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By Yu Zhenquan

At the construction site of Bao Shan Iron &. Steel Mill in Shanghai, lots of RC driven piles with length of 50 to 60m were applied. The most unfavourable distribution of stress along the pile shaft was known by measuring the compressive and tensive stresses. With analysing the test results a phenomenon of impact fatigue of RC pile was discovered, the range of impact fatigue and its critical zone can be distinguished. Finally some countermeasures are presented to avoid the impact fatigue of RC long pile.

Jan 1, 1991

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 Danny Winters, Wesley Schmutzler, Christopher Lewis, Matteo Bertoni

"SR 83/US 331 is a primary North/South roadway in Walton County that is a crucial link for tourism and commerce between the Walton County beaches and the heavily traveled I-10 corridor in the panhandle of Florida. The facility also serves as the primary hurricane evacuation route from southern Walton County. This 3.4 mile project involves expanding the current two-lane crossing of Choctawhatchee Bay to a fourlane facility to increase capacity and dramatically improve mobility within the corridor. One of the major goals of the project is to perform ground stabilization using Deep and Shallow Soil Mixing (DMM & SMM) along existing causeways. Ground stabilization is required due to the existence of moderately deep very loose soils that have settled considerably over the years. As a result, the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) incurred significant maintenance expenses and was unable to maintain an acceptable ride quality. FDOT considered soil mixing as one option to control this settlement. Quality Control for soil mixing relies heavily on the monitoring system used to control mixing parameters. This paper will examine in detail, the reporting of the Drilling Mate System (DMS) used to ensure the quality of each soil mixed element.INTRODUCTIONThe Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) issued a Design-Build Maximum Price Request for Proposal (RFP) for the Choctawhatchee Bay Bridge expansion. The design-build (D/B) team of Skanska/Parsons Brinckerhoff was awarded the contract. The D/B team, in order to meet the unique deep ground improvement challenges of the Choctawhatchee Bay Bridge Project, selected Foundation & Geotechnical Engineering (FGE) as the engineer to design the ground improvement and TREVIICOS South (TIS) to execute the works.The FDOT in their RFP states that “either bridge or utilize a deep ground improvement method to stabilize the three segments of the existing earthen causeway” and “one possible method of deep ground improvement which is considered viable is deep soil mixing”. FGE developed a proposal to provide a unique rigid transfer platform to effectively stabilize the existing causeways. This platform (Fig. 1) consists of an upper 10 ft thick stabilized soil layer which transfers axial load to a series of deep columns. This robust system guarantees superior durability, ride quality and pavement condition and will exceed all required design and performance criteria including, “Less than 2 inches of settlement within a 1,000-foot section”."

Jan 1, 2017

By Lin Daoyi

In this paper, we have adopted the high pressure jet-grouting curtains to seal the sea-water, and to consolidate the wall of the well for deep foundation diteh, make a pladge of building and construction of deep foundation was primarily on progress without water. This paper, we have been given a test for pumping water under mainly the circumtances of sealing condition and to report in advance the capacity of seawater seeping into the gam curtains in the process of building and construction of deep foundation.

Jan 1, 1991

By Pete Howell, Patrick Granitzki, Alicia Plinio, Janitha Batagoda

The New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) Red Hook Houses was subjected to damage during Superstorm Sandy. As a result, the NYCHA has an ongoing project known as Restoration Associated with Sandy Recovery Program to improve the resistance against future storms. The specific project included 28 residential buildings and several service buildings within the Red Hook Development. The subsurface conditions within the eastern portion of the site included existing fill material underlain by varying stratums of very loose, loose and medium dense silty sands followed by very soft to medium stiff clay or dense silty sands. The western portion of the site included existing fill material, very loose to medium dense silty sands and organic clayey silts underlain by very soft to medium stiff sandy silts. Based on the geotechnical report, a conventional driven steel pile system was specified containing two pile depths. As part of the project bidding, an alternative pile type was recommended and analyzed to provide quicker installation, reduce vibrations, reduce noise, and provide relatively large cost savings. Due to relatively high lateral loading, an innovative double steel casing drilled displacement piles was proposed as the alternative pile option. Field testing proved the piles capable of the required project capacities and the use of drilled displacement piles as the best alternative for the project and accepted by the NYCHA.

