesive and granular soils depends on a number of parameters. The values of these parameters as recommended by Indian Standard Code of Practice vary over wide ranges. A designer often finds it difficult to select appropriate values of these parameters for realistic estimate of a pile capacity. The present paper makes a critical review of the values of the parameters given in Indian Standard Code of Practice and suggests a realistic approach to selecting them in the light of recent research.

Jan 1, 1996

By Donald A. Bruce

"Abstract The Deep Mixing Methods (DMM), in their current forms, have been employed in the United States since 1986, although an earlier version had seen service from 1954. The earlier developments were strongly influenced by practices in the Nordic countries and Japan, while by the late 1980’s several DMM systems had been developed in the U.S. itself. Since then, DMM has continued its evolution, principally via the challenges of a series of large, landmark projects, but also via distinct, significant technological advances. This paper highlights the key points in the history of DMM in the U.S., and provides an overview of the different methods currently in use.In the BeginningIt is a common misconception that the history of applications of the Deep Mixing Methods (DMM) in the United States dates from 1986 when SMW Seiko Inc. — a subsidiary of Japan’s Seiko Kogyo Company — was established in the Bay Area. However, the author believes that Intrusion Prepakt Co.’s patented MIP (Mixed in Place) system had been used, albeit sporadically (about 30 projects are recorded), since 1954 (FHWA 2000, 2001). Ironically, by 1961 this single auger method had been extensively used under license in Japan for excavation support and groundwater control — by the Seiko Kogyo Company. By 1972, the original MIP technique had been succeeded by more advanced Japanese methods, involving multiple augers. Intrusion Prepakt have long since become defunct.The first systematic studies of contemporary Deep Mixing Methods in Japan began in 1967 when the Port and Harbor Research Institute of the Ministry of Transportation began laboratory testing using granular and powdered lime for treating soft marine soils. Fundamental studies continued through the early 1970’s, by which time the development of industrial scale equipment was well advanced, having its first application on a marine trial near Haneda Airport. Coincidentally, laboratory and field research also began in 1967 in Sweden (“Swedish Lime Column Method”) for treating soft clays using unslaked lime. Reportedly the progenitor was a Norwegian, Kjeld Paus, who had made observations on fluid lime columns in the U.S. It would seem that developments in Japan and the Nordic countries proceeded independently until 1975 when the technology leaders from each group (Broms and Boman; and Okumura and Terashi, respectively) presented their — very similar — findings at a conference in Bangalore, India. Limited technical exchanges ensued thereafter.Whereas the Nordic developments continued to focus on the use of dry reagents (cement and lime) and relatively light equipment compatible with operating on and in very soft clays and organics, the Japanese progressed into the use of fluid reagents (cement-based grouts) and heavier equipment for both marine and land-based projects. Thus, by 1986, there were a large number of proprietary (wet and dry) DMM systems in Japan, and a rapidly growing market already by then accounting for over 12,000,000 m3 of ground treatment."

Jan 1, 2014

By Sikko Doornbos

For the extension of the Paper Mill of Parenco in Renkum, the Netherlands, the application of a pile foundation was required. The demands for this pile foundation were very explicit a vibration free and soil displacing pile systems with low allowable settlement. Another important aspect was the total amount of piles (originally over 1600 auger piles) which had to be executed within 3 months, in very difficult and unhomogeneous soil. Based upon these conditions the Tubex Grout Injection Pile was chosen to be used for this project. This system involves the drilling of a steel tube with a conical pile shoe while grout is injected at the point simultaneously, creating a mixed-in-place layer around the tube. INTRODUCTION After extensive marketing, the board of directors of Parenco, decided to a large extension of the production capacity of its paper mill by building a new production building called Paper Mill 1 or PM-1. The new PM-1 extension had to be constructed beside the existing PM-2 because of limited terrain. The site is located right between the Rhine river and Renkum, approximately 15 kilometers (10 miles) west from Arnhem (see figure 1). The construction involved the building of the PM-1 extension of approximately 250 meters (820 ft.) long by 40-60 metres wide (130-200 ft.). The main structure was to be constructed of precast concrete beams and columns.

Jan 1, 1987

By Arturo Ressi di Cervia

Construction of the drilled shafts for the Brightman Street Bridge Replacement Project were not only challenging due to working over the water but were also challenged by changed soil conditions, concurrent work being performed by an adjacent contractor on the same project, environmental restrictions and severe winter conditions. A total of 36 x 8 feet diameter drilled shafts with 7.5 feet rock sockets were installed for the East and West bascule piers. This project also included Osterberg Cell load testing on two production drilled shafts at each the East and West bascule piers. The results from the load test program were used to fine tune the design of the drilled shaft rock sockets. From a constructability standpoint the reverse circulation drilling method with a pile top drill rig proved to be an excellent choice for drilling the overburden and rock sockets of the large diameter deep drilled shafts.

