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By Min Sunn Ye, Wei Wang, Huawen Xiao, Kai Yao, Fook Hou Lee, Siang Huat Goh

"Previous research have shown that introducing fibers to cement soil mixture is effective in improving the ductility as well as maintaining the strength of cement-treated soil. A good knowledge of stiffness of the improved soil at small strain is essential for realistic predictions of ground movements that may affect adjacent buildings or underlying infrastructure. This paper presents a triaxial system with local strain measurement developed for studying shear modulus degradation of cement treated clay with fibers. Cylinder specimens (70mm diameter by 140mm height) with 50% cement, 100% water, 0% to 1% polypropylene fibers by mass, and 7 days of curing period were used. A local strain measurement system with floating type miniature submersible LVDT is introduced in this paper. Configuration of the mounts including the pin size, length and distance are presented and discussed. Based on the experimental results, a reasonable configuration of the mounts is recommended for fiber reinforced cement treated clay. Results showed that the proposed local strain measurement system is effective for testing the shear modulus degradation of cement treated clay with fibers under both unconfined and confined condition. Comparisons with results from resonant column and bender element tests served to verify the reliability of the local strain measurements using the proposed method.INTRODUCTIONIn many geotechnical engineering problems, the operational strain domain ranges from 10-3% to 10- 1%. A good knowledge of stiffness at small strains is essential for realistic predictions of the ground movements that may affect adjacent buildings or underlying infrastructure. As such, during the last 3 to 4 decades, the importance of using the small strain stiffness of soils for the design of foundation and underground structures has widely been accepted. Triaxial testing has been widely used to study the stress-strain behavior of soil in the laboratory. However, the stiffness obtained from the conventional triaxial apparatus is usually far smaller than those back-calculated from field measurements. This is mainly attributed to the overestimation of axial strains from the external strain measurements, which usually includes compliance effects of the loading and load measuring system as well as sitting, bedding and alignment errors between sample and system (Baldi et al., 1988). The poor resolution of the external strain measurements is another important contribution. Therefore, conventional procedures are inappropriate for small-strain stiffness evaluation due to low accuracy and resolution."

Jan 1, 1900

By Ramin Motamed, Farshid Ghazavi, Joseph A. W. Toth

"Post-disaster reconnaissance of areas affected by earthquakes has documented extensive damage to buildings with shallow foundations located in liquefaction-prone areas. Currently, estimation of liquefaction settlement is based on empirical correlations that evaluate settlement in the free-field environment and are based on one-dimensional consolidation. However, observations have shown that liquefaction settlement under buildings can be considerably greater. This research is based on a series of 1- g shake table experiments using a transparent soil box to reproduce liquefaction-induced building settlement. Building settlements were evaluated using a scaled model of a building foundation representing a 1-2 story building. Comprehensive parametric study was carried out to establish the effects of several parameters on free-field and building settlements such as building width and thickness of liquefiable soil layer. The experiments utilized accelerometers and pore-water pressure sensors to monitor ground accelerations and buildup of pore-water pressures in both the free-field and model building footprint. Results of these experiments are compared to available centrifuge tests and field observations and conclusions are drawn with respect to the potential scaling effects. Lastly, this paper discusses the feasibility of installing helical piles as a mitigation strategy to reduce the building settlements by presenting some of the exploratory experimental data obtained from this series of 1-g shake table tests.INTRODUCTIONThe 2010-2011 Canterbury earthquake sequence and the 2011 Great Tohoku earthquake are some of the most recent examples where large numbers of low-story structures sustained damage resulting from liquefaction-induced settlements. This damage has commonly been observed in residential and commercial areas developed over loose, unconsolidated and saturated coarse grained soils resulting from both natural and man-made deposits. Damages incurred from the 2010-2011 Canterbury earthquake sequence occurred in the largely unconsolidated fluvial environment bordering the Avon River in Christchurch (Henderson 2013). Similar damage was also incurred during the 2011 Great Tohoku earthquake where liquefaction of soils occurred in both young alluvial deposits and fill materials (Ashford et al. 2011). Figure 1 presents typical modes of failure to structures resulting from the effects of liquefaction. Current practices in evaluation of liquefaction settlement rely on empirical correlations (Tokimatsu et al. 1987; Ishihara et al. 1992) developed for liquefiable soils in the freefield environment (Dashti et al. 2010a). However, recent observations of the performance of foundations suggest that settlement of rigid shallow foundations in liquefiable soils are commonly greater than those predicted in the free-field. Therefore, new correlations should be developed to better predict the degree of settlement of shallow foundations in liquefiable soils. Current research is beginning to focus on the mechanisms of settlement during liquefaction in regards to confining stress, pore-water pressure and shear stress induced from foundations (Dashti et al. 2010b)."