Oct 1, 2022

By Bruno Gemmi

The objective of the ? 200 million ($280 million) project Parma Railways Station-Urban Transformation was the reconnection of the North and South parts of the town by constructing an 80 m (250 ft) wide sunken artery passing under the four double railway tracks of the station without any impact on train traffic. The site of the project, adjacent to the Parma River, presented water seepage problems at any excavation depth. The use of conventional large diameter bored pile machinery was not allowed by the Railway Authority because equipment dimension and construction phases do not comply with train traffic safety regulations. Foundations for the bypass were thus constructed by minipiles nested into jet-grouted soil using machinery operating within the existing head room and at a safe distance from the tracks. Jet-grouting treatment reached depths of 25 to 28 m (80 to 90 ft) from tracks? grade and embedded minipile-heads were terminated at 2 to 3 m (6.6 to 10 ft) below grade. Load tests on minipiles were pushed to failure. Failure occurred at a 240 t (265 t) load without breakage of the bond between the jet grouted soil and the minipiles. A 0.93 MPa (135 psi) shear resistance ??? between minipile steel casing and the jet grouted soil was measured prior to the failure of the steel casings. Overall measured foundation settlements were well within expected values and were considered insignificant.

Jan 1, 2011

By G. Stuart Littlejohn

In spite of recent concerns in certain European countries, I believe that silicate-ester grouts will continue to be employed in practice, unless more cost-effective inorganic grouts are developed for the treatment of fine sands. It is also noteworthy that over the past 40 years, there has been a record of good experience where silicate-ester grouts have been used in ground improvement. Nevertheless, there is now a need via the European Standard EN 12715 (2000) "to assess the environmental impact, particularly the toxicity of the grout and grout components, and their effect on ground and drinking water should be considered before grouting." "When testing the grouting material for environmental impact, the following aspects should be considered: ? Whether during processing, transport or grouting, substance can be generated or released which could be hazardous to the environment or the grouting crew; ? Whether noxious substances can spread upon mixing with ground water; ? Whether reaction products can be produced or released which influence the water quality; ? The type of particles eroded from hardened grout; ? Chemical reactions between hardened grout and the ground water."

Feb 10, 2003

By Edward J. McNamara

People in the real estate industry are fond of saying that the three most important features of a piece of property are, in order, location, location, and location. This is perhaps the reason that the owners of a well known high-end restaurant chain chose to spend $15 million dollars to renovate 5000 square feet of basement in a 22-story commercial building in the heart of New York City's Time Square. The goal was to create a music club with a stage area and dance floor with a mezzanine level surrounding the dance floor. In order to create the 50' x 40' dance floor and 20' x 40' stage area, 3 concrete columns were removed. New transfer girders were used to transfer the loads of these columns to new steel columns. For the mezzanine, nine columns had to be underpinned. All work continued while the restaurants, shops and offices above carried on business as usual. This paper details some of the means and methods utilized as well as the challenges faced by Underpinning & Foundation Constructors, Inc. in underpinning the columns and installing the new transfer steel.

