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By Ali Porbaha

In today's fast-track construction environment, owners are searching for non-conventional technologies to build their projects faster and safer while maintaining traffic flow during construction. To that end designers and contractors are providing solutions that incorporate many unique features to expedite construction processes. In addition to timely delivery of the finished highway products, there is an increasing interest in making the initial investment in applying innovative technologies and thereby minimizing costly maintenance of highway projects. Accordingly, the aim of this paper (along with the accompanying paper) is to examine innovative technologies, developed mostly in Europe, that accelerate construction of highway, runway and railway embankment foundations. For each technology, a basic concept, installation technique(s), and design considerations are discussed, along with the case history of a real-world project. The Geotextile Encased Columns (GEC), AuGeo, and Continuous Flight Auger (CFA) are presented in Part I. Deep Mixing (DM), Mass stabilization, Cut-Mix-Injection (FMI), and Combined soil Stabilization with Vertical columns (CSV) technologies are discussed in Part II.

Jan 1, 2002

By W. Sondermann

"AbstractWith the increasing demand in reuse of inner city areas and the urgent need for deeper foundation pits under cramped circumstances, adjacent structures close to and high ground water level, the well-known established technologies especially with small to mid-sized dimensions are often too time consuming and occasionally not economic to install lateral support systems. The alternatives for these specific cases could be the usage of the deep mixing technology to create lateral support systems in reinforcing the deep mixing elements additionally to transfer the horizontal loads from earth – and water-pressure.With increasing demand in depth and water tightness, verticality and overlapping of single column solutions are becoming the key in execution. In addition, for some applications subsoil-conditions were not ideal for wet deep mixing technologies. The tubular soil mixing system (TSM) as a combination of mechanical mixing and support of hydraulic cutting by jet grouting can provide solutions toovercome these challenges.1. Current market conditions and trendsThe present financial crisis and the efforts not only to consolidate national budgets, but also to rescue certain banks, have not left the building industry unaffected either. Some drastic cutbacks to public budgets, along with the increasingly restrictive granting of credit for the financing of construction projects, have led to enormous over-capacities in the building sector, with purely negative impact. As a consequence of these negative developments, many companies are experiencing the pressure to restructure more quickly and to reduce costs but at the same time to keep the consequences of all activities, both externally and internally, within limits acceptable to employees, owners and finance institutions and last but not least consumers."

Jan 1, 2014

By Stephen T. Young

The construction of Phase 2 of Hong Kong Station, its retail podium and International Finance Centre Two, the tallest building in Hong Kong, will be completed in the middle of 2003. This paper describes the design and construction of the slurry wall for the Station (both Phase 1 and Phase 2) and the two commercial buildings at the Station. The slurry wall is used as the permanent earth support wall for the station box and the excavation depth ranges from 70 feet to 120 feet. Top-down construction technique was adopted to support the excavation of the station, while circular cofferdams relying on hoop stiffness were constructed to support the basement excavation of the two towers. The designed behavior of the slurry wall is also compared to the as built behavior.

Jan 1, 2003

By T. Ruben

Micropiles have been used for the last forty years to strengthen building foundations. This article gives information about the technology and capacity of micropiles.

Jan 1, 2000

By Gerald E. H. Verbeek

As the number of driven concrete piles with Embedded Data Collectors increases, it has become possible to compare the widely used Beta Method to assess pile damage (using the change of pile impedance) with the so-called Measured Pile Integrity (MPI) method (a combination of two approaches using both the change of pile impedance and the change in pile pre-stress levels). After a brief introduction of both methods, this paper presents the outcome of that comparison based on data from more than 400 concrete piles driven in Florida, which brings into question the reliability of any damage assessment method based solely on the change of pile impedance (such as the Beta Method), especially to detect damage near the pile toe. Moreover the paper demonstrates the need to re-assess the damage classification used for the Beta Method as well as the use of Pile Driving Analysis (PDA) to detect pile toe damage.

