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By Anupam Saxena

This paper presents a case history of design, prediction, probe and production pile driving monitoring, loading test, and installation of piles for a 22-story condominium tower in southwest Florida, U.S.A. ASC was commissioned to provide value engineering services in the proper selection of an economical and satisfactory foundation system. For the site-specific subsoil conditions, various types of foundations were considered and following an evaluation of high structural loads, site-specific constraints, and the production timeframe mandated by the project owner, a prestressed concrete pile-supported system was selected as an economical and effective foundation approach. The building foundations were designed for a compression capacity of 575 kN (65 tons) for the tower and 220 kN (25 tons) for the parking structure. The axial pile capacity and lengths were predicted using SPT91 software. The validation of these capacities was derived from driving 21 probe piles and performing static loading tests on selected probe piles (2 in compression and 1 in tension). The predicted pile capacities were evaluated with results from static loading tests on selected probe piles. This information was effectively utilized as part of an overall quality control program to install a total of over 920 prestressed concrete piles to lengths ranging from 11.5 to 16.5 m (37 to 54 ft) below existing ground elevation as part of the foundation support system.

Jan 1, 1996

By J. P. Burland

The paper describes a number of recent case histories in the United Kingdom where field instrumentation and measurements have played a major role in the design and construction of excavations, piles and foundations. It is shown that the design and construction procedures for deep excavations in London Clay are based almost entirely on the results of field measurements. Examples are given of successful application of such measurements. The present understanding of the behaviour of bored piles in stiff clays and their design is based on a number of instrumented pile loading tests. The results of these tests have led to a radically new concept of pile design in which the piles operate at their full shaft capacity under working loads thereby resulting in considerable savings in design and construction. Some examples of the successful application of this concept are given. Finally it is shown that the present knowledge of the stiffness properties of chalk is based entirely on field observations. An example is given of how direct field measurements were used to solve a foundation problem at the base of a coffer-dam in chalk.

Jan 1, 2010

By Michael Perlow

Helical screw piles in use since 1838 are routinely used for energy, transportation, municipal, industrial, marine and coastal infrastructure as well as for excavation support, environmental remediation, and foundation repair. They are especially well suited for work in constrained areas, renovations and structure retrofits. Helical pile design procedures over the past 10 years have gone through a remarkable evolution with the establishment of the 2007 AC358 Helical Pile Acceptance Criteria and inclusion of helical screw piles in the 2009 International Building Code (IBC). New 2009 IBC building code requirements and AC358 Acceptance Criteria are presented along with advances in helical pile design procedures, installation, QA/QC, and recommended load test verification criteria. Use of helical smart piles to validate helical pile design and verification of ultimate pile capacity is highlighted.

Jan 1, 2011

By Tomio Tsuchiya

A construction method of bored steel H piles enclosed in soil-cement columns was developed by modifying steel H piles from the driven pile method and soil-cement walls from the earth retaining wall method, the latter of which produces cut-off walls and reduces noise and vibration during construction. In this method, as shown in Figure 1, rich mix cement paste is injected into the bottom of a borehole which is pre-excavated by a casing auger, then a steel H beam is inserted before it hardens. Since the high vertical resistance of piles created with this method has already been confirmed by loading tests, we have been investigating the applicability of this method for piles used to temporarily support building loads for top-down construction on raft foundations until the raft foundation is completed. However, in the loading tests, the bearing capacity at the lower end of the pile was measured by loading from ground surface on test piles which had friction cut to eliminate the shaft friction resistance. In other words, the loading tests neglected the effect of overburden pressure of soil above the lower end of the pile. To investigate the effect of the overburden pressure on the bearing capacity at the lower end of the pile, loading tests were carried out on a bored steel H pile of lm diameter (test pile) bored in a compacted sandy soil layer with N-value of 100 to 250 at each stage of a three-step excavation. The results show no significant change in the bearing capacity at the lower end of the pile when the depth ratio of the pile is in the range of 5.7 to 22.7.

