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By Tony Amis, Marco Barla, Alice Di Donna

"Energy geostructures are becoming an increasingly popular solution around the world for Developers looking to reduce CO2 and system running costs. Energy geostructures are geotechnical structures that provide both the important role of structural stability while also acting as a heat exchanger with the ground, enabling the supported buildings and or infrastructure to be heated and cooled using the principle of low enthalpy geothermal systems. The main advantage of this innovative technology with respect to standard geothermal plant is the reduction of the initial installation costs and construction schedule benefits, compared to installing conventional geothermal solutions, largely due to the additional use of structures which would be constructed in any case. However, it is important with respect to energy geostructures that additional aspects need careful consideration. For this very reason, several research studies have been carried out over the last decade on this subject and a number of real case studies have been monitored and analysed. The key difference with respect to conventional shallow geothermal systems are mainly related to the geometry, which is imposed by the geotechnical project, and the need to ensure that the primary structural role is always guaranteed. Special boundary conditions, the reduced depth, the influence of atmospheric external temperature can also play an important role for energy geostructures. They can affect, both energy efficiency and, the geotechnical behaviour because of the possible thermal induced mechanical effects. This paper presents a picture of the current situation regarding energy geostructures and their peculiar features, and collects available data to provide a reference framework. Data has been collected from literature and personal communications and then processed to provide easy-to-read charts useful for practical consultation at a glance. This paper provides, an indication of the distribution of such systems worldwide, their spread in time, and a global view of their actual efficiency from the structural, energy, economic and environmental point of view.1. IntroductionEnergy geostructures are becoming an increasingly popular consideration around the world. Energy geostructures are geotechnical structures with a dual role of providing structural stability and the ability to exchange heat with the ground, to provide low carbon heat and coolth to supporting and or adjacent buildings and infrastructure, using the principle of low enthalpy geothermal systems (Barla and Di Donna, 2016; Laloui and Di Donna, 2013). A closed circuit of high density polyethylene (HDPE) pipes is embedded in the concrete, and a heat carrier fluid circulates through them exchanging heat with the ground. The HDPE pipework circuit inside the geostructure is linked to one of the above buildings or infrastructure through a heat pump, which adapts the temperature of the circulating fluid to the heating (winter mode) and cooling (summer mode) needs. In this way, heat can be injected into the ground during summer and extracted from it during winter. In principle, all structures in contact with the ground can be used as energy geostructures. The first examples of energy geostructures date back to the eighties in Austria and were mainly piles and shallow foundations. A decade later, Henderson et al. (1999) reported on what would appear to be the first successful use of geothermal energy piles in the US, with loops incorporated into the foundation for a hotel in Geneva, New York. As was their use in this New York case history, the typical geothermal energy pile application is used in conjunction with additional closed loop boreholes to provide the required energy capacity for a structure. Interestingly the report concludes that the geothermal energy piles had a better heat transfer performance than the borehole field. The first energy walls appeared slightly later, while still today only a few experimental cas"

Jan 1, 2017

By Peter Faust, Peter Hubbard, Kenichi Soga

The European Federation of Foundation Contractors (EFFC) and The Deep Foundations Institute (DFI) have set up a task group to compile a Guide for Working Platforms. The first edition of this Guide has been published in January 2020. The aim of the Guide is to provide reliable methods for design, testing and verification of working platforms for construction equipment, especially in the deep foundation industry where track loads can be excessive due to the nature of its operations. The Guide has identified areas where knowledge is limited. Actual track pressure and its distribution along the length of the tracks is still not well researched. Current recommendation provided in EN 16228-1 are believed to be overly simplified and may lead to conservative requirements for working platform thickness. This paper presents results of a series of field tests where the actual track pressure of a large drilling rig during operation was measured in real time together with the deformation of the working platform. Embedded, distributed fiber optic sensing (DFOS) at different depths throughout the platform allowed for a three-dimensional evaluation of the platform deformation throughout the entire operation. Results will help to develop more reliable recommendations for future safety requirements of working platforms for deep foundation equipment.