Jan 1, 2016

By Rob Jameson

Micropiles are ideally suited to seismic retrofit applications. Their high tensile and compressive capacity can sustain the large concentrated loads induced during seismic events. Micropiles can be drilled through and grouted into the wide variety of soil and rock materials encountered in seismically active zones, using equipment that operates effectively within existing structures. Micropiles have seen increased acceptance and are now widely specified for retrofit work in the San Francisco Bay Area. While installation equipment and the structural configuration of micropiles have been largely unchanged since the early 1990?s, market forces have pressured both engineers and contractors to continually optimize the cost and performance of seismic upgrades. Instead of the contractor simply developing stronger, stiffer and cheaper micropiles as isolated structural elements in response to a specification, focus has shifted to maximizing the efficiency of micropiles within the overall foundation system. The case history of seismic retrofit project in Berkeley, CA is presented to illustrate the collaboration between designers and drilling specialist which resulted in a structurally efficient and cost effective design. The seismic retrofit program for this 6-story concrete building was developed through careful consideration of the geotechnical and structural mechanisms of resistance, in combination with the deformation response of high capacity micropiles (2670 kN) under ultimate loading conditions. This case history describes the interactive project development emphasizing performance-based design and field testing to optimize the micropile foundations and the overall structural system.

Jan 1, 2008

By R. K. Filip

"Steel bearing piles have long been used to carry high compressive, tensile and lateral loads. Such piles are most commonly tubular or ""H"" profile and are typically installed using percussive techniques. The noise and vibration associated with such installation techniques tends to preclude the use of steel bearing piles in urban and other sensitive areas.This paper describes the design and construction of an innovative new road bridge in Milton Keynes, UK. The steel bearing piles were required to continue out of the ground to form the bridge columns and abutments and then be cast directly into the soffit of the reinforced concrete bridge deck. This project was to be the first time in the UK, that this form of bridge design had been used.The paper shows how new installation techniques allowed the designers to use these high capacity steel elements in a sensitive urban environment without the use of percussive or vibratory installation techniques. Finally the paper shows how these quiet and vibration-less installation techniques can be extended to other applications.A UNIQUE BRIDGE SUPPORTED ON ""BOXED SHEET PILES""CONCEPT HISTORYThere are over 700 bridges in Milton Keynes. Concrete is the dominant construction material, most are single span with massive parallel wing wall retaining abutments. All have a certain uniformity of aesthetic design. Pell Frischmann Consultants Ltd (PFC) proposed to the client, English Partnerships (EP), that an ""integral bridge"" with a slender open appearance would be an appropriate aesthetic form for a new highways bridge, within the district of Westcroft (figure 1). The concept required that the bearing piles be continued up out of the ground to form the bridge columns and abutments. Four rows with four piles in each row were suggested. Each would then be cast directly into the reinforced concrete bridge deck forming a moment connection (figure 2). This concept meant that a single continuous steel structural member would replace traditional reinforced concrete bored piles, pile caps and piers. This member would carry vertical and lateral loads. The conceptual design was intended to meet the following client requirements:"

