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By Bernardo J. Jiménez Vega, Edy L. T. Montalvan

Rammed stone columns and similar reinforcement systems are used worldwide more frequently as a cost-effective method for improvement of foundations on soft soils. The effectiveness of the treatment method is evidenced by the increase in bearing capacity and reduction of compressibility of the treated ground. In this study, two job sites with over 500 stone columns were studied. On both jobs sites, shallow soft silty soils were found and stone columns were designed to support the foundations of MSE walls, which serve as abutments for viaducts. In order to verify the soil improvement efficiency CPT tests were performed before and after the construction of stone columns, also plate load tests were performed on both job sites to verify the deformation modulus of the stone columns. From CPT data it was observed an increase up to 30% of sleeve friction and 20% of tip resistance, which demonstrated a higher deformation modulus maintaining the same strength in the soil after stone columns construction. The plate load tests yield load-deformation curves which indicated that the original assumed modulus was conservative. As a result of these findings, optimization of the settlement reduction ratios was conducted using the modified values of deformation modulus for the soil and stone column, obtaining a reduction up to 30% of stone columns for further job sites with similar soil conditions.

Sep 8, 2021

By Bill Shea, Gordon King

"For a drainage channel built in San Juan, Puerto Rico, a value engineering (VE) proposal incorporating a secant pile top-down approach saved time and facilitated construction work on the larger flood control project. The channel, at the Bechara Industrial Area, Puerto Nuevo Port Facility and the Puerto Rico Maritime Shipping Authority Dock, was needed to allow drainage of the Rio Puerto Nuevo into San Juan Bay. The port area, one of the busiest in the Caribbean, has over 6,000 ft (1,800 m) of berthing wharves for ocean-going container ships along with over 500,000 sq ft (46,000 m²) of container loading and unloading areas, and is critical to the local economy.Planners wanted to minimize the impact of construction to the port and dock users, and developed a construction methodology and work sequencing that would prevent a complete barrier to port traffic. This plan involved non-contiguous and limited work area that “leapfrogged” along the alignment so as to prevent long barriers to lateral traffic movement across the culvert alignment.After reviewing the project plans and schedule, Morris-Shea Bridge Company (MSB) proposed an alternate design and construction approach that provided significant cost and schedule benefits, and also provided better access for the port and dock users. The alternate VE proposal involved top-down construction methodology and redesigned drainage culvert geometry with two parallel 2,000 linear ft (lf) (600 m) secant walls installed on each side of the culvert. These walls facilitated excavation and formed part of the culvert permanent walls. The result was a significantly reduced required construction right of way that allowed construction work in contiguous areas largely without impact on ongoing port activity. MSB conceived the design concept, and engineered design and construction of the VE alternate secant pile culvert.The project initially consisted of an open channel in the industrial area picking up water from the existing Rio Puerto Nuevo, transitioning to an enclosed culvert through the port and dock areas, and outfall through the existing dock. The base bid construction included three main areas of work:"

Jan 1, 2012

By Morris J. D, Baldwin Z., Wiltcher P. M

21 Moorfields is an oversite development in central London spanning Moorgate tube station. It required the installation of both the highest loaded bearing piles and the highest top loaded static pile test ever undertaken in the UK, at 50.5MN (5,680 tons). The 17-storey building is founded on only 15 large diameter bored piles installed through the roof of the live station. The piles are located in two parallel rows 50 m (164 ft) apart, bridging the underlying train lines and the Crossrail tunnel below. This unique project required a diverse cross-section of skills and experience from the Project Team as we not only pushed the boundaries of design but also those of construction practices. Our team therefore needed to be made up of members from multiple businesses and disciplines. The team worked together, in a highly collaborative environment, for around two years before any work started on site. A key challenge for this project was that there was only one opportunity to construct each pile. If a position had to be abandoned there were no alternative locations and the impact on the project would have been catastrophic. It was therefore vital that all events that may have led to the abandonment of a pile were investigated ahead of commencement on site. Risk elimination and mitigation strategies were developed for all eventualities whether they be associated with the design or construction processes. The successful pile load test, coupled with all contract piles being fully instrumented with state-of-theart fiber optic (CemOptic) cable along their full length, has improved our understanding of the performance of such large and heavily loaded piles. The works piles will all be monitored during the construction of the new building, providing new insight into their real-world performance. Such groundbreaking work has never been undertaken before in the UK and has the potential to significantly influence the industry’s understanding of pile behavior, and design, in the future. This paper will discuss the challenges the team encountered during the design and construction of this highly complex urban project, particularly when adopting, by necessity, a pioneering approach.