Jan 1, 2003

By Richard Pizzi

Built in 1806, Boston's African Meeting House is the oldest surviving Black church building in the country. A $7 million dollar renovation was begun in 2006 to restore this historic building to its 1855 appearance and to modernize the building's accessibility, electrical and mechanical systems. As part of the restoration, an underground utility room and elevator tower, needed to provide handicap access to the Meeting House, were constructed. Extending up to 17 feet below the foundations of the abutting buildings, the utility room was constructed within one foot of some of Boston's oldest and most expensive residences. All equipment and materials had to enter the work area through a narrow alley rendering conventional methods of excavation and construction of earth support using heavy equipment unfeasible. A unique combination of micropiles, structural cap beam, internal struts and shotcrete facing was designed and constructed to provide the permanent and temporary support of the lateral loads from the earth pressures and adjacent building surcharges and the vertical loads from the elevator tower. The narrow and congested streets of the Beacon Hill neighborhood presented many day-to-day challenges for the contractor.

Jan 1, 2011

By Sangseom Jeong, Moonkyung Chung, Junyoung Ko

"Abstract The plugging effect of open-ended piles in sandy soil is analyzed by full-scale field test and plugging measurement. PLR (plug length ratio) measurement data from 144 field cases are analyzed with pile diameter. Based on the plugging measurements, PLR of open-ended piles which have above 1000mm diameter is predicted to be above 0.9. Through plugging measurements, a new empirical method is suggested for quantifying the plugging effect of open-ended piles. The proposed PLR equation is possible to predict the behavior of soil plug in the preliminary design stage. In addition, in order to investigate the behavior of the soil plug of open-ended pile, field load tests are performed on instrumented three piles driven into sand. It is obtained that the resistance components of open-ended pile are separated by double-walled pile system. It is found that inner shaft capacity is developed nearby pile tip. However, upper soil plug did not influence the inner shaft capacity. Also, it is found that all test piles are floating piles and unplugged condition because the sum of inner shaft capacity and outer shaft capacity is calculated about 58 to 76% of the ultimate bearing capacity.INTRODUCTIONIn Korea, a number of huge construction projects such as harbor terminals, offshore grand bridges, and lifeline systems are progress in urban and costal area. In these areas, steel pipe piles are frequently used to support high-rise buildings and heavy weight structures for ensuring structural safety rather than serviceability limit capacity. Also, steel pipe piles are frequently used in civil engineering structures because they have many advantages such as high-load bearing capacity, light weight and outstanding workability. The mega foundations of grand bridges and high-rise buildings are required in geotechnical engineering. Large diameter driven piles are frequently used in several projects.Many specifications such as API, FHWA and AASHTO have been reported as a design guideline of plugging effect, however , the current design method for plugging effect of steel pipe piles are mainly based on the our knowledge derived from observation of the model test or the small diameter pile load test. Therefore, these specifications have limitation to apply the large diameter steel pipe piles.Much work has been done to study the plugging effect by many researchers. Yamahara (1964) reported that soil plug has been modeled as a thin disk element as shown in Figure 1, since the increment of radial strain of the soil plug can be neglected due to high rigidity of the pile compared to that of the soil plug. Klos and Tejchman (1977) reported that the end bearing capacity of open-ended piles was almost equal to that of a closed-ended pile when penetration depth of pile was above 15times the pile diameters by model tests. Paikowsky and Whitman(1990) reported fundamental studies on mechanism of plugging effect in sand. Paik et al. (2003) reported that empirical relations for plug load capacity, annulus load capacity, and shaft load capacity of open-ended piles are proposed based on the model pile tests. As discussed above, much work has been done in the area of plugging effect. But little work has been done to study the plugging effect by full scale field tests."

Jan 1, 2014

By Tsunenobu Nozaki

"AbstractThe PRESS-IN METHOD is widely recognised as “an environmentally friendly piling method”. However, this characteristic is only one of the fundamental advantages of the method and this paper presents the most up-to-date capabilities of the method. Due to the evolution in recent years, the Press-in Method is now applicable to 2.5m thick retaining walls, over 50m deep foundations, overcoming rock conditions and confined construction conditions.The Press-in PrinciplesThe basis of the Press-in Method is simple. The Silent Piler presses a pre-formed displacement pile into the ground by static jacking force. The reaction for the Press-in Force is generated by gripping previously installed piles. As a pile is pressed into the ground, “A Pressure Bulb” is formed around the pile toe. Accordingly, higher bearing capacity can be generated compared to driven piles without disturbing the ground and producing any vibration. (A comparison of jacked, driven and bored piles in sand (2005), Deeks et al.)Applicable Pile ProfileThe Press-in Method is applicable to most of the steel piles available on global market i.e. U sheet pile in single form and pair, Z sheet pile, also in single and pair and Tubular Pile as described in Figure 2. Wall thickness of those piles can be 0.3m to 2.5m and moment of inertia of the wall ranges up to about nine million biquadratic cm per meter, which can deliver similar elastic modulus EI (kNm2/m) to 2.0m thick diaphragm walls and can be utilised for extremely deep excavations required in today’s construction industry"