Jan 1, 2011

By M. T. Davisson

Pile compression load capacity prediction methods are divided into four categories for purposes of discussing their reliability compared to static load test results. The categories considered are: 1) static analysis, 2) driving formulas, 3) wave equation analysis, and 4) dynamic measurement and analysis. It is concluded that any method of static analysis that works for the geological deposit in question may be satisfactory. However, any given method can be quite wrong when applied to other deposits of soil that are different in terms of their engineering and geological characteristics. Dynamic formulas are found to be theoretically unjustifiable. The ready availability of the wave equation analysis for microcomputers eliminates the need to utilize dynamic formulas. The wave equation analysis is found to be the best analytical method for making predictions both for design and for construction control. Dynamic methods of measurement and analysis are found useful, but have limitations that have caused troubles on many projects. Two case histories are presented that show the limitations of dynamic measurement and analysis, and of the wave equation analysis. Soil deposits exist that defeat both the wave equation and dynamic measurement techniques; static load tests are currently the only method of proving the load capacity of piles in such soils.

Jan 1, 1991

By George Piscsalko

There are numerous methods currently available to assess the integrity of drilled shaft and ACIP piles. Each method has its advantages and limitations. This paper will compare the various available methods as well as introduce a new method for assessing integrity of drilled shafts and ACIP piles. This new method, known as Thermal Integrity Profiling, determines the integrity of the shaft both inside and outside the reinforcing cage by measuring the hydration temperature of the concrete along the length of the shaft. These temperature measurements can be made by either passing a thermal probe through a standard Cross Hole access tube, or from embedding thermal wires within the shaft. This Thermal Integrity Profile method will be described in detail and one case history will be presented. Additional testing methods which will be compared include low strain Pile Integrity Testing and Cross Hole Sonic Logging. Advantages and limitations for each method will be discussed.

Jan 1, 2011

By James Weaver

During the past 16 years, the authors have successfully used high-capacity rock anchors installed inside open-ended pipe piles, driven to bedrock, to provide uplift and overturning resistance for various structures including piers, bridges, power plant components and commercial buildings. These systems were ultimately used on the projects due to a combination of high uplift forces or overturning moments on the structures and the relatively poor subsurface conditions present at the sites. Other, foundation systems such as rock-socketed drilled shafts and spin fin piles were considered but were found to be economically prohibitive or not technically feasible.

Jan 1, 2011

By Carole L. B. Mitchell

The South 180th Street Grade Separation underpass in Tukwila and Renton, Washington, USA, permits vehicular traffic to pass beneath Burlington Northern Santa Fe and Union Pacific railroad tracks. The railroad tracks were temporarily relocated onto a shoofly crossing while the permanent bridges were constructed. The maximum underpass depth is approximately 25 feet (7.6 meters [m]). The majority of the sidewalls are supported using alternating reinforced and unreinforced secant pile walls. Temporary and permanent struts brace the top of the excavation. Because the groundwater is about 15 feet (4.6 m) above the base of the excavation and the subsurface materials are loose to medium dense fill, alluvium, and soft flood plain organics, the base of the excavation was strengthened and sealed using wet cement deep soil mixing (CDSM) methods. During construction, CDSM-treated ground temporarily acted as part of the railroad shoofly shoring while the remainder of the underpass was excavated on either side of active railroad tracks. The combination of secant pile sidewalls and CDSM bottom seal allowed for easy excavation, even during wet conditions. Using a 35-foot-thick (maximum) (10.7-m) CDSM layer both to act as a bottom seal and to resist uplift pressures is a unique, dual-purpose application of CDSM technology in the United States.

Jan 1, 2004

By Paul J. Lewis

Estimation of the axial side shear resistance of drilled shaft rock sockets is directly related to the unconfined compressive strength of the bedrock. Commonly, the mean unconfined compressive strength value is calculated from a range of laboratory test results and is used to estimate the side shear of the bedrock. This paper presents the results from a full scale axial load test performed on an 8.5-feet-diameter drilled shaft rock socket, and compares measured side shear values to estimated values for two different rock strata. Measured side shear values correlated well with the design value calculated for the "strong" rock stratum, but did not correlate well with the design value calculated for the "weak" rock stratum. The mean unconfined compressive strength was used to calculate the side shear in both strata, but review of the laboratory data indicates that this value may not have been appropriate for the weak stratum due to a large variation in the laboratory test results. Also included in this paper is a discussion of the subsurface conditions, the laboratory test results, and the methodology used to design the drilled shaft rock sockets for axial and lateral resistance.