Jan 1, 1996

By D. Waite

The Chairman opened the session by wondering why so few papers on Maritime Structures had been received for this conference. Perhaps because the marine environment is so hostile and the access so difficult that engineers tend to be more prudent about new ideas and designs. Dennis Waite noted the number of grey hairs in the room - grey hairs which could be equated with experience gained the hard way. He hoped that this experience would be passed on in the discussion period of this session. The Chairman was delighted to welcome two authors from China, Mr Sun and Mr Liang. He was most grateful on behalf of the conference for their efforts both in preparing their papers and for being able to present them. He regretted that Messrs Noce and Fedolino were not able to present their paper and then welcomed Mr Christensen from Denmark who would present the first paper.

Jan 1, 1991

By Michael Moran

Typical ACIP Pile Rig [ ] Hollow Stem Auger ? Continuous flight auger ? 3 inch inside diameter pipe ? Auger diameters: 12, 14, 16, 18, 20, 22, 24, 30, and 36 inches ? Auger section lengths: 4, 5, 10, and 20 ft ? Weight ranges from about 70 lbs per ft for 12 inch to 120 lbs per ft for 24 inch and 200 lbs per ft for 36 inch

Jan 1, 2005

By Joel L. Volterra

Since 1910, Mueser Rutledge Consulting Engineers (MRCE) has regularly provided professional engineering services including inspection of pile load tests. Historically, such services included on-site inspection of the driving of test piles and subsequent static load tests by qualified Geotechnical Engineers. Load testing procedures are specified by local or State Building Codes, locally the 1968 Building Code of the City of New York (1968 BCCNY). Between 1968 and 2008, the 1968 BCCNY required a minimum 48-hour hold period for standard loads per pile type, an extended 96-hour hold period for higher capacity piles, and a settlement criterion that the pile maintain a test load equal to two times the design load with less than 0.012 inches of settlement over the last 48 hours of the hold period. Effective July 2008, the new 2008 BCCNY shortened the hold period and relaxed the settlement criteria to that which is more similar to other governing codes and standards such as the International Building Code (IBC 2006) and the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM). MRCE implemented an automated load test monitoring system to reduce costs and to alleviate or minimize overnight and off-hour staffing for load test readings. Initially, a series of linear variable differential transformers (LVDTs) and data loggers were included in the Contractor?s load test setup to electronically record pile head settlement and where applicable, settlement of telltales installed to varying depths in the pile. A pressure gage was subsequently added in the hydraulic line, then a load cell, strain gages, and remote access using modems. The ease of the setup and modular adaptive nature of this system have proven it to be a useful tool and improved our ability to better serve our clients and manage our pile load testing services.

Jan 1, 2008

By Mike Muchard

STATNAMIC load testing augmented with embedded instrumentation has been successfully used to obtain structural and geotechnical design information on large diameter spun cast concrete cylinder piles on many large marine construction projects. The paper focuses on one particularly interesting large marine project involving a new bridge to St. George Island, Florida where instrumentation and STATNAMIC load testing was used in conjunction with static load testing on high capacity piles. The information presented includes embedded instrumentation measurements taken during pile fabrication (post-tensioning), during pile driving, during static load testing, and STATNAMIC load testing. As much of this data is the first of its kind on concrete cylinder piles, it is exciting to present the foundation industry with this additional insight as to the behavior of this pile type and the accuracy of the methods used to test them.

Jan 1, 2013

By Gordon Demetrick

3900 Yonge St. was not a typical site on which to build a condominium apartment. A steep hill covered the majority of the site. In order to use as much of this site as possible, the rear of the building was to have nine stores cut into the face of the hill. A permanent shoring system was required as the building structure was not designed to provide sufficient stabilizing elements to support the total earth pressure. The total excavation depth required was 36 m (120'-0") with the upper 12 m (40'-0") to be backsloped. The vertical face of soil to be supported was 24 m (80'-0'). The shoring system originally designed by the Structural Engineer was to support this face by installing soldier piles and inclined earth anchors. During bid preparation it became evident to us that the system as designed would be difficult and expensive to install due to wet soil conditions. An innovative design was required to overcome these problems. Anchor Shoring hired John Stephenson Consultants Ltd. to aid them in accomplishing this goal. After extensive investigation together with The Trow Group, a unique design was proposed which provided a practical solution to the shoring problem.