May 1, 2022

By Sunil S. Basarkar, Vinothkumar S

Ground Improvement Techniques serves to improve various engineering properties for supporting various foundations. These may be undertaken either by conventional or advanced methods. The Controlled Modulus Column (CMC), also known as Rigid Inclusion is a soil improvement technique to reduce the total and differential settlement by using semi-rigid soil reinforcement columns. The CMC technique can be executed by displacement or non-displacement methods. It does not aim to bypass the compressive layer or to install a pile that will directly support the entire load from the structure. Principle of the technique is to introduce a load transfer platform between the head of the column and structure and transform a uniform load into soil. Initially, the structural load transmitted into the soil generate the settlement greater than CMC piles. When the settlement between the soil and column became equal at neutral point, maximum structural load shall be balanced by the positive friction and tip resistance to stabilize the foundation without exceeding the allowable settlement limit. This paper describes the behaviour of soil reinforcement with CMC column and their installation process with reference to a project at the Dry Bulk Terminal Port, San Pedro- Abidjan (Western Africa). Methodology of CMC, requirements of Ground Improvement, arrangements and outcome of this method are presented in this paper.

Sep 1, 2022

By Shigenori Horikawa, Nobutaka Tanaka, Toshiro Hara, Kengo Yamamoto

"The CDM-LODIC method(Low Displacement and Control method), a modified the CDM(Cement Deep Mixing) method, reduces the ground displacement through the removal of in-situ soil equivalent to the amount of slurry injection using the continuous auger flight attached on the shaft above the conventional the CDM mixing tool. The reduction of ground displacement minimizes the impact on adjacent buildings and other infrastructures. Since the development of the CDM-LODIC in 1985, this method has been used for more than 900 projects with total volume of improved soils exceeding 5.3 million yd3 (7 million m3). The ground displacement that could be caused by deep soil mixing is controlled by balancing the volume of discharged soil and the volume of slurry injected for soil mixing. This paper presents the ground improvement work for the Sanriku Coast Expressway Project using the CDM-LODIC method to 1) control the ground displacement during ground improvement to minimize the impact to existing buildings and facilities and 2) utilize low height CDM-LODIC equipment to avoid potential damage to critical facilities in the vicinity of ground improvement area and avoid interference on the normal operation of the Ishinomaki Red Cross Hospital.INTRODUCTIONSanriku Coast Expressway is a reconstructed highway, which is part of an early restoration program to recover from the Eastern Japan Earthquake of March 11, 2011. This highway extends 223 mile (359 km) and connects the Pacific Coast regions of three prefecture of North Eastern Japan as shown in Figure 1. Along a section between Yamoto - Ishinomaki road, the highway was expanded from two lanes to four lanes to mitigate traffic congestion for the adjacent city center and hospital and to serve as an efficient transportation route for emergency or disaster relief needs as shown in Figure 2. Deep mixing ground improvement with an area replacement ratio of 50% was designed to provide settlement control under the new fill embankment of the expanded highway as shown in Figure 3. The original CDM treatment layout using 5.2ft (1.6 m) diameter columns is shown in Figure 4."

Jan 1, 2015

By Arash Khosravifar

One of our research thrusts at Portland State University (PSU) centers on developing design guidelines for pile foundations in liquefiable, laterally spreading grounds. This research has been primarily sponsored by the DFI Committee Project Fund (CPF) program through four awards, totaling nearly $240,000 in financial support. DFI contributed half of this financial support, while the other half was contributed in-kind by PSU and DFI Project Advisory Board members. Leveraging the CPF funds, we secured an additional $550,000 in financial support from the National Science. Foundation (NSF), which has enabled our research group to continue exploring this topic and contributing to the broader engineering community's understanding of the behavior of pile foundations in liquefiable soils. The CPF funds have fostered collaborations with practitioners and researchers beyond PSU. Notable examples include collaborative research involving data from five large-scale centrifuge tests on pile-supported wharves by Steve Dickenson, Ph.D., New Albion Geotechnical; Nason McCullough, Ph.D., Jacobs Engineering and Scott Schlechter, Geotechnical Resources, as well as 1-g shake table tests of bridge pile shafts conducted by Professors Ahmed Elgamal, Ph.D., and Ahmed Ebeido, Ph.D., of the University of California, San Diego. In addition to these collaborations, our research has benefited from industry-university partnerships formed through the involvement of DFI Project Advisory Board members. Their support and feedback ensure that our research products are practical and imple- mentable in real-world projects. The impact of the CPF funds extends to supporting graduate students' theses, which were the basis for 17 technical publications. Some of these publications are expected to have a significant impact on the industry. For instance, our 2018 DFI Journal paper, co-authored by former master's student Jonathan Nasr, cur- rently with the Army Corps of Engineers, has been cited in the 2022 British Columbia Supplement to Canadian Highway Bridge Design Code S6:19. A noteworthy product of our study is a step-by-step design procedure for pile- supported wharf structures subjected to the combined effects of lateral spreading and inertial loads, outlined in a 2022 American Society of Civil Engineers' (ASCE) Journal of Geotechnical and Geo- environmental Engineering paper co- authored by former doctoral student Milad Souri, Ph.D., PE, Geotechnical Resources.