Jan 1, 2005

By Shahid Islam, Lucian Bogdan

Deep and large diameter drilled shafts use mostly bundles of Grade 60 (415 MPa) reinforcing bars as longitudinal reinforcement with rebar splices to make it longer. Lower Grade steel requires large number of bars which result in rebar congestion and difficulty in placing concrete. This leads to increased labor cost for fabrication and installation. By utilizing larger size and higher strength threadbar, the congestion of rebar can be reduced significantly and bundling of bars can be avoided. The lap splices are replaced with simple threaded couplers and end hooks are replaced with end terminators. Threadbar conforms to ASTM A615-15 and can be epoxy coated if required for corrosion protection. This paper describes an attractive value engineering of replacing Grade 60 (415 MPa) bundle of rebars with larger diameter Grade 75 (515 MPa), Grade 80 (550 MPa) and Grade 100 (690 MPa) threaded bars and threaded couplers in some specific drilled shaft projects in the USA. INTRODUCTION A drilled shaft which may also be referred to as drilled piers, caissons, cast-in-drilled-hole piles and bored piles is the key element to the foundation of massive structure. They are used for tall buildings, bridges and foundations for other applications such as retaining walls, sound walls, signs, or high mast lighting. Drilled shaft foundations are typically 3 to 12 feet (0.9m to 3.7m) in diameter cast-in-place deep foundation elements constructed in a drilled hole that is stabilized to allow controlled placement of reinforcing steel and concrete. Drilled shafts for transportation structures are commonly used to depths of up to 200 ft (61m) in the USA. Drilled shafts can be installed in a variety of soil and rock profiles, and are most efficiently utilized where a strong bearing layer is present. The reinforcing cage is typically lowered into position within the hole and then concrete placed through the center of the shaft, flowing from bottom to top through the reinforcement to fill the hole.

Jan 1, 2018

By Tracy Brettmann

? Hollow Stem Auger ? Drill Bits ? Leads/Torque Arm ? Hydraulic Gearbox ? Hydraulic Power Unit ? Grout Pump ? Crawler Crane

Jan 1, 2001

By Arpit Parikh

"Ground Water or Pore water pressure development in Sandy Soil formation is Critical situation in foundation analysis and design.Moreover it become severe while associated with higher liquefaction probability in river bank areas. It is difficult to find cost optimized solution for liquefaction mitigation under limited budget allocated for the project. Here in these research paper the attempt has been made to have clear picture of liquefaction by using various techniques and field tests. And its mitigation by suitable foundation type. In Bangladesh, On Bank of River Meghana, Power plant structures are proposed. The particular site is full of fine sand having partial silt throughout from EGL to 55 m depth. Hence in addition to Conventional Boring / Drilling operations, CPLT, SCPT, SCHT and PMT had been performed to arrive deterministic effect of liquefaction. By use of Geologismiki software and some excel based programs developed which indicates that Certainly liquefaction occurs under the event of earthquake. By Checking past records of Bangladesh we found, there are small magnitude earthquakes are inevitable and frequent. Hence fourth to overcome the bad effect of liquefaction, the deep pile foundation -Driven Pre Cast Solid Square Pile of 400 mm dia. had been suggested for various types of power plant structures. Which densify the soil and ground will improve in resisting liquefaction.1. INTRODUCTIONA Detailed Geotechnical/Foundation design Analysis had been done to arrive at optimum foundation design solution in highly probable liquefaction zone of Silty Fine Sand near Dhaka City of Bangladesh for proposed 750 MW Cyclic Power Plant. Hence about 24 no. of (Borehole) Boring and Drilling up to depth of 55 m from existing ground level has been carried out. Additionally, 09 nos. of Static Cone Penetration Test (SCPT), 02 Nos. of Dynamic Cone Penetration Test (DCPT), 02 Nos. of Pressure meter test (PMT), 02 nos. of Cyclic Plate load test (CPLT) of suitable capacity with 06 nos. of Seismic Cross Hole Test (SCHT) in boreholes had been carried out. The purpose of PMT and SCHT was to have clear idea about the Seismic behavior - knowhow of site. According to Basic principles of Soil Mechanics and foundation design, it is proved that PMT & SCHT are dynamic test. These tests stimulate field condition of occurrences of earthquake. In later stages of analysis, it is found that site have high probability of liquefaction through use of Geologismiki – Liquefaction Analysis Software. Author of these research paper also felt earthquake vibrations – strong aftershocks during site study where Epicenter of the earthquake was in Myanmar during month of august 2016."