Jan 1, 1987

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

Jan 1, 1997

By Matthew E. Meyer

Renovation, rehabilitation, restoration and expansion of existing residential, retail, commercial, hospital facilities and historic structures requires assessment and evaluation of foundation systems of various ages. The concept of demolition and reconstruction in urban areas is often more challenging, costly, and even prohibitive in some cases due to historic regulations. The authors have been involved with numerous projects related to existing foundation assessment and retrofit, including: hotel and hospital expansions, historic Art-Deco hotel renovations and expansions, garage structure expansions, additions to prominent auction houses, casinos, printing facilities; high-rise structure foundation retrofitting; and forensic evaluations of existing building and highway structure foundation systems, and marine bulkhead sheeting systems. The use of non-destructive testing techniques, high-strain dynamic load testing, full scale pile cap load testing and 3-D laser scanning technology has proved to be vital in the assessment and evaluation process, as well as design of foundation retrofit alternatives. This paper presents various methods and techniques to facilitate a phased approach for re-use of foundation systems. These methods and techniques are illustrated through the author?s experience and selected case histories from projects with varied foundation and geologic conditions.

Jan 1, 2009

By Mary C. Nodine, Michael P. Walker, Paul Eggers, Donald E. Aubrecht

The CANALSIDE commercial development in Buffalo, New York serves to revitalize the former site of the Buffalo Memorial Auditorium, adjacent to Lake Erie. The Auditorium was constructed in 1940 and founded on steel H-piles driven to limestone bedrock. After decades of professional sport and entertainment events, the “Aud,” as it was locally known, was closed in 1996. It sat vacant until it was demolished in 2009, at which time plans were made to revitalize the area with shops, restaurants, and a historic replica canal. The only portion of the Aud that was left intact was a subbasement boiler room. The subbasement was renovated in 2014 and has since been used to house water and ice making equipment for the historic replica canals, which boast recreational ice skating in the winter. The subbasement floor was about 10 feet below groundwater and the Lake Erie water level. The floor consisted of an approximately 4-foot-thick layered inverted waffle slab system, with reinforced concrete grade beams and concrete infill between the grade beams. A waterproofing membrane was located near the base of the slab. There were no major seepage issues in the subbasement, so the existing waterproofing membrane was assumed to be intact and performing adequately. A four-story building housing a children’s museum was proposed to be constructed directly above the subbasement. The loads imparted by the new building would exceed the capacity of the existing piles, so it was determined that drilling micropiles through the subbasement floor would be the most practical means of supporting the new building. Drilling through the existing slab and waterproofing system was a concern due to the challenges of controlling water during construction and the importance of maintaining the integrity of the permanent waterproofing system.