Nov 1, 2023

By Kenneth E. Henn, David B. Paul, John D. Rice, Brian H. Greene

"Several laboratory modeling programs have been conducted to investigate the mechanisms associated with internal erosion of dam embankments and foundations. The investigation consists of developing laboratory devices to model three separate mechanisms associated with process: 1) contact erosion along bedrock joints, and 2) piping into an open bedrock defect. The contact erosion device subjects the soil above a bedrock joint to high velocity flows in the joint. The erosion into a bedrock defect device examines a number of static and transient hydraulic conditions to study the mechanisms associated with this type of erosion. Numerous tests have been conducted using both devices. The results of the modeling will be discussed along with a discussion of how this information could be used in future dam design and risk assessment studies.IntroductionA series of laboratory modeling programs were performed to assess the seepage and internal erosion behavior of several man-made and natural structures within dams and their foundations. Each model was performed on a “bench scale” and depicted an isolated location where internal erosion was likely to occur. The models were subjected to hydraulic boundary conditions to simulate the in-situ conditions so that the processes of internal erosion could be observed. Two laboratory devices were developed to model conditions depicting 1) contact erosion along a bedrock joint in contact with a dam embankment, and 2) backward erosion (piping) into an open bedrock defect (joint, solution void, etc.).Embankment dams often have rock foundations containing defects which may detrimentally impact future performance. Further, there are existing foundations which contain rock defects that may already be detrimentally impacting the dams; however, due to the inherent aspects of the mechanism, the signs of distress may not have propagated to the surface and thus not observed during inspections. A better understanding of the mechanisms which are influenced by, and impose their influence upon, rock defects will enhance the ability of dam safety professionals to analyze the risks associated with internal erosion due to rock defects, increase our ability to monitor and successfully initiate earlier detection, and also increase our ability to design remediation methods to contend with rock defect failure modes."

Jan 1, 2016

By S. P. Lin

The numerical models of nonlinear piles for deep foundations are studied in this paper. The purpose of these is to clarify the mechanical behaviour of deep foundation nonlinear piles subjected to axial and lateral loadings. Based on the site data of p-y curve as well as t-z curve of foundation soils, it is possible to evaluate pile performance under above mentioned loads by means of combined FEM/FDM models. Numerical examples are presented in tall building and offshore jacket for illustrating the technique, it show high efficiency of these models. Some information to be interested by design engineers are given, especially for those who pay very concerns on the interaction behaviours of structure and its pile foundation.

Jan 1, 2010

By Tsuda Wakaki, Naoki Takahashi, Natsuki Okuno, Hidenori Takahashi, Ikuo Towhata, Yoshiyuki Morikawa

"Deep mixing (DM) method has been increasingly employed as a countermeasure against subsoil liquefaction in recent years. Pile-type DM, however, is considered to have little effect as a liquefaction countermeasure, because the shear deformation of unimproved soil around the piles cannot be reduced. However, experimental results, which imply that shear deformation of unimproved soil around DM piles can be reduced, were reported. Furthermore, a new plane-arrangement of DM piles has been proposed to mitigate lateral flow induced by liquefaction. The DM piles in this arrangement confront the lateral flow in any direction, compared with the piles arranged in conventional pattern such as square and triangular arrangements. In this study, a series of dynamic centrifuge model tests was conducted to verify the lateral flow resistance of DM plies in the new arrangement. The results indicate that the DM plies can reduce the lateral flow of liquefied ground when the pile displacement and the pile head rotation are restricted. In addition, lateral load acting on DM pile from liquefied ground, which is required for design strength of the DM pile, was investigated.INTRODUCTIONDeep mixing (DM) method has been increasingly employed as a countermeasure against subsoil liquefaction in recent years. The solidified body formed by the deep mixing method is usually block or lattice shape, composed of solidified columns that overlap each other horizontally. Lattice-type solidification has been shown to be effective as a liquefaction countermeasure despite the presence of unimproved soil inside the lattice wall, because the shear deformation of the interior soil is restrained by the wall (Suzuki et al., 1989). On the other hand, it has been thought that pile-type DM cannot reduce shear deformation of unimproved soil around the piles, because the displacement of the pile is less restricted than that of the lattice wall. DM piles have been reported to have little effect as a liquefaction countermeasure, but to be superior in terms of construction cost and applicability around existing underground structures (Koga et al., 1986). However, there are experimental results implying that DM piles have reduced the shear deformation of unimproved soil and mitigated its liquefaction (Yasuda et al., 2003; Tanaka et al., 2003). Yamamoto et al. (2006) conducted dynamic analyses of ground improved with lattice- and pile-type DM. Their results showed that pile-type DM with an improvement ratio of more than 35% reduces excess pore water pressure generated by earthquakes. Furthermore, the new pile arrangement shown in Fig. 1(a) has been proposed to mitigate lateral flow induced by liquefaction. It was developed and has been verified using dynamic model testing in a 1 g field (Takahashi et al., 2010a; 2010b; 2013; Towhata et al., 2010, Morikawa et al., 2014). The DM piles in this configuration interrupt lateral flow in any direction, unlike those placed in square and triangular arrangements."