Jan 1, 2017

By Emad W. Shublaq

Contractual site plans are implemented for executing pile foundations (5 x 5) at segmental concrete bridge. Project schedule demands have forced the contractor to find out the most economical procedure in achieving the goal. This paper presents a site management technique which is applied by the Contractor. This was found to be fruitful and as much as 60% saving was gained.

Jan 1, 1992

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.

Jan 1, 2000

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 Nicolas Denies, Gust Van Lysebetten, Bart Lameire, Jan Maertens, André Vervoort, Noël Huybrechts, Flor De Cock

"Abstract Originally developed for ground improvement works, the deep mixing method (DMM) has increasingly been applied in recent years for the realization of soil and water retaining structures and as alternative to traditional foundation solutions. From practice, there is a real need for practical guidelines dealing with the execution, the design and the control of such applications. With the aim of developing such guidelines, the BBRI ‘Soil Mix’ project was initiated in 2009. Within this research project, deep soil mix (DSM) material from 38 Belgian construction sites has been tested. In spite of the large advances in the mechanical characterization of the DSM material, one major issue remains the representativeness of the typical core samples in comparison with the real scale behavior of the soil mix elements. There is among others the question of the influence of the unmixed soft soil inclusions on this behavior and the issue of the scale effect which must be considered in the design. In order to investigate these questions, 8 large scale UCS tests and 17 large scale bending tests have been performed on excavated soil mix elements. The present paper discusses results of this experimental campaign, presents some research perspectives and highlights different aspects related to the design of soil mix elements for the realization of retaining wall or foundation solution.INTRODUCTIONSince several decennia, the deep mixing method (DMM) has been used to improve the strength and deformation characteristics of weak soils. In recent years, deep mixing has increasingly been applied – in Belgium and in other countries – for the realization of soil and water retaining structures and alternative foundation concepts. With regard to the execution of the DMM, one can refer to the European standard EN 14679 on deep mixing (2005) that was elaborated under the umbrella of CEN TC 288 “Execution of special geotechnical works”. However, from practice, it has been experienced that this execution standard does not provide enough pragmatic information and guidelines, in particular for the more recent applications of the deep mixing method (with retaining and bearing functions). The same need by the sector for guidance rules linked to design aspects in the context of Eurocode 7 was experienced as well. With the aim of developing such guidelines and in order to provide feedback to the European standardization platforms, the Belgian Building Research Institute (BBRI) has initiated the BBRI ‘Soil Mix’ project (2009-2013) in collaboration with the KU Leuven and the Belgian Association of Foundation Contractors (ABEF), the Belgian branch of the EFFC. Within this research project, deep soil mix (DSM) material from 38 Belgian construction sites, with various soil conditions and for different execution processes (CVR C-mix®, TSM and CSM), has been tested (Denies et al., 2012)."