By Christophe H. Locussol

D.C. United, the professional soccer team located in Washington, D.C., completed a 20,000 seat capacity stadium in July 2018 named Audi Field. The project initially considered a foundation system consisting of roughly 800 prestressed concrete driven piles configured in groups with pile caps. A value engineering alternative proposed in a design-build manner ultimately resulted in the use of 300 single element Auger Cast Piles (ACPs) for the foundation system. The ACPs ranged between 1.5 ft and 4 ft in diameter, were up to 85 ft in length, and were connected through a system of grade beams to accommodate large lateral induced loads. Limitations in conventional analytical methods were encountered during the structural design of the piles due to the complexity of the lateral loading and pile fixity conditions. An innovative approach using advanced finite element modeling that incorporated the framing effects of the grade beams was required to meet the strict movement criteria despite large lateral loads.

By John N. Cunningham

Despite the wide use of micropiles for rehabilitating and retrofitting existing structures, little is known regarding the load-transfer distribution of grouted micropiles in various soil deposits. The rehabilitation of a concrete-frame warehouse in Portland, Oregon, required provisions for the seismic restraint of a new shear wall; the installation of two micropiles was specified to meet project requirements. The micropiles were uncased, 19-m (63-ft) long, 200-mm (8-in) nominal diameter, and reinforced full-length with a 64-mm (No. 20) diameter hardened steel threadbar. Due to space limitations, a sacrificial, instrumented micropile was installed near the two production piles to verify design assumptions. This paper describes the geologic setting of the project within the unsaturated Missoula Flood deposits, instrumentation, load-displacement behavior, load transfer, and Beta-coefficients for the sacrificial micropile.

Jan 1, 2011

By Mousaab Majar, Nikolaus Schneider

The technical challenges for accurate drilling positions increase with deep underground structures in inner city areas. Designed for jet grouting, specific sensors have been developed to record the alignment of rods during drilling by integrating microchips into the drilling rods. By feeding the rod with constant electric current, microchips, integrated in special couplings, can be read during the drilling process and tracked on monitors installed in the operator’s cockpit. The orientation for the drilling rod is provided by magnetic points and a compass, positioned above ground on the drilling rig. In combination with asymmetric drilling bits, it is now possible to steer the drilling hole to predetermined positions to compensate for deviations in deep bores. This type of drilling rod for jet grouting has been used in Berlin since summer 2019.

May 1, 2022

By Peter J. Nicholson

During my more than 40 years in the practice of underground construction and engineering, the industry has seen progress from the dig down to rock or hardpan or alternatively drive concrete or steel into the ground and count the blows; then you can be sure of you have a solid foundation; to the modern day, I?m willing to try anything to save money. Of course these are both exaggerations, but not gross ones. After getting bored being supervision on jobs counting blows, I struck out into the new field of ?tie-backs? as they were called in the United States, or ?ground anchors? as they were then termed in the United Kingdom. After installing some of the first permanent ground anchors for the Corps of Engineers on Lake Michigan as well as the highest loaded rock anchors of the time at two dams on the Ohio River, we were at the top of our game in the 1970?s. Subsequently in the 1980?s when my view of the future of ground anchors saw their installation becoming a commodity item, we branched out into ?Pin Piles? now known as Micro Piles, high capacity, steel tube encased, small diameter (5-12? or so), high capacity (100-500 tons) piling. Next came soil nailing, both temporary and permanent retaining walls, as at Cumberland Gap Kentucky. My next morph was into ?Cement Deep Soil Mixing? earlier on, known simply as ?soil mixing?. For this education I traveled to Japan several times and established a long-term, Joint Venture, relationship with one of the better known Japanese specialty ground modification companies. In Boston at the ?Big Dig? we established the then record size soil mixing project, 500,000 or so cubic meters of CDSM concluding in the year 2000. Since then I?ve been involved as a consultant mainly for dams and levees. Below is the story of how I came to be at this place in the road to innovation in Geotechnical processes.