Jan 1, 2015

By Abolfazl Eslami, Samieh Rezazadeh

"Semi-Deep skirted foundations are considered to be a viable option for a variety of onshore and offshore applications. It is necessary to determine appropriate foundation configurations that allow loads to be transferred safely to the surrounding soil. For this purpose the bearing capacity and stability analyses subjected to combined vertical, horizontal and moment loadings must be found. In this paper the vertical undrained bearing capacity is estimated via finite element analyses. The circular skirted foundations with different geometries considering embedment depth (embedment ratio between 0-2) and size effects (diameter equals to 5, 10, and 20) have been studied. Stress field, kinematic mechanism accompanying failure and bearing capacity factors for total, end and shaft resistance in semi-deep foundations with various embedment ratios are investigated. Furthermore, two probable mechanisms i.e. internal flow and soil plug for estimating foundation capacity for design purpose in practice have been assessed. Comparisons with different research works including conventional methods, upper and lower bound approaches, and finite element analyses have indicated that the conventional methods underestimate the bearing capacity due to ignoring the significant role of shaft resistance. Determining appropriate economic foundation configurations to transfer loads safely to the surrounding soil is a major issue in geotechnical engineering. Shape and dimension of foundations, embedment depth, soil characteristics and applied loading, all affect the foundation performance. Recent studies have shown that for foundations with large breadth and of D/B between 1 to 4, kinematic mechanisms and failure modes are different from the two main types of foundation (i.e. shallow and deep). Therefore, D/B factor must not be considered as the only factor for defining foundation type. ""Semi-Deep foundations"" are another foundation category distinguished based on their performance. This relatively new concept is becoming increasingly an optimum alternative for shallow and deep foundations to support structures especially in accessible depth. As illustrated in ""Fig. 1"", different types of semi-deep foundations consist of:"

Jan 1, 2017

By Fred Tarquinio, Giovanni Bonita, Lars Wagner

"A new embassy for the Peoples Republic of China is under construction in Washington, DC. The 475,000 square feet (44,125 m2) structure has five levels below ground and four above, making it the largest embassy in Washington DC. A vertical soil nail wall was used as the primary support of excavation system for the project. The soil nail wall was irregularly shaped, benched in areas, and up to 98 feet (29.9 m) in height. The soil nail and shotcrete system consisted of approximately 1,600 soil nails and 50,000 square feet (4,645 m2) of exposed shotcrete wall surface. Design and construction challenges included soft soil conditions, inside wall corners, underground utilities, seismic impacts from blasting, and logistical and political factors. Overall, wall movements were lower than expected, with maximum horizontal movement less than 0.25% of the total height of the excavation. INTRODUCTIONThe proposed Embassy of the Peoples Republic of China in Washington, DC, will consist of about 475,000 ft2 (44,125 m2) of building space and contain up to four fl oor levels above ground and fi ve levels of basement (Figure 1). When completed, the building will be the largest embassy in Washington, DC. The architect for the project, Pei Partnership Architects, along with the world-renowned architect I.M. Pei, made effi cient use of the site by inserting the building into the existing slope. Consequently, excavations reach heights up to 98 feet (29.9 m) on the southern side of the property and 42 feet (12.8 m) on the northern side.The soil nail and shotcrete system consisted of approximately 1,600 soil nails and 50,000 square feet (4,645 m2) of exposed shotcrete wall surface. The location of the building relative to the property line called for tight excavation requirements, including precise wall positions and shotcrete tolerances. Design and construction challenges included soft soil conditions, inside wall corners, arched walls, underground utilities, seismic impacts from blasting, and logistical and political factors."