Jan 1, 2005

By Rimas Veitas, James Panton, Erich Steinlechner

"Ductile Iron Piles (DIPs) are a proven, viable alternative to conventional piles, and for the past five years have been successfully used throughout New England. The installation process of DIPs lends itself to both large and small projects. Because of their installation efficiency they provide a substantial cost savings over drilled micro piles. Several New England projects (both end bearing and friction) will be evaluated, focusing on the installation and design procedures.BackgroundThe driven ductile cast iron pile (DIP) is a simple, fast and highly effective pile system. Over the last 30 years over 10 million feet of this pile system has been installed worldwide predominantly in Europe. DIPs are a prefabricated driven pile system utilizing high strength ductile iron pipes which are manufactured using a spun-cast process having outside diameters of 4 5/8” and 6 5/8 inches. The standard pile lengths are 16.4 feet long. The pipes are manufactured with a tapered socket with an internal shoulder for full engagement at the top and a tapered spigot at the bottom. The individual pile sections can be connected with this Plug and Drive® connection to drive a pile of any length.(see figure 1)The DIP system’s inherent advantage is the simplicity of the installation process. The piles are driven to refusal or to a required penetration depth with the use of a high-impact highfrequency hydraulic hammer (ie. Breaker hammer). In most applications the hydraulic hammer is mounted on an appropriately sized excavator (see Photo 2). At the completion of driving the pile, the pile is cut off (see photo 5) and the remaining section of pile is fitted with the appropriate driving shoe and serves as the lead section for the next pile. Being able to reuse the cut off section, yields minimal if any pile shaft waste. The pile is then fitted with an appropriate pile cap plate to receive the load from the superstructure."

Jan 1, 2017

By Walter Kaeck

In a recent upgrade of their system, Amtrak converted a bascule type draw bridge over the Thames River to a vertical lift structure supported by the existing piers. During the bridge replacement, significant settlement occurred on one of the piers and movement continued thereafter. Construction was stopped as Amtrak became concerned as to how much the subsequent construction activities would cause the pier to further settle and tilt, not only impacting the operation of the existing bridge, but also jeopardizing the new lift span. Mueser Rutledge was engaged at this time to help understand and solve the problem. A remedial grouting program was developed to arrest the settlement. As a subcontractor to Cianbro Corporation, Pittsfield, ME, The Judy Company was hired to perform the remedial grouting work. Work platforms were constructed around the pier for support of the drilling equipment. A dual string drilling system was used to install sleeve pipes at depths of up to 185? below the water level. Ultrafine cement grout stabilized with additives was placed at 2.5 foot intervals through the depth of the sand and gravel stratum below the bottom of the pier. Logistics were difficult and the schedule was severely impacted by the remedial work, necessitating working six 12-hour shifts per week and working in the river through the winter months. After four months of drilling and grouting, movement of the pier stopped. At the conclusion of the remedial work, more than a million gallons of ultrafine cement grout were placed. Confirmation borings recovered completely solidified material with compressive strengths ranging from 500 to 1500 psi. The bridge replacement was then completed and is functioning. Continued monitoring through July 2009 shows negligible movement.

Jan 1, 2009

By Moonkyung Chung

Static pile load tests were performed in order to evaluate bearing capacities and mechanical behaviors of three different pile types: (1) steel-concrete composite drilled shaft with rebar reinforcements inside the concrete, (2) steel-concrete composite drilled shaft without rebar, and (3) conventional drilled shaft (reinforcement concrete pile). The material elastic moduli obtained from pile load tests of steel-concrete composite drilled shafts with and without rebar reinforcement were found out to be similar. On the other hand, the elastic modulus of steel-concrete composite drilled shafts is almost twice as high as that of the conventional drilled shaft. The ultimate strengths of the steel-concrete composite drilled shaft with rebar, the steel-concrete composite drilled shaft without rebar, and the conventional drilled shaft were 9,810, 7,848, and 4,414kN, respectively. The results of these load tests reveal that the ultimate strengths of the steel-concrete composite drilled shaft with reinforcement and that without reinforcement are 2.22 times and 1.78 times greater that that of the drilled shaft. The structural failures of the steel-concrete composite drilled shafts occurred either at the boundary between tip of steel casing and rock-socketed concrete.