Jan 1, 2014

By Chris G. Leach

"Abstract A seven storey Northbridge area of Perth, Western Australia presented residential apartment complex located in the an opportunity for a novel application of Cutter Soil Mix technology (CSM). The development included a two-level basement for car parking which covered the full site area. However, the basement was also required to extend under an existing single story heritage building. Soil conditions comprised 2m of fill overlying medium dense to dense sands that in turn were overlying a very stiff clay stratum at approximately 14-16m depth. The ground water table was located at a depth of approximately 1m below the natural surface level.A site boundary consisting of a reinforced CSM retention system and was designed and installed to allow the excavation to proceed to basement level. Two rows of temporary soils anchors or inclined struts were required to achieve this. A CSM support system for the heritage building was also designed and constructed to provide temporary support during excavation and permanent construction works. The brief for the contract works emphasised that it was vital that settlements of the heritage building be kept within strict limits.CSM is a relatively new introduction to the Australian construction market, using a modified trench cutter to mix a binder slurry with in situ soils, generally to form cut-off walls, retaining walls and soil improvement works. This project is understood to be first application of the CSM for underpinning work in Australia.This paper discusses the site background details leading to the decision by the client to adopt CSM technology, and the design and construction aspects to meet the challenges offered by this project.Introduction190 Newcastle St is a 7-level residential apartment complex located in the Northbridge area of Perth, Western Australia. The development includes a 2 level basement for car parking, which covers the full site area. The basement also extends under a single story heritage building, which remained in-situ throughout the building works.A site boundary retention system was required to allow the excavation to basement level to proceed. In addition, a support system for the heritage building was required to provide temporary support during excavation and permanent construction works."

Jan 1, 2014

By Matthew Janes

Quality control procedures are increasingly important with today's higher capacity foundations and complex loading conditions. The need for a mobile, repeatable, nondestructive and economical load test method led to the development of an entirely new approach. The system described involves using solid propellant fuels to accelerate a reaction mass off the test pile. The force required to accelerate the reaction mass upward acts equally downward on the pile. Very high forces may be applied to the pile in a controlled, linearly increasing manner. The duration of the applied load is approximately 100 milliseconds. This rate of loading is slow enough to allow the pile and soil to react together as a composite rigid body. Pile/soil accelerations and velocities are low, typically 1 g and 1 m/s respectively. The effects combine to produce pile and soil response no longer dominated by the transfer of force via stress pulse (as with impact). Instead the pile force increases throughout the length of the pile, with pile top and toe stresses building in unison with time. This emulates the stress condition during static pile loading. Finally, state of the art instrumentation systems are used to obtain test data. Displacement is monitored directly using a laser datum and integrated receiver located at the centre axis of the pile. Force is also monitored directly using a calibrated load cell. Data is acquired and digitized using a 386 PC with user friendly software capable of producing load deflection curves and time histories in the field seconds after testing.

Jan 1, 1990

By Jiwei Duan

The energy transferred from a hammer to the pile top is considered as the effective energy in this paper. The effective energy is related to the pile dimensions, soil and pile-soil interface properties. This relation may be expressed as an equation based on the dimensionless theory. The relationship between pile capacity and effective energy was studied by performing a series of wave equation analyses using a commercial software called GRLWEAP (Wave Equation Analysis Program) by GRL Engineers, Inc. The results show that the pile capacity increases with the blow count when the effective energy is constant, however, it has a little change as the blow count is over 100 blows per foot. The pile capacity decreases as the ratio of pile penetration depth to pile diameter increases if the effective energy is constant. The pile capacity will increase as the pile diameter and wall thickness increases if the effective energy is constant. The pile stickout (pile length above the ground surface) does not have a significant effect on the effective energy and may be neglected. Curves for pile capacity versus effective energy are presented to be used for preliminary hammer selection according to effective energy and hammer efficiency. Finally, a case from PDA testing was studied. Measurements of the effective energy and pile capacity by CAPWAP were presented and compared with the results by GRLWEAP.

Jan 1, 2006

By Anthony H. Tawil

Modern, high-speed machines used in the manufacture of paper require foundations with stringent settlement constraints. To fulfill this requirement, caisson piles, extending into bedrock, were selected to support a paper machine in Baie Comeau for the Quebec North Shore Paper Company (QNSPCo.). This was the fourth machine in an existing paper mill, and its construction was part of an expansion program which included the building of associated structures such as a wood room and chip storage building, and other facilities, Figure 1. The paper mill in Baie Comeau, Quebec, is located in an area which has extensive deposits of sensitive marine clay which are transformed into a viscous liquid when disturbed by external forces such as the driving of piles. Loss of ground and soil disturbance as affected by piling activity assumed considerable importance in the design and construction of the caissons particularly in view of the proximity of existing plant facilities, including another paper machine.

Jan 1, 1987