Jan 1, 2007

By Anne Lemnitzer

Experimental data are the cornerstone of scientific research, providing empirical evidence to validate hypotheses, test theories, inform decision-making and help develop innovative design and analysis methods. However, beyond traditional empirical validations, experimental data have also become the most crucial component of AI algorithms, measuring the algorithms' effectiveness, and allowing engineers to ensure their reliability and applicability. The DFI "Rock Socket Project," awarded in the spring of 2018 allowed for the indispensable, experimental data-based validation of structural shear magnitudes, which have been hypothesized and discussed for years within the deep foundations community and cautiously approached by many design engineers. The fundamental project idea, i.e., the investi- gation of pile shear magnitudes through experimental research, was sparked during a heated discussion in the October 2016 Drilled Shaft Committee meeting in New York. Should we design for amplified shear at the rock socket of a drilled shaft or is this merely an artifact of the p-y design approach? Data were needed to provide consensus.

Nov 1, 2023

By Fred Fuchs

"Most deep foundation work is either unseen by the general public or viewed as an inconvenience in their daily lives. Hurricane Katrina changed that perspective for everyone in New Orleans — and many other people in the U.S. and abroad. The public and the government of south Louisiana, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), all needed to restore trust in the system that protects their property and, more importantly, their lives. While much has been written about the failures of government agencies, in this case incredible solutions were devised and implemented despite daunting schedules and arduous conditions. These solutions were achieved through collaboration, and through the efforts of USACE, where the goal was to fi nd the most expeditious and effective design/build solutions. This disaster thrust the pile driving industry into the national spotlight. Boh Bros. Construction Co., L.L.C., along with numerous local and national heavy construction companies, subcontractors, material suppliers and government agencies, take pride in the milestones reached after Hurricane Katrina.The majority of New Orleans’ population lives below sea level. Historically, the city has been protected by a fl ood control system consisting of earthen levees and I-walls (steel sheet pile topped by vertical concrete wall). Rainwater is pumped out of the city over this protection system and into canals that feed into Lake Pontchartrain. On August 29, 2005, when Hurricane Katrina made landfall just east of the city, the levee system experienced a major failure of several I-walls lining the outfall canals, causing flooding of 74% of the east bank of the city. The counterclockwise rotation of the wind pushed the lake water onto the south shore, raising the level of water more than 10 ft (3 m). A failure of 450 ft (137 m) of floodwall lining the east side of the 17th Street Canal caused extensive damage. This breach prevented the use of the pump stations that outfall into the 3-mile (4.8 km) long 17th Street Canal."

Jan 1, 2008

By Eric Rehwoldt, Walt Rabe, Jesús Gómez, Tim Myers

"An expansion plan for Washington Dulles International Airport is currently underway to prepare for growth at this northern Virginia facility in the future. While Dulles currently serves more than 20 million passengers a year, when the Master Plan for the Airport is fulfilled, it will be capable of handling approximately 55 million passengers a year. The current Capital Construction Program underway at Dulles will take the Airport one step closer to its full potential.As planned, work includes a new Airport Traffic Control Tower, expansion to existing concourses, a fourth runway, additional parking, and other improvements. One of the most interesting features of this project is the construction of a two-track passenger train system (Automated People Mover, or APM) linking the main terminal and concourses, which will largely replace the Mobile Lounge transportation system, thus greatly reducing surface traffic. Construction of the APM system involves deep excavations along the tunnels and at the transfer stations. This poses special challenges because the settlement-sensitive terminal, original Airport Traffic Control Tower, and concourse buildings, as well as other facilities, exist near the proposed below-ground stations. The site is also underlain by a tight grid of underground utilities that include jet fuel, gas and central communication lines, in addition to more mundane electric, sewer and water mains.One of the most interesting features of this project was the extensive and skillful utilization of micropiles for support of existing structures adjacent to the excavations. Without the use of micropiles, the cost and difficulty of the excavations would likely have been much more. Several important lessons were learned about the use of micropiles, which advance that technology.Throughout the project site, bedrock was generally encountered at 25-ft depths or more. The rock consists of micaceous and highly calcareous siltstone rock. This rock is typical of the sedimentary component of the Culpeper Basin, a Triassic Age geologic feature extending from south central Virginia to western Maryland. The siltstone beds dip gently to the west at about 10 to 20 degrees. Joint planes typically dip 60 degrees to vertical. The rock underlies a sequence of fill materials and residual soils of varying thickness."

Jan 1, 2009

By Aly M. Mohammad

The design of large diameter drilled shafts in weathered rock has always presented a challenge to the foundation engineers. Degree of weathering and load transfer mechanism through the rock are essential elements required for the design. From the Contractor's perspective specifying the right equipment and estimating the rate of drilling in