Jan 1, 2018

By Herbert F. ?Buck? Darling

A bridge replacement project in Rochester, NY, encountered difficulties when it was determined that rock below one pier was sloping downward toward the river at an angle of 42 degrees versus anticipated 12 degrees. Cofferdam design and construction became very difficult. The unanticipated subsurface conditions delayed the project by eighteen months and increased the cofferdam cost by almost $3.0 million ($US) when direct costs and associated delays were taken into account. The initial approach after discovery of the problem was to use the same type pier design and modify the cofferdam accordingly. This resulted in a cofferdam 12 meters (39.4 feet) deep on the shore side and 18 meters (59.0 feet) deep on the water side. The design used a master pile system to attain required wall strength and used rock anchors to prevent the cofferdam from moving toward the river. The pier foundation was then redesigned by the owner using revised seismic parameters. The original stepped footing carved into rock was replaced by caissons socketed into the rock beneath a large tremie concrete placement. The revised pier and cofferdam designs caused a shift from a mostly land based cofferdam, excavation, and rock removal project into an almost entirely water based cofferdam, caisson drilling, and tremie construction project. These design changes resulted in a reliable, safe, and unusual cofferdam and construction method. All of this was accomplished within a very narrow worksite with a railroad on one side, and the river with its public and commercial freighter traffic on the other. In addition, the existing two-leaf drawbridge was to be maintained in place which put further limitations on the water borne equipment. The engineering and construction considerations, problems, and solutions related to these cofferdams and pier foundations are presented.

Jan 1, 2013

By David Peterson, Terry Tucker, Rafael Serrano

"The Alameda Corridor-East (ACE) Construction Authority awarded a $172.6 million contract to Walsh Construction Company (Walsh) for the construction of a 2.2 mi (3.5 km) long grade separation including a 1.4 mi (2.3 km) long trench that will allow Union Pacific Railroad (UPRR) and Amtrak passenger trains to operate below ground through the city of San Gabriel, Calif. The project is necessary as the ACE trade corridor accommodates approximately 60% of the shipping containers that move from San Pedro Bay, the busiest port facility in the western hemisphere, to the rest of the country via an extensive rail network. Rail traffic is expected to increase by as much as 160% by 2020, and the resultant delays to vehicular traffic is projected to increase by an estimated 300%. The San Gabriel Trench Project is designed to mitigate the effects of this increased train and vehicle traffic throughout the San Gabriel Valley. Malcolm Drilling Company (Malcolm) was selected by Walsh to perform the specialty foundation and ground improvement work for the San Gabriel Trench.This project is part of ACE’s program to create 22 grade separations and safety improvements at 39 grade crossings throughout the San Gabriel Valley. In addition to safety improvements that will eliminate crossing collisions and delays to emergency responders, the project will reduce vehicle congestion and emissions from passenger cars and trucks having to wait for passing trains, and the project will also reduce locomotive horn and crossing bell noise to local residents.Construction of this portion of the project began in late 2012, and it is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2017, having created approximately 9,000 jobs during this period. The project is being funded from Proposition 1B transportation bonds approved by California in 2006, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) Measure “R,” and other local and federal funds. The overall project cost is estimated to be $313 million."

Jan 1, 2017

By Chaz Weaver, James Sheahan, Michael Mo

"The Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) undertook a program to replace four bridges along approximately 4 mi (6.4 km) of US 340 in Northwest Virginia. Two of these bridges, which span Compton Creek and the Norfolk Southern Railroad respectively, are the subject of this article. HDR provided roadway and structural design as well as geotechnical engineering services for the Norfolk Southern Railroad Bridge while their subconsultant, Saeed Associates, provided structural engineering services in support of the HDR roadway and geotechnical team for the Compton Creek Bridge.The project is located in the Valley and Ridge Geologic Province of Virginia, on an alignment that is adjacent to the Shenandoah River. The project lies within the Beekmantown Group consisting of limestone and dolostone that are prevalent and prone to karstic activity in a band that passes through the project area and north into Central and Eastern Pennsylvania. This area has been impacted by karst limestone conditions where caves and sinkhole activity is common. Caves at Luray and Front Royal, located to the south and north of the project, respectively, are popular public attractions.Since the potential for variability of subsurface conditions can be, and often is, greater in karst terrain, the need to develop a design that provides as much flexibility as possible during construction, and then to be prepared to efficiently review and respond to construction questions is heightened. Coordination and communication among the design staff, VDOT’s design and construction staff, and the contractor was a key factor in completion of this project.Compton Creek BridgeThe alignment for the new Compton Creek Bridge is located about 125 ft (38 m) west of the existing bridge, placing it between that bridge and the existing Norfolk Southern Railroad Bridge. No information about the foundations was available for the existing bridges. Borings in the Compton Creek valley encountered extensive voids (some clay filled and some open) with numerous boulders, rock ledges and pinnacles, particularly on the north side of the creek. Geophysical and geotechnical investigations indicated that below a poor and variable upper zone of rock was a layer of more competent and consistent limestone, which appeared to contain little or no voids."