By Rudolph P. Frizzi

The current trend of increasing augered cast-in-place (ACIP) pile diameter, length, and load carrying capacities demonstrates improvements in installation equipment, increased acceptance, and that quality control is being successfully implemented by the parties involved in the ACIP pile construction process. Quality control is essential for ACEP piles since 24- to 36-in-dia (610-to 915-mm-dia) piles are currently being constructed to sustain design compressive loads of 800 to 900 kips (3555 to 4000 kN). This paper presents a summary of ACIP pile quality control procedures and methods beginning in the design and bid process, through ACIP pile installation, to post-construction. The results of a recent survey of contractors, engineers, equipment suppliers, and researchers routinely involved with ACIP piles in the United States, Europe, and the Middle East are included to address current trends in ACIP piles and quality control.

Jan 1, 2001

By Joseph T. Coe, Alireza Kordjazi, Michael Afanasiev

Cross-hole sonic logging (CSL) is a common quality assurance measure for the evaluation of the structural integrity of drilled shafts. The results of CSL can be supplemented by a set of tomographic images generated by cross-hole tomography (CT). Although the same access tubes, sources and receivers are used in both methods, CT has the advantage of providing a higher quality image of the possible anomalies in drilled shafts. Nevertheless, it has been reported in literature that the CSL and CT miss anomalies with sizes of smaller than 10 percent of the cross sectional area of the drilled shaft. This implies poor resolution despite the high-frequency of the stress waves utilized in these methods. This issue with resolution can be at least partially attributable to the fact that CT relies entirely on the inversion of the first time of arrival and ignores the information embedded in the rest of the recorded traces. This study examines the application of full waveform inversion (FWI) to generate a higher resolution image of the possible defects in drilled shafts from the same data used for cross-hole tomography. FWI is a wave-field method that aims to directly match the recorded traces with traces obtained from a numerical model of the domain. This has the benefit of avoiding the selection of the first time of arrival, along with increasing the resolution of the final image due to extracting more information out of the traces. Through a series of numerical simulations, synthetic traces were generated from a drilled shaft with defects of known mechanical properties, dimensions, and location. These traces were then inverted to evaluate the performance of FWI for structural integrity testing of the drilled shafts. INTRODUCTION The presence of construction defects can compromise the structural integrity of drilled shafts and negatively affect their performance (O’Neil 1991; Sarhan et al. 2002; O’Neil et al. 2003; Poulos 2005). Several non- destructive testing (NDT) methods exist that are currently used for the evaluation of the structural integrity of drilled shafts. Cross-hole sonic logging (CSL), cross-hole sonic tomography (CT), and thermal integrity profiling (TIP) are well-established and documented in the industry and practical manuals (Brown et al. 2010). NDT methods prevent the need for coring and excavation and are relatively fast and cost effective. Successful implementation of these techniques has also been reported in the literature (Branagan et al. 2000; Iskander et al. 2001; Mullin 2010; Johnson 2016).

Jan 1, 2019

By Cheng Lin, Guoming Lin

"This paper presents a case history for the design, construction and long-term performance monitoring of a driven prestressed concrete (PSC) piled foundation supporting a large liquefied natural gas (LNG) tank in Savannah, Georgia, USA. Following a geotechnical investigation, a design stage pile test program was performed with three objectives: to study the densification effect from pile driving on the liquefaction resistance, to test axial and lateral pile capacities, and pile behavior under lateral loads. The test program comprised five piles driven on a test pad constructed adjacent to the tank foundation. Cone penetration testing (CPT) was performed before and after pile installation to test soil densification effects from the pile driving and liquefaction potential was re-evaluated based on the soil densities after pile installation. The axial load tests involved static load testing, high strain dynamic testing, and Statnamic testing. This paper presents the findings of the densification effects, compares results from different axial testing methods and discusses the procedures to use the load test results in the pile design. The paper also comments on the construction issues and presents performance data with 10 years of monitoring.1. IntroductionThe project site is located at the Kinder Morgan’s Elba Island LNG Terminal on the Savannah River which is three miles downstream of the downtown Savannah, Georgia. This LNG terminal was initially developed in the 1970s as an LNG import terminal. The facility includes five LNG storage tanks with two larger tanks which were constructed in 2003 and 2006, respectively. The terminal is currently being converted into a liquefaction and export facility. This paper discusses pile foundations for Tank D4 which is a double walled insulated steel tank built to hold one million barrels of LNG in 2003. This tank has an outer tank diameter of 258 feet, an inner diameter of 252 feet, and liquid height of 113 feet. A number of geotechnical challenges were present in the foundation design and construction.??The site is a typical coastal deposit site featuring a thick layer of very soft under-consolidated clay (up to 40 feet in thickness);??The bedrock is a couple of thousand feet deep;??There is a sand layer that is liquefiable under a high seismic design category (0.5% possibility of exceedance in 50 years)."