Jan 1, 2000

By John Vickers, William H. Hover, Paul C. Schmall

"Any sudden subsurface issue that threatens the stability of existing buildings or infrastructure is cause for immediate investigation and prompt remedial action. Nowhere is this more true than the nation’s dams and levees. A breach of any kind, no matter how small initially, has the potential to be catastrophic and impact a wide downstream area. Addressing the problem quickly and effectively is therefore critical. When a turbid water discharge developed from a rock drainage embankment at the toe of the earthen dam impounding Cannonsville Reservoir, near Deposit, NY, the source of the problem was quickly identified as resulting from an artesian water release from an underlying permeable silty sand and gravel formation during drilling of three exploratory boreholes in preparation for construction of a hydroelectric plant at the downstream toe area of the dam facility. Work was halted, intense 24-hour monitoring was implemented, and as a risk reduction measure NYCDEP began to draw down the reservoir’s total storage at a rate of a billion gallons per day. Input sought from contractors within the geotechnical community helped result in the design and development of a deep well system to control the artesian pressure. Once this primary objective was accomplished, modified compaction grouting was performed at the borehole locations to densify loosened soils, fill any voids created by the discharge activity, and seal off the permeable aquifer. This paper discusses the dewatering program, specialized drilling techniques required, monitoring and verification of pressures within the dam, and the grouting program.BackgroundCannonsville Dam, owned and operated by the New York City Department of Environmental Protection (NYCDEP), is located in Deposit, New York on the West Branch of the Delaware River and impounds the Cannonsville Reservoir. Built between 1959 and 1964, the dam has an impervious central and upstream core zone keyed into the glacial till foundation, a semi-pervious downstream embankment zone, and a rockfill toe and is approximately 2,800 ft (853.4 m) long and 175 ft (53.3 m) high. The dam is formed by two embankment sections. The left section forms the main embankment blocking the main river channel, while the right section is constructed over a topographic saddle or low ridge. Reservoir level is actively influenced by withdrawals through the West Delaware Tunnel, based on water supply need. Under normal circumstances, water is continuously discharged downstream to the Delaware River."

Jan 1, 2016

By Francis J. Arland

The installation of augered cast-in-place (ACIP) piles requires careful quality control to assure a successful pile installation. Unlike steel, pre-stressed concrete or other types of driven piles, which are shop fabricated, delivered to the site and typically driven to a minimum tip resistance, augered cast-in-place piles are installed to a pre-determined tip elevation or to a refusal criteria. The structural section of the ACIP pile is constructed during pile installation and cannot be inspected prior to installation. Therefore, a carefully administered quality control program is essential to a pile foundation that will meet or exceed design requirements. This requires an experienced team consisting of the Geotechnical Engineer, Contractor and Inspector. The focus of this paper is to discuss the responsibilities and duties of the ACIP piling Inspector. Qualifications of the Inspector The qualifications of the inspector are related to the complexity and difficulty of the proposed project. Ideally, the Inspector should be an individual with a degree in civil engineering with special emphasis in geotechnical engineering. A properly trained technician with geotechnical engineering experience working under the direct supervision of a geotechnical engineer may be able to provide competent inspection on some projects. It is important that the Inspector have a good understanding of subsurface and ground water conditions and how they will affect pile installation. The Inspector must understand ACIP pile installation procedures and be able to communicate with the Contractor, Structural and Geotechnical Engineers; and maintain a detailed pile record for each installed pile.

Jan 1, 1997

By Willie M. NeSmith

In the Metropolitan Atlanta Area today, augered, cast-in-place (ACIP) piles will be considered on most projects where deep foundation support is required. ACIP piles were first used in Atlanta in the late 1960s, and application began to blossom in the mid-1980s. Current design practice for ACIP piles is addressed in another paper in this conference. This paper describes the evolution of the ACIP industry in Atlanta, and details the use of ACIP piles on major projects in the Atlanta area.

Jan 1, 2003

By K. Rainer Massarsch

"Part 1 of 2 By K. Rainer Massarsch, Geo Engineering AB, Stockholm, SwedenINTRODUCTIONConstruction activities, such as driving of piles and sheet piles, soil compaction or excavation generate noise and vibrations. In populated areas these can have a negative impact on the environment, disturb inhabitants and, under unfavorable conditions, cause damage to buildings and installations. This condition is aggravated by the growing public awareness of environmental issues and the increasing use of vibration-sensitive electronic equipment and machinery in industry. In many countries, environmental regulations are enforced more stringently and limit or even prohibit the use of impact or vibratory hammers. This development has restricted the use of cost-effective foundation methods, such as driven and vibrated piles and sheet piles.Vibration problems are gaining importance in many European countries and extensive research has been performed during the past decade, especially with respect to traffic vibrations (Massarsch, 2004). Significant progress has been made owing to the availability of high-quality field measurements and an improved theoretical understanding of how vibrations are generated and transmitted through soil layers. These findings can also be applied to vibration problems associated with construction activities. However, this information is not yet appreciated by the geotechnical profession and even less by the construction industry.This paper discusses the effects of ground vibrations on the surrounding soil and on buildings, with particular emphasis on the different mechanisms of damage that may occur. Guidance is given on the elements which should be taken into account in an assessment of risks associated with piling projects. A simplified method is proposed for assessing the risk of settlements or strength loss in soil deposits. Limiting vibration levels are presented, based on the Swedish standard, which can be used to assess the risk of damage to buildings. Aconcept to predict ground vibrations caused by pile driving and the mechanisms which control the propagation of ground vibrations, will be presented in the second part of this paper."