Jan 1, 2010

By Dawn Shuttle

In trying to find a grout, or some kind of stabilizer that would work in this application, we established some performance criteria. Of those, what I controlled the most was viscosity, then I had a whole list of other criteria. I needed a long, controllable gel time, durability and the ability to set and stabilize the soil. So I looked through a lot of different stabilizers, some really crazy ones and also the typical chemical grouts that are used. The typical chemical grouts were eliminated because of long-term durability concerns, the need for having extended gel times, and several other concerns. I would be happy to discuss that with you further after the talk if you're interested. But, generally it was based on viscosity, gel time, and the need for extended gel time. In terms of the relative density of the sand many other grouts could have been used. But the main issue was trying to develop this way to do low pressure grouting that would not cause invasive disruption of the site. We couldn't go in and grout it, put centers, so most of the other grouts wouldn't work for various reasons. The forty percent relative density samples were prepared by plubiation. That was both during the cyclic testing stage of the research, which happened a few years back, and also during the box model and the laminar box models at RPI. In terms of what criteria were used to determine the success of the grouting, when I initially started this work what I did was take the grouted samples and I subjected them to cyclic triaxial testing. What I did was take a look at the cyclic deformation resistance of different concentrations of grouted colloidal silica treated sand. I looked first at 20% concentration because I wanted something that I knew worked and then I gradually decreased to 15%, 10%, and 5%. What I was most concerned with was that it did not liquefy and that it was able to hold together it and experience some deformation. But most importantly it needed to not liquefy. So, that was the biggest issue in determining the success of the grouting. In terms of the centrifuge modeling it was done by looking at several components: from looking at the pictures of the bending moments, looking at the acceleration records and how the acceleration records were transferred through the soil, looking at the reduction in the lateral displacement and those kinds of issues. So let me show you the difference.

Feb 10, 2003

By Olgun

Energy piles are a new innovative renewable energy technology to access and exploit the relative constant temperature of the ground for efficient heating and cooling of buildings. Examples of energy piles include drilled shafts, continuous flight auger (CFA) piles, driven piles, and micropiles. A field test setup was installed at the Virginia Tech Geotechnical Research Facility to study energy piles. The field test consists of a total of five micropiles 25 cm (10 inches) in diameter, four of which were equipped with circulation loops. The test piles extend to a depth of 30.5 meters (100 feet) and are heavily instrumented with strain gauges and temperature sensors. Several observation boreholes were formed around the test piles to monitor ground temperatures. Thermal conductivity tests and field load testing were performed to investigate the behavior of Energy Piles. This paper presents results of the thermal conductivity tests and thermo-mechanical field load test performed as part of this field investigation.

By C. Guney Olgun, Charles Elks, Sherif L. Abdelaziz, James R. Martin, Christopher Fox, Pier Luigi Iovino, Fatih Catalbas, Pierre Gouvin

"Energy piles are a new innovative renewable energy technology to access and exploit the relative constant temperature of the ground for efficient heating and cooling of buildings. Examples of energy piles include drilled shafts, continuous flight auger (CFA) piles, driven piles, and micropiles. A field test setup was installed at the Virginia Tech Geotechnical Research Facility to study energy piles. The field test consists of a total of five micropiles 25 cm (10 inches) in diameter, four of which were equipped with circulation loops. The test piles extend to a depth of 30.5 meters (100 feet) and are heavily instrumented with strain gauges and temperature sensors. Several observation boreholes were formed around the test piles to monitor ground temperatures. Thermal conductivity tests and field load testing were performed to investigate the behavior of Energy Piles. This paper presents results of the thermal conductivity tests and thermo-mechanical field load test performed as part of this field investigation.IntroductionThere is a developing trend around the world to explore alternative energy sources. The main driving forces are growing global energy demand, depleting natural resources and the adverse effects of greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuel consumption. Geothermal energy is one of the promising renewable sources that can be utilized to offset such trends. However the use of geothermal energy has been limited mainly to certain hot spot areas where it is used either for district heating and/or electricity generation. Ground temperatures below a depth of about 6 meters (20 feet) remain stable compared to outside air temperatures, typically lying between 8-23°C (46-73°F) at most U.S. regions. The constant temperature and heat storage capacity of near surface soils in any region represent a tremendous potential of stored energy that can be used for heating and cooling of structures."