Jan 1, 1900

By Wu Jian-tao, LI Guo-wei

"The Cement Mixing Pile (CMP) quality assurance assessment is an important programme in evaluating the efficiency of foundation improvement. Coring is the current specified method of quality assessment in China which has the shortcomings of long cycle, high cost and low efficiency. The field and laboratory test show that the regular cone penetration test can only detect maximum of 4m of effective detection depth in CMP. In contrast, the method of cone penetration test in the reserved hole can detect the quality continuously along the pile at any depth. The tip resistance of reserved hole penetration in the 7th day has good linear relationship with unconfined compressive strength in the 28th day. The slope of linear relationship decreases with the increasing of clay particles content.INTRODUCTIONThe method of Cement Mixing Pile (CMP) is often used to improve soft soil foundation in highway construction, with the major purpose of reducing settlements under embankments (Bruce et al., 2000),which is a form of what is known as the Deep Mixing Method (Bruce et al., 2013). The CMP technology spread quickly in China in the 1980s. CMP quality assurance assessment is an important programme in evaluating the efficiency of foundation improvement. Coring is the current specified method of quality assessment in China (China Academy Of Building Research, 2002). The method of Coring is perceived in some quarters that samples will provide lower strengths given the distress caused to the core during drilling and extraction (Bruce et al., 2002).The cone penetration test CPT can provide continuous measurements of the penetration resistance, sleeve friction at the tip of the probe, which has advantages of simple operation, low cost and high efficiency compared with coring. However, CPT tests have not been established to assess CMP in Sweden because of difficulties in maintaining verticality (Larsson, 2005). In Finland and Norway, however, CPT tests are commonly used (Halkola, 1999). One of the disadvantages of CPT is the tendency of the cone to steer out of the column (Porbaha et al., 2003). Darya Mokrousova (2010) states this tendency to deviate can be overcome by pre-boring and starting the penetration test from the base of the pre-bored hole. Sheng Haiyang (1999) found that probes may be deflected out, sometimes even at small penetration depths, and may not give a complete inspection of the pile. Liu Songyu et al. (2003) suggested that the Standard Penetration Test (SPT) is an effective way to evaluate the strength and quality of stabilized soil-cement columns. In general, Regular CPT can’t test the full length of CMP, and SPT still needed drilling which causes discontinuous detection. From the existing standard of China, core sampling compressive strength test is the main method, evidently, coring displays a longer test cycle, high cost and low efficiency. Therefore, an improvement of CMP quality assessment, by conjuring a fast and reliable detection and evaluation method, is necessary. The aim of this paper is to research the feasibility of using CPT in assessing the quality of CMP and presents an improved CPT method."

Jan 1, 2015

By Zaw Zaw Aye, Sereyroath Chea, Nutthapon Thasnanipan, Thayanan Boonyarak

"As there are only limited numbers of bored pile constructed in sandstone and siltstone in Thailand, load transfer and settlement behavior of a pile in these rocks are still not fully understood. Major factors which influence the performance of the pile in the sedimentary rock should be systematically investigated. The objective of this paper is to analyze load distribution and load-settlement behavior of bored pile in sedimentary rock. Interpreted data was obtained from instrumented load testing results of large-diameter bored piles. These piles were drilled in aeolian soil and socketed in sandstone or siltstone, having socketed length varying from 1 to 3 times the pile diameter. Factors that influenced pile settlement behavior, consisting of rock type at the pile base, socket length, at-rest earth pressure and rock conditions, were analyzed. For interpretation of results, analytical solutions were used to estimate load bearing capacity and calculate settlement of each pile. According to test results of mobilized unit skin friction in siltstone, relationship of 0.1 – 0.3 square root of the unconfined compressive strength of rock appears to reasonably capture the measured shaft friction. Note that shaft movement in siltstone layer was not fully mobilized as maximum pile head settlement was still less that 1% of the pile diameter.INTRODUCTIONExtensive research of bored pile construction in soft soil in Thailand and Myanmar (Boonyarak et al., 2016; Aye et al., 2015) has been carried out. However, behavior of bored pile in weak rocks such as sandstone and siltstone is still not fully understood. Unit skin friction and unit end bearing of piles in these weak rock were reported by Horvath et al. (1983) and Pells and Turner (1980), respectively. Further research is still required to minimize variation in data presented in their study.This paper presents interpretation of load testing results of instrumented piles. These piles were excavated in aeolian deposit in the Northeast Thailand. Some piles were socketed in sandstone or siltstone. Analysis results of load-settlement, shaft shortening, pile settlement estimation, factor for calculating shaft friction and end bearing are reported. Discussion and explanation of pile behavior in sandstone and siltstone is provided.BRIEF INFORMATION OF THE PROJECTProject locationsThe construction sites are located in Khon Kaen and Nakhorn Ratchasima Provinces in the Northeast Thailand. Bored piles in this project were designed for supporting elevated structures for railways, overpasses and U-turn bridges for vehicles. These overpasses and U-turn bridges are distributed along the existing railways with the distance of about 180 km."