Jan 1, 2004

By Jean Balech

This paper presents some results of dynamic loading tests performed on concrete piles driven in soft clay formation. The load transfer mechanism, measured in the dynamic increasing energy test (DIET), under blows of growing energy, is described in terms of mobilized normal forces diagrams and unitary local friction and displacements. It was observed that the lateral skin friction grows up to a maximum, in the soft clay layer and, gradually diminishes to a residual value when the system presents the maximum mobilized resistance. It may be concluded that the rupture load is not equal to the maximum mobilized point resistance plus the maximum mobilized local friction as suggested by most of static bearing capacity formulae.

Jan 1, 2002

By Jean Wehbe, Daniel C. Brahana

"The new Mercedes-Benz Stadium (MBS), home of the Atlanta Falcons, is part of a new era of stadium construction in the U.S. These new-age stadiums are larger and have more amenities than their predecessors. Many of the MBS’s features, including its innovative retractable roof, result in extraordinary structural loads. The roof structure is supported by a series of mega columns that bear on eight large caps, six of which are supported by drilled piers. Each of the pier caps contains between 8 and 16 drilled piers that bear in the underlying bedrock. The design pier diameters are 6 and 6.5 ft (1.8 m and 1.9 m). Augercast piles were used to support two of the mega column caps. Drilled piers, augercast piles, aggregate piers and spread footings were used to support the more lightly loaded portions of the structure.The focus of this article is the construction aspects of the drilled pier foundations. Initially, a fairly extensive drilled pier load test program was performed. Load testing included a Statnamic compression test, two Osterberg Cell tests and two lateral tests. Production pier installation included over 3,800 linear ft (1,158.2 m) of earth excavation and over 1,350 linear ft (411.4 m) of hard rock excavation. The piers contain more than 6,600 cu yd (4,587.3 cu m) of concrete and 1,100 tons (998 tonnes) of reinforcing steel. Drilled pier installation took about 4.5 months. ABE Enterprises was the specialty foundation subcontractor and Bauer-Pileco was the equipment provider.Site and Subsurface ConditionsThe project site is in downtown Atlanta and was originally occupied by residential buildings. A portion of the site was later developed as a rail yard, and other areas contained light manufacturing, warehouses and other relatively light structures. For the past 15 to 20 years the site had been used for surface parking.Beneath a surficial layer of manmade fill, soil test borings at the site generally encountered residual soil, partially weathered rock and the parent bedrock. The bedrock at the site is highly variable, both in elevation and in hardness/quality. The depth to rock is reasonably uniform within the western two-thirds of the site at about 20 to 50 ft (6 to 15.2 m), with a few exceptions. In the eastern third of the site, the rock drops off dramatically to the north and east. In one mega column cap, there was almost 80 ft (24.3 m) in elevation difference. In two borings in the cap that were 20 ft (6.1 m) apart, the top of rock varied in elevation by 34 ft (10.3 m)"

Jan 1, 2016

By Thomas A. Printz

The wide use of carbon steel in construction and engineering projects makes this engineering material accountable for approximately 85% of the total annual steel production worldwide. Despite the lack of corrosion resistance of carbon steel, it is incorporated into the permanent work for marine applications, power plants, transportation projects, chemical processing, mining, petroleum production and refining, pipelines, mining and construction equipment. Corrosion is an electro-chemical process that occurs in the presence of water and air. When an electric current is introduced to water or soil, the rate of carbon steel corrosion increases rapidly. Gaseous atmospheric constituents that are capable of electrolytic activity can also increase the rate of corrosion. Corrosion tends to be more rapid in environments in which the steel is exposed to water, and then air, rather than being constantly submerged. The exposure to seawater increases steel pitting because the electrical conductivity is improved in salt water.