Jan 1, 2017

By Terence Ma, Seok hyeon Chai, Jeff Lam, Thamer Yacoub, Brigid Cami, Sina Javankhoshdel

The Limit Equilibrium (LE) analysis of pile-supported geotechnical structures normally assumes a constant shear force for the pile instead of considering the non-linear capacity of the pile which is related to the pile displacement. In this study, a 3D Limit Equilibrium analysis is carried out for a landslide model supported with piles by considering the constant and non-linear capacity of the pile which is computed using a separate Finite Element (FE) algorithm. The depth of the pile, soil layering, and the pile properties are used with an assumed maximum displacement to compute the geotechnical non-linear capacity of the pile. In this study, the results of the initial unreinforced 3D LE model was first compared to the 3D FE analysis results. Then, the pile pattern was applied to the failure region in the 3D LE model, and then the factor of safety was recomputed. The results of the constant shear piles were compared to the model with the non-linear piles.

Sep 8, 2021

By Tony Suckling

"As we head toward the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen in December, the environment and sustainability will become headline news for a while. Governments are expected to agree to a set of binding targets to reduce carbon emissions probably before 2020, and certainly before 2050. This will, in effect, initiate a low carbon economy in many parts of the world. Sustainability has mainly been rhetoric so far, the exceptions being projects for those looking to the long-term future and not for short-term financial gains.The probabilities and consequences of negative impacts on the environment and on society over the short term and in the long term can be assessed and mitigated, but mitigation often adds cost. Also, we cannot know what technologies will be available, say 1,000 years into the future, which is about 40 generations of our society. It is easier to have a connection with 100 years into the future, which is only about 4 generations. Individuals may have a different sense of sustainability, and place a different value on mitigation, its cost, its importance and its potential impacts.Sustainability means different things to different parties on a construction project. For example, a land developer is likely to have a different view on the design in terms of sustainability than that of the designer. The developer may also likely to be more interested in sustainabiliy if there are tangible economic benefits that might accrue. Achieving sustainability on any project, leads to conflict between competing interests or demands cooperation between the economic and technical sectors involved. The foundations for a building or bridge, by definition, need to interact with the ground whose behaviour cannot be dictated by man. The aims of sustainability are the same as for the building or bridge, both of which are constructed of manmade materials, but it is less clear how they should be achieved. An example is the driven pile that does not produce spoil waste, but is likely to be too noisy to be acceptable in an urban environment. This then begs the question, should the public accept the nuisance of short-term pile driving to achieve a more sustainable foundation? Additionally, the question has to be asked, can the deep foundations industry develop its techniques and products to help make them more acceptable and appropriate more often than is possible now?"

Jan 1, 2009

By Gary L. Seider, Dana A. Wesolek, Fred C. Schmednecht

"A new condominium project, The Atelier, developed by Pickus Companies located at the corner of Bryn Mawr and Sheridan in Chicago, IL required an earth retention system to protect the surrounding roads, alley, and existing neighboring apartment bui lding during its construction. Slurry Systems, Inc. (SSI) and Ground Engineering Consultants, Inc. designed the earth retention system using cantilevered sheet piling for three of the four sides: two sides bordering major streets and one side bordering an alley. For the fourth side, which borders an existing occupied brick building, a combination of sheet pil ing and AB. CHANCE® helical screw piers were used. SSI was actively involved in the review process of its earth retention system with the City of Chicago and quickly learned that there was no specific code for hel ical piers/anchors. (It appears that this is the case with most metropolitan cities throughout the United States). Consequently, the approval of underpinning for this project became the critical path, as much testing, calculations, meetings, and other details were required prior to its approval.SSI and AB. CHANCE® recognized that this process for underpinning approval must be seen by other contractors/suppliers who wish to use helical piers/anchors in the City of Chicago. Consequently, this project served as an opportunity to work with the City of Chicago and the City's Building Code Committee in furthering the development of the Helical Piers/Anchors Code, Section 1814. INTRODUCTION - HELICAL PIERSDefinition. A helical pier or anchor consists of one or more helix-shaped steel bearing plate(s) attached to a central steel stem (solid bar or pipe), which is installed by rotating or ""torquing"" into the ground. Each helix is attached near the tip, is circular in plan , and is formed into a screw thread with a defined pitch. Helical piers/anchors are pre-fabricated and can derive their load-carrying capacity through both end bearing and skin friction. The helical piers/anchors can be augmented with grout."