Jan 1, 1900

By Robert A. Field

Static-Load Piledriving utilizes a hydraulic push to facilitate the installation of a pile. The pile is not rotated, impacted or vibrated. A smooth pushing force advances the pile incrementally into the ground. Static-Load devices must have a reaction mass to push against. The most simple form of a Static-Load device is a jack; more advanced equipment, such as the Still Worker, also utilizes this approach. This paper focuses on the use of the Still Worker on three challenging projects. In each case, the existing site conditions made it risky, or unattractive, to utilize conventional impact, vibratory, or drilled-shaft equipment.

Jan 1, 1997

"1.0 DESCRIPTIONThis work consists of furnishing all necessary labor, equipment, and materials to install prefabricated vertical (wick) drains in the ground in accordance with the Plans and as specified herein.2.0 REFERENCED CODES AND STANDARDSASTM D4716-08 Standard Test Method for Determining the (In-plane) Flow Rate per Unit Width and Hydraulic Transmissivity of a Geosynthetic Using a Constant HeadASTM D4632-08 Standard Test Method for Grab Breaking Load and Elongation of GeotextilesASTM D4533-11 Standard Test Method for Trapezoid Tearing Strength of GeotextilesASTM D4491-99a Standard Test Methods for Water Permeability of Geotextiles by Permittivity (2009)ASTM D4751-04 Standard Test Method for Determining Apparent Opening Size (A.O.S.) of a GeotextileASTM 6918-09 Standard Test Method for Testing Vertical Strip Drains in the Crimped Condition3.0 QUALIFICATIONSThe Contractor shall have successfully completed a minimum of five wick drain installation projects in similar ground conditions, and installed not less than 5,000,000 linear feet (1,525,000 linear m) of wick drain in the past five years. The Contractor shall have a minimum of five continuous years of wick drain installation experience."

Jan 1, 2014

By Joseph A. Mann

"Soil mixing is a proven solution for the construction of ground improvement adjacent to sensitive structures due to the use of computer controlled and monitored equipment. The precision to which geometry is controlled can often be the deciding factor for selection of soil mixing versus other means of ground improvement. Protection of existing structures and utilities requires careful planning, investigation, and may demand supplemental control measures. During planning, it is imperative that the process be fully developed by the project team to ensure proper control measures are budgeted; otherwise, the success and safety of a project can be jeopardized.This paper discusses case histories of soil mixing performed in close proximity to large, sensitive, and critical utilities, including foundation support for an existing earthen dam impounding a water reservoir in upstate NY, a buffer zone for a tunnel drop shaft at an operating wastewater treatment plant in Washington DC, and a containment system to protect a major water line along an interstate widening project in Baltimore, MD. The function of soil mixing as ground improvement varied; however, the selection and application of the technique versus other means of ground improvement was specific due to the controlled manner of construction with soil mixing. Through the three case studies, small diameter (3- ft [0.9 m]), large diameter (8-ft [2.4 m]), and mass mixing applications will be discussed. Furthermore, the case studies offer insight into how the geotechnical community in the Mid-Atlantic utilizes soil mixing technology for widely varying applications. Additional topics of discussion will be the design and construction of the ground improvement systems, procedures and execution of the work to protect existing structures, and the QA/QC methods, procedures, and results from the projects.INTRODUCTIONWet soil mixing, also known as the Deep Mixing Method, is a ground improvement technique that improves the characteristics of weak soils by mechanically mixing them with cementitious binder slurry. To construct columns, a powerful drill advances a mixing tool with radial mixing paddles located near the bottom of the drill string. The binder slurry is pumped through the drill string to the tool as it advances and additional soil mixing is achieved as the tool is withdrawn.Wet soil mixing is applicable in a wide range of soils. Soil mixing has been performed at depths more than 100 lf (30 m). Soils vary widely in their ability to be mixed, depending on the soil type, strength, water content, plasticity, stratigraphy, and texture. Almost any soil type, including organics, can be treated with certain soil mixing technologies, although they may require high binder contents and/or pretreatment to achieve the required results. In cases when the target soil is very soft, including some very weak clays and peats, 100% of the soil may require treatment. This complete coverage of soil mixing is referred to as mass mixing."