Jan 1, 2013

By Max Gwynn, Tony Suckling

"The new Wembley Stadium is the most spectacular soccer stadium in the world, built to the highest specifications, using the latest technology and offering visitors an unrivalled match-day experience. Wembley Stadium is the home of English soccer, dating back to 1918 when the British Government began planning a British Empire Exhibition with a stadium as its centrepiece. The Empire Stadium, as it was originally known, was completed in 1924 in just 300 days and cost £750,000 ($1.4m). It was finally closed in 2000.The new Wembley Stadium, which opened in 2006, features fully covered seats for 90,000 fans and a striking arch that sits above the northern half of the stadium. With a span of 315 m (1040 ft), the 133-m (440-ft) tall arch is the longest single-span roof structure in the world. It supports the entire weight of the northern roof and 60% of the weight of the southern retractable roof. This means there is no need for columns within the stadium and ensures unobstructed views.Multiplex Constructions (UK) Ltd. employed Stent Foundations Limited to construct the £10m ($19m) foundations package for the new stadium. The scope of works for the foundation package included the design and construction of all foundations, including all main works piling, temporary works piles for the arch and roof, and tower crane piles. The scope also included trial piling and pile testing, setting out and removal of spoil.Piles were constructed by using bored cast-in-place techniques with both hydraulic and traditional crane-mounted rigs. Stent also installed sheet-piled walls at three locations to the site’s northern boundary. In addition to the main contract works, Stent constructed a £2m ($3.8m) contiguous bored-pile retaining wall within the demolition and earthworks package (Figure 1). This work was carried out as a subcontractor to Griffith McGee."

Jan 1, 2008

By Priyadharshini M. R., Premalatha K

"Abstract With the development in the construction of heavily loaded structures, the necessity of pile foundations has increased. For the transfer of heavy loads, it is mandatory that the piles need to be socketed in the underlying rock strata. The load transfer in bored rock socketed piles is by end resistance or the combination of shaft and end resistance which in turn depends on the length of the rock socket. The determination of socketing length of the pile at present is mostly based on a few factors which affect the pile load transfer mechanism. The effect of all the possible factors involved, need to be studied in proposing guidelines for the design of rock socketing length of the pile. Analyses are carried out using finite element analysis software (PLAXIS 3D Foundation) to understand the influence of the thickness of overlying strata for different socket lengths of piles in weak rock. From the load settlement curves, the influence of the overlying soil on the rock socket length isobserved and an effective rock socket length is proposed.IntroductionThe determination of socketing length of the pile at present is mostly based on a few factors affecting the pile load transfer mechanism, which sometimes give a better design and sometimes an uneconomical design. Too much socketing length results in more construction time and higher costs. Therefore, the effect of all possible factors involved need to be studied in proposing guidelinesfor the design of t h e r o c k socket length of the pile.The factors that affect the termination criteria of the rock socketed pile are the capacity requirement, thickness and properties of the overlying soil, characteristics of the founding strata, drilling tools used, roughness of the rock socket and nature of loading.A comprehensive study was performed to understand all the above mentioned factors in different types of rocks. In this paper discussion is made on the settlement results, specifically the influence of overlying sand of different densities above a weak rock. The influence of stress developed is not discussed, keeping in mind the size of the paper under study."