Jan 1, 2005

By Arash Khosravifar, Amalia Giannakou

"Nonlinear foundation springs for bridge caisson foundations show significant coupling between the shear force and bending moment. Implementing foundation stiffness matrix with coupling effects (off-diagonal components) into the global bridge model presents numerical challenges. A simplified approach is developed to model foundation springs including coupling effects using a simple methodology. This simplified model include one translational spring and one rotational spring combined with a rigid link in 2D space. Results show that nonlinear springs (translational, rotational and coupling) can be reasonably captured using this simplified procedure.INTRODUCTIONThe Izmit Bay Bridge is a 3-km long suspension bridge that crosses Izmit Bay in Turkey and is being constructed in a highly seismic region. Figure 1 shows the project location. The South Approach Viaduct (SAV), located along the western margin of Hersek peninsula, is within 5 km from the North Anatolian Fault and within a zone of secondary deformation around the primary trace of the North Anatolian Fault. The proposed SAV consists of 11 Piers and an abutment at the south end of the structure."

Jan 1, 2017

By Anthony L. Reynolds, Clifford J. Wren

"The adoption of a significant pile testing regime, the use of Eurocode 7 as the design standard, the development of lean construction techniques, and lateral thinking in overcoming some considerable construction challenges allowed Stent Foundations to construct the foundations for the new Wembley Stadium, London, on time and within budget. In addition to the piling works for the main stadium, and after significant design development, a large number of extra piles were required to raise the new iconic roof Arch to its final position some 133 metres above the ground. A 1,400m long contiguous bored pile wall was also constructed to allow for excavation and formation of the new pitch. INTRODUCTIONHjstorjcal lntrodyctionWembley Stadium is the 'home of English football'. As long ago as the 1880's, Wembley Park leisure grounds had football pitches and running tracks.In 1918 the British Government began planning a British Empire Exhibition with a stadium as its centrepiece. The Exhibition area covered 219 acres and the area on which a former abandoned tower called Watkins Folly had stood was chosen as the site for the new stadium (http://www.wembleystadium.com).The Empire Stadium, as it was originally known, was designed by architects Sir John Simpson and Maxwell Ayerton and the engineer Sir Owen Williams. It took just 300 days to complete at a cost of £750,000 ($1.4m), and was built using 25,000 tons of ferro concrete, 1,000 tons of steel, and over half a million rivets.The Empire Exhibition was a remarkable event, containing fountains, lakes, gardens, and many pavilions, each representing the architectural style of the countries exhibiting. It was opened on 23rd April 1924 and the final attendance was over 27 million, with 4.5 million admissions to the Empire Stadium alone."