Jan 1, 2015

By Charles Roeder, Amy Leland, Dawn E. Lehman

Concrete filled steel tubes (CFSTs) are composite members that are commonly used in many countries today. CFST components are used in the United States, but they are more common in Asia, in part because the connections used in Asia are quite labor intensive and there are not standard connections in the U.S. In addition, US design specifications are prepared by separate groups for structural steel and reinforced concrete structures and so composite systems that use CFST components are not overseen by a single group and as such there are several, conflicting design standards. In the US, steel tubes used for CFST are more slender (i.e., the diameter-to-thickness, D/t, ratio is larger) than some other countries, and labor practices (structural steel labor is different than reinforcing steel labor) also cause potential conflicts in construction. As a result, CFST has had some use in tall building construction in the US, but very limited use in bridge construction. A research program at the University of Washington has been in progress to address many of these issues with an eye towards universal design expressions, simpler, standardized connections and promotion of accelerated bridge construction (ABC). The research has resulted in recent changes to the American Association of State Highway Officials (AASHTO) bridge design specification as well as state departments of transportation (DOTs), which supports the increased use of CFST in bridge pile and drilled-shaft foundations. An experimental research study which investigate the flexural strength, shear strength and connections was conducted. These connections provide good performance under both seismic and gravity loads and address the concerns of US construction. These connections, their design rules and requirements, and their impact on composite behavior and system performance are discussed. These results permit rapid and economical construction of CFST bridge piers, piles and drilled shaft foundations. They encourage the use of more slender and economical tubes, while achieving the benefits of composite construction. INTRODUCTION Concrete filled steel tubes (CFSTs) are widely used for bridge and building construction in Asia, but the use of CFST in bridge construction is limited in the US. The historical use of structural steel and reinforced concrete in US bridge construction have resulted in more developed design expression for those construction methods, which has limited the use of CFST. Bridge construction in the US is inherently different than in Asia because of differences in codes, labor costs and construction practices. As a consequence, design and construction practices that are economical and practical in other countries may not be practical for US bridge construction.

Jan 1, 2019

By Cassandra A. Wetzel

"Rock socketed mini-piles are a desirable foundation alternative when design capacity is more than 40 tons and there is limited access. In this case history mini-piles were designed to support between 75 and 200 kips at 12 locations adjacent to a perimeter wall, a party wall and at cast iron column piers. Limited geotechnical information, low overhead clearance, and active building population tested the creativity of the team to get the piles installed. The key geotechnical concern during installation of the mini-piles was the presence of a glacial till layer above the bedrock surface that restricted the seating of the casing into bedrock with a track mounted drill rig. Soil loss during the advancement of the rock socket using an air hammer was excessive and increased the risk of subsidence. Over a three week period the engineer worked with the contractor to modify the design, means, methods, and materials to install piles with adequate load capacity. This paper will present the changes in design and construction methods that were required.INTRODUCTIONRock-socketed mini-piles are a common and desirable deep foundation alternative to support loads more than 40 tons in New York City. Limited vertical clearance, accessibility, vibration control, and load capacity make this pile type attractive; it also does not require a static axial load test when socketed into rock. This added benefit makes this alternative all the more feasible.The installation of a drilled pipe extending to bedrock through a glacial till deposit presented challenges to the contractor and engineers to confirm the casing is seated sufficiently into the rock prior to drilling the rock socket. The loss of soil between the steel pipe and the till/bedrock interface can compromise the performance of the pile and soil loss can result in settlement of the ground surface.This paper presents the design and construction method changes made on one project during the installation of ten limited access rock socketed mini-piles."