Jan 1, 2014

By Drew Floyd

Five full-scale pile load tests were performed on pairs of PZ-22 sheet piles installed with a vibratory pile driving hammer. The sheet piling was installed in several locations in soil generally consisting of miscellaneous granular fills overlying soft organic silts, inorganic silt interbedded with sands and gravels, very dense glacial till and shale bedrock. The test program also included the use of tip tell tales to determine what capacity could be attributed to tip resistance and skin friction. During the design phase of the project, it was assumed that the capacity of the sheet piles driven with the vibratory hammer could be correlated with the rate of penetration. The correlation between vertical capacity and rate of penetration would be used as a basis for determination of a driving criteria from driving the production sheet piling. The sheet piling load tests demonstrated that it was not possible to correlate the capacity of sheet piling driven with a vibratory hammer and the rate of penetration. It was also demonstrated that the capacity of the sheet piles was directly related to the density of the soil at or just below the tip. The results also tend to agree with empirical equations provided by Meyerhof (1976).

Jan 1, 1989

By Richard Deakin

This case study describes aspects of the design of bridge foundations using 320mm diameter steel tube piles in the vicinity of Montréal, Canada. In this area, these piles are a very commonly used and cost effective solution for deep foundations. Typically they are driven through thick Champlain Sea Clay to bear onto stiff, strong rock. However, in some locations there is a layer of glacial till between the base of the clay and the rock which cannot always be fully penetrated by the piles. There is currently little published information, about the bearing capacity of these piles in the local till, and this paper presents and discusses some pile-test data from a recent project. The nature of the glacial deposits in the study area is presented using information gained from published geological data, the project ground investigations and site observations. The design approach and assumptions are discussed, together with the aims and outcomes of preliminary field driving trials and pile tests. The paper then discusses the results of dynamic tests undertaken on production piles. Bearing capacity factors are back analysed from the dynamic test results and compared against values assumed within the design. Observations are made that designers of future foundations in similar conditions may find informative.

Jan 1, 2011

By Marc Raithel, Sven Schröer, Lilma Schimmel, Dimiter Alexiew

"The Geotextile Encased Columns (GEC) deep foundation system for embankments and dikes on soft soils was introduced some 20 years ago and is now considered State-of-the-art in Germany, Europe and, step by step, worldwide. The GECs consist of compacted non-cohesive granular fill similar e.g. to common gravel columns with one decisive difference: they are confined in a high-strength, high-modulus, flexible geotextile “cylinder” (encasement). This engineered element with parameters being adaptable in a wide range provides a decisive tool to control and optimize the behavior of the GEC foundation system. Consequently, the GECs work properly even in extremely soft soils, and a wide range of fills inclusive of sands can be used. In the meantime vast design and technological experience is available and codified design methods exist. Initially the paper briefly describes the general idea, the basics and specifics of design, construction technology, materials, restrictions and optimal application areas. Then it focuses on three informative case studies. They are briefly presented focusing for brevity only on the most important facts and experience inclusive of the most meaningful data of short- and long-term measurement programs.INTRODUCTIONWhen considering embankments on soft soils, generally two groups of solutions exist:Unsupported embankments; there are four main options:a) build up embankment extremely slowly waiting for sufficient consolidation after every stage;b) replace the soft soil partially or totally;c) install a high-strength basal reinforcement providing overall and local stability and allowing much faster embankment construction;d) combine c) with strip drains to accelerate consolidation and thus the construction process additionally (Fig. 1, left).Today, practically only option ""d"" is of practical relevance. Despite all the pros and cons, the common attribute of all non-supported options is that local and overall stability (Ultimate Limit State-ULS) can be achieved and controlled, but not the short- and long-term settlements (Serviceability Limit State-SLS). The latter can be significant, e.g. up to 30% of the nominal planned embankment height. Supported embankments (Fig. 1, right): the main common idea is to over-bridge the soft soil layers by supporting vertical elements of different types: rigid piles, trench walls etc. or by ""softer"" solutions of different column types (compacted, cemented, mixed-in-place etc.). Herein the borderlines between “piles”, ""pile-similar elements"" and ""soil improvement” are fluent and depend on country, traditions, codes etc. The common attribute of the “supported” schemes is a minimized settlement. Twenty years ago a new specific solution was launched: the Geotextile Encased Columns (GEC), which is discussed in more detail below."

Jan 1, 2017