Jan 1, 2005

By Mohamed A. Mansour, Ahmed M. Soliman, M. H. El-Naggar

"Grouted helical piles allow significant increase in pile capacity with low additional cost over that of conventional helical piles. They can be particularly advantageous in sites where installation disturbance can reduce or even eliminate the pile shaft resistance. For helical piles with slender shafts, a grout column offers increased buckling resistance under compression loading, and may reduce the potential settlement required to mobilize the bearing component of their plates. This paper investigates the performance of grouted helical piles installed in loose sand. Grouted helical piles were constructed and tested in a controlled laboratory environment. Helical piles with hollow pipe shaft and single helix were grouted during installation. The grout was injected into the soil under high pressure through two nozzles placed above the piles helices. The load test results showed significant improvement in the performance and load carrying capacity of the helical pile due to the formation of a cylindrical grout column along the entire shaft leading to a higher shaft resistance contribution to the total pile capacity. The results suggest that grouted helical piles with slender hollow shaft could be used to support large structural loads. INTRODUCTIONHelical piles are widely used as a deep foundation system for different engineering applications. They represent an attractive foundation option because of their cost effectiveness, ease of installation even in limited access areas, low levels of noise and vibrations, and their ability to be installed through ground water without casing. In addition, they allow immediate loading upon installation. Helical piles are installed into the ground by applying a mechanical torque to the pile head. The installation torque monitoring provides a kind of quality control during the construction of helical piles. It could be used in predicting the ultimate pile capacity using several capacity-torque correlations (Livneh and Elnaggar 2008; and Hoyt and Clemence 1989).However, helical piles installation can cause soil disturbance within the annular zone affected by the pile helices. This disturbance can introduce fissures within the pile cylindrical failure surface (Vesic 1971; Mooney el al. 1985; and Zhang 1999). Thus, the shear strength of the soil decreases along the affected zone. Bagheri and El Naggar (2013) evaluated the installation effects of helical piles in sand. They reported that as the helical blade proceeds into the ground, sand within the cylindrical path circumscribed by the helices experiences torsional and vertical shearing accompanied by sand displacement and stress changes. This process is more pronounced in the case of multi-helices and large diameter anchors. Bagheri and El Naggar (2016) evaluated the installation effects of helical piles in structured clay. They indicated that the behavior of the helical pile and its capacity are significantly affected by the degree of soil de-structuring induced by the penetration of the pile shaft and helices. In addition to the installation disturbance, helical piles have other drawbacks including; high potential settlement required to fully mobilize the bearing component of their plates, low buckling resistance of their slender shafts, and the incomplete rigidity of the coupling joints along the pile shaft that allow some lateral movement under compression loading (Vickars and Clemence 2000)."

Jan 1, 2016

By Grischa Dette, Thomas Schröder, Holger Merski

For the construction of the tunnel for the new Berlin S21 light rail line, a construction pit had to be built below the crossing B 96 federal road. For this purpose, the construction pit M’ has been built beforehand as a preliminary structure for the later S21 Berlin. A crucial element of this structure is a 2.50 m deep reinforced concrete deck slab which carries the B 96. During the later construction of the S21, it became clear that the existing preliminary structure could not be used without major modifications. Consequently, the construction pit design was gradually upgraded – still with the aim of retaining the basic concept of a trough structure with a jet-grouting cut-off. As construction progressed, for reasons of stability it became necessary to develop a fundamentally new concept with an underwater concrete base replacing the jet-grouting cutoff. This paper describes the planning and construction of a cut-and-cover structure with an underwater concrete base – a layout that brings with it the difficult task of underwater excavation and concrete placing without direct accessibility from above. Special emphasis is placed on describing the innovative approaches in connection with a remotely controlled underwater dredger from the Norwegian offshore industry for excavation works. Furthermore, the sophisticated underwater technologies for concrete placing in the confined surroundings are described.

May 1, 2022

By Frank Haehnig, Kurt Kogler

"With a height of 200 m, a crown width of 626 m and a concrete volume of 1.6 million m³, the Kölnbrein Dam in the upper Malta valley in Carinthia / Austria is the largest concrete dam in Austria. Boasting a storage capacity of 200 million m³ with a received water load of 54 MN, this is one of the strongest arch dams in the world.During its construction from 1974 to 1977, the dam was equipped with a comprehensive monitoring system capable of comparing developing deformations and stresses with the design values.With a planned reservoir level of 1,900 m a.s.l. the dam saw the reservoir level of 1,860 m a.s.l. breached in the year 1978. This led to extremely high seepage losses of up to 200 ltr/sec and a rise in the foundation water pressure up to 100% of the dam’s height. These observations were caused by the development of horizontal cracks in the area of the middle dam blocks, between the lowest inspection walkway and the waterside.As a consequence, power plant operations had to significantly be reduced and a number of additional measures were carried out – though these did not lead to the desired sealings.The developer subsequently decided that the dam should undergo a general rehabilitation from 1998 to 1994 in accordance with a concept developed by Professor Lombardi. This concept involved erecting a 50 m high support structure with a concrete volume of 500,000 m³ on the airside of the dam, along with the addition of neoprene bearings to transfer 1.2 million tons of the horizontal load. These measures were able to reduce the deformations in the dam enough so that mostly load-bearing injections into the cracks in the dam’s concrete could successfully be carried out by way of targeted grouting measures using injection resin (RODUR) specifically developed for this purpose.In the years 1998 - 1994, a total of 130,000 m of grouting, monitoring and control drillings were executed, and around 200,000 kg of synthetic resin was injected into the cracks in the dam’s concrete.These measures have ensured the dam‘s uninterrupted operation since 1994. A number of small re- injections were again carried out on the contact surface in the years 2011 and 2012."