Jan 1, 2014

By K. Rainer Massarsch

In some parts of the world, vibrators are used extensively for different types of foundation engineering projects. If used correctly and in suitable soils then vibratory pile driving for example is very efficient. However, soil conditions and the installation procedure have great significance for the driving resistance and affect the bearing capacity of vibrated piles. Also the intensity of ground vibrations which are transmitted to the surrounding soil is affected by the vibration process. In spite of the increasing use of vibrators and the rapid development of vibrator technology, many aspects of pile-soil interaction are not yet understood. In order to asses the importance of factors, which govern pile installation (and extraction), it is necessary to consider the entire chain of vibration energy transmission from the vibration source to the pile, the interaction between the vibrating pile and the soil and the wave propagation in the subsoil, Fig. 1. [ ] Fig. 1. Transfer of vibration energy from the vibrator through the pile into the ground In the present paper, some important aspects of vibratory driving and their significance for pile installation and soil compaction will be discussed.

Jan 1, 1995

By Kenneth Pidgeon

The Boston Marine Industrial Park (BMIP) Boat Section, which is part of contract C04A2 of the Central Artery/Tunnel (CA/T) project, is currently under construction in South Boston, Massachusetts (Fig. 1). The Boat Section is approximately 900 feet long and varies in width from about 135 to 185 feet (Fig. 2). The depth to the top of the Boat Section base slab varies from about 28 to 31 feet below final ground surface and about 23 to 26 feet below normal ground water levels. The Boat Section is supported on 578 anchors drilled into the underlying bedrock each designed for a working load of 630 kips. Design and Construction Team The owner of the project is the Massachusetts Highway Department (MHD). The owner's representative is the Management Consultant, Bechtel/Parsons Brinckerhoff. The section design consultant (SDC) consisted of HDR Engineering, Inc. with GEI Consultants, Inc. as the geotechnical subconsultant. The general contractor was the joint venture of Kiewit, Perini, Atkinson, and Cashman. The boat anchors were installed by the subcontractor Delta Geotechnical Services, Inc.

Jan 1, 1994

By Ryan Higbie, King Chin, Matthew Anderson, Mike Huggins, Rian Johnson, Dave Sinsheimer

"The Permanent Canal Closures and Pumps (PCCP) project is the capstone piece of New Orleans’ extensive hurricane risk-reduction system constructed following Hurricane Katrina. The project consists of three discrete pump stations and flood gates on the shore of Lake Pontchartrain which provide a storm surge barrier and pump rainwater from the City of New Orleans’ primary drainage canals. The depth of the pump station structures ranged between 39 and 45 feet below sea-level. USACE developed the PCCP project for design-build delivery; granting the project team latitude to develop innovative, cost effective solutions for the project. The use of OPEN CELLTM cofferdams to construct the pump station structures was one such innovation. OPEN CELL structures utilize the strength of the retained soil to anchor cellular sheet pile face arcs; allowing a free-field of construction within the cofferdam. This cofferdam design did not require ground improvement or dewatering around the perimeter of the cofferdam. The free-field cofferdams streamlined construction and large equipment installation within the structures with no encumbrance from internal bracing. Meticulous force-based design, soil-structure numerical modeling, and physical testing were all techniques used to present and gain USACE acceptance of the design on this vital element of the work.PROJECT DESCRIPTIONThe Permanent Canal Closures and Pumps (PCCP) project is the capstone piece of the City of New Orleans’ extensive hurricane risk-reductions system constructed following Hurricane Katrina in 2005. The project encompasses three separate pump stations and floodgate structures located at the mouths of three outfall canals (17th Street, Orleans, and London) on the south shore of Lake Pontchartrain. These three canals, running from the south to north, act as the primary conduits for discharging water from the New Orleans area. Prior to Hurricane Katrina, these canals were operated with pump stations two to three miles upstream of the mouths at Lake Pontchartrain. This left long stretches of levee on each side of the canals exposed to storm surges entering from the lake. Three levee failures occurred along these canals during Katrina; two at London Canal and one at 17th Street Canal. The failures resulted in major flooding of the surrounding neighborhoods, significant damages, and loss of life.Following initial canal levee repairs after Hurricane Katrina, USACE, in partnership with the Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority (CPRA), took action to move the line of flood protection to the mouths of these three canals at the edge of the lake. By cutting off the storm surges from Lake Pontchartrain at the entrance to the canal, over ten miles of canal levee would no longer be exposed to storm surge water elevations, significantly decreasing the risk of failure."

Jan 1, 2017