Jan 1, 2017

By Fabian Kirsch

Cyclic behaviour of axially loaded piles has been an issue since studies revealed that the capability to transfer skin friction into the ground is highly depending on the level and the number of load cycles the pile is subjected. It has been shown that degradation of skin friction due to axial cyclic loading leads to accumulating displacements and a severe reduction in pile capacity. In Germany the DIN 1054 as well as the Recommendations of the Working Group 2.1 ?Piles? of the German Geotechnical Society (EA-Pfähle) require the consideration of cyclic loading for the assessment of both the displacements and the capacity. Up to now no broadly accepted design method exists, which enables the engineer to give a reliable judgement on the pile capacity under axial cyclic loading and the displacements respectively. Instead numerous design charts make it possible to distinguish between stable and instable loading levels in order to ensure a design on the safe side. A newly developed design approach based on engineering models is presented which delivers a calculation algorithm for the remaining axial pile capacity after a defined number of load cycles to allow for the analysis of stability of the foundation. Furthermore the computation of accumulating displacements is made possible. The results are verified with pile load tests undertaken at Dunkirk, France and showed that the axial capacity after cyclic loading calculated with the newly developed design approach predicts actual capacity with an accuracy of ±20%.

Jan 1, 2011

By Giovanni A. Bonita

The new Embassy of the Peoples Republic of China in the United States (Chinese Embassy) is located in the Embassy Row portion of Northwest Washington DC. The 475,000 ft2 (44,125 m2) structure has five levels below ground and four above, making it the largest embassy in Washington DC. The structure approaches the property line on all sides, and is immediately adjacent to several foreign embassies and a secure U.S. Federal Building. A vertical soil nail wall was used as the primary support of excavation (SOE) system for the project. The soil nail wall was irregularly shaped, benched in areas, and reached total heights up to 98 feet (29.9 m). 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. Tight excavation requirements were defined for the project due to the location of the building relative to the property line, requiring fairly precise wall positions and shotcrete tolerances. Design challenges included soft soil conditions, inside wall corners, underground utilities, and seismic impacts from blasting. The paper will focus on the design, construction, and performance of the soil nail SOE system, as well as touch on the logistical and political factors that influenced the design. The paper also notes the Value Engineering and communication approaches that were generated during construction. These efforts resulted in a significant improvement in the quality control and quality assurance exhibited on site, expedited the schedule, and led to significant cost savings to the contractors, engineer, and owner.

Jan 1, 2006

By William H. Walton, Clyde N. Baker Jr., Darren S. Diehm

"A 51-story concrete core and steel frame commercial office tower was recently constructed on the site of the former US Gypsum building in downtown Chicago, Illinois, USA The structure foundation reused several caissons from the demolished US Gypsum building supplemented with new belled caissons bearing on silty clay hardpan. Extensive in-situ pressuremeter testing was performed during the geotechnical investigation to determine allowable bearing capacity and better estimate building settlements. Problems during foundation construction along the south side of the building frame required remediation of two caissons. One caisson was supplemented with micropiles, while the second caisson was abandoned and replaced with a straight-shaft rock socketed caisson. To determine the effectiveness of the repairs, the building foundation settlements were monitored during construction.IntroductionIn 2001, The John Buck Company began development of a new office tower at the southeast corner of West Monroe Street and South Wacker Drive in Chicago, Illinois. The site was formerly occupied by the 18-story US Gypsum (USG) building. Mr. Clyde N. Baker, Jr. (Senior Principal at STS Consultants, Ltd .) served as the foundation engineer for USG which was completed in 1962. The building was founded on a forest of belled caissons bearing at elevation -56 Chicago City Datum (CCD). For reference, the ground surface at Upper Wacker Drive is approximately elevation +20 CCD. The bearing material was a hard silty clay, locally described as Chicago Hardpan. The foundation caissons were designed using an allowable bearing pressure of 16 ksf (766 kPa). In 1996, the USG superstructure was razed, and the three-level basement was converted to an underground parking ramp.South Wacker DevelopmentThe 51-story high-rise building was completed in 2005 with a structural height of 681 feet (208 m), and an internal space of more than 1,000,000 square feet (93 ,000 square meter). The typical floor size is 27, 700 square feet (2, 570 square meter). Renderings of the building are provided in Figures 1 and 2. The largest single tenant is the accounting firm of Deloitte & Touche, which occupies roughly 45% of the building space with over 3,000 employees."

Jan 1, 2005