Jan 1, 2016

By Brandon M. Robinson, Osman F. Besler, Dominik Gaechter

The Sandbukta-Moss-Såstad (SMS) project is a part of the Intercity development project, which is part of the largest transport project in Norway, consisting of 270 km of new double-track rail. The SMS project consists of 10km of double-track railway including three open stretches and two tunnels. Soil conditions consist of quick clay underlain by Bedrock. Dry soil mixing (DSM) was considered as the main soil improvement method to allow for excavation of the quick clay and construction of the D-Wall panels. The preliminary design revealed around 25,000 ton of binder installation. Therefore, a test field has been conducted to evaluate binder alternatives in means of improved soil strength by considering CO2 emissions. Multicem and Standard cement (Standard FA) have been compared for that purpose. Multicem is a type of binder which mainly consists of Portland cement and cement kiln dust (CKD). CKD is a fined-grained, solid, highly alkaline material removed from the cement kiln exhaust gases. reverse column penetration test (FOPS) and pre-drilled column penetration test (FKPS), which are common tests to evaluate DSM strength have revealed comparable strength outcome for both binder types. Therefore, Multicem has been selected as the main binder type to be used further which provided a reduction in CO2 footprint of up to 40%.

May 1, 2022

By Tom George

"INTRODUCTIONNo. 1 Queens Rd was an existing 10-storey office building founded on large pad footings. This project involved the construction of a 6-level, 15m (50-ft.) deep basement excavated immediately adjacent to the existing building and also beneath the existing footprint of the Southern end of the building. The total perimeter of the new basement was to be approximately 200m (656 ft.) all with a retained height of 15m (50 ft.). It was also proposed to add a further 5 storeys to the building. Approximately 18 of the existing columns supporting the 10-storey building were to have the applied column load diverted from the existing foundations at ground level onto the new piles or basement raft 15m (50 ft.) below.The geotechnical profile consisted of fill for the top 1.5m predominately comprising of clayey sand with a high gravel content from 1.5m to 9m (5 to 30 ft.), a medium dense to dense clayey sand and then below was a sandy clay extending to 15m (50 ft.) ranging from stiff to very stiff. From 15m on completely to extremely weathered siltstone was encountered. The groundwater was measured at 9.5m (31 ft.) below the natural ground surface.DESIGN BRIEFThe existing building columns were founded on large pad foundations up to 4.4m (14.5 ft.) square, founded on the dense clayey sand. These pads would require temporary support to enable the excavation to proceed beneath them. Upon completion of the excavation under the pads new columns were to be constructed joining into the existing columns to transfer the load onto the new raft slab, 15m (50 ft.) below. The existing 10 floors were to be refurbished. It was planned to undertake all the temporary support and transferring of loads while the structure above was only able to provide a dead load. It was decided that any movement of the building would have minimum impact on a skeleton structure. During the temporary support of the columns, movements due to construction activities had to be monitored to understand any potential stresses in the structure above.The original design required beams to be installed under the pads and supported at either end by temporary piles that were to be founded below the level of the proposed excavation. (Refer to sketch 1). Wagstaff Piling considered that this methodology had difficulties in construction at all stages and did not provide facility for transfer of the load without significant movement of the structure above. Wagstaff Piling revised the design to attach beams to the columns above the pads using shear collars. (Refer to sketch 2). These beams supported on the temporary piles could then be jacked upwards to remove loads off the pads. This would enable removal of the pads with minimal movement of the 10-storey building above. (Refer to photo 1 and back cover photo)."

Jan 1, 2005