Jan 1, 2017

By Soorkty Elarabi

The aim of this paper is to discuss the impact of end bearing plate on the capacity of micropile. Preliminary studies have been made in Sudan in specific area of cohesive soil. Experimental works were carried on a number of micropiles with and without end bearing plate. Same diameters, lengths and techniques of placing cement grout are considered, there after the axial load test applied to find out the capacities of micropiles in both cases. Deduced results in each case show that the end bearing plate has no positive impact on micropile capacity.

Oct 1, 2022

By Anil Bhandari

Using subsurface data collected at each drilled shaft location is an ideal approach for conducting drilled shaft design. However, conducting subsurface tests at each drilled shaft location and subsequently performing the drilled shaft design can be a daunting task for a noise barrier wall that is divided into six (6) sections and stretches for approximately four (4) miles. In addition, having individual drilled shaft designs complicates the construction process. Grouping the subsurface conditions into broad categories and performing the design for each of those categories is an attractive alternative to the design per boring approach. Currently there are no existing guidelines to aid a designer on grouping the subsurface conditions for the drilled shaft design for the noise barrier walls. Therefore, a method was developed based on the Standard Penetration Test (SPT) N values of the near surface soils to categorize the soil profiles into distinct categories. Since the soil engineering properties of the near surface soils are known to be critical for drilled shaft lateral capacity, these soils were emphasized in the methodology. This method was successfully implemented for the design of drilled shafts supporting the noise barrier walls along the I-20 in Columbia, SC. For this project, two distinct soil profiles, labeled as ?strong? and ?weak?, were used. An overview of the soil profile grouping methodology is presented as well as the vertical and lateral drilled shaft capacity analyses for this project for the two general soil profiles. The analyses indicated that the axial capacity governed the design in the ?weak? soil profile and the lateral capacity controlled the design in the ?strong? soil profile. However, this is not a generalization and whether the axial or the lateral capacity governs the design of drilled shaft depends on the soil profile and design loads. Nonetheless, our findings emphasize that both lateral and axial capacity should be checked for drilled shaft design even when the vertical load are minor.

Jan 1, 2011

By S. Merjan

Three papers were presented for discussion at the conference: 1) Instrumented driven steel tube piles at Canary Wharf; author: A. R. Gaba, United Kingdom. The author described the Canary Wharf development in the London Docklands, and in particular, the decision to build over the water by driving open-ended steel piles 25m in length into the sands below the soft estuarine deposits. The tubes were then filled with concrete above the sand plug (usually 17m below pile head). Three trial piles were instrumented with: a) resistance strain guages on the inside of the tubes; b) vibrating wire guages on the re­inforcement of the concrete. The trial piles showed elastic behaviour in five cycles of lateral loading, while the verticle load tests showed a definite bi-linear load-settlement behaviour. The initial stiff portion was a result of frictional staff resistance, both inside and outside the tube, with the soil at the base contributing at higher settlements. Loads were taken to three times working load, with no imminent signs of failure.

Jan 1, 1991

Jan 1, 1997

By Jerry F. Parola

In current practice, pile foundation design is based on a general under-standing of pile-soil interaction during installation and superstructure-pile-soil interaction after construction. The pile design is a reflection of experience, precedent and judgment for normal piling practice of working load capacities up to approximately 100 tons with corresponding ultimate capacities up to 200 tons. For higher capacity piles, pile design is even less predictable. In particular, the feasibility of pile installation is an important design consideration that must be given the proper attention. An installation capability that is not given the required emphasis can cause unnecessary problems.

Jan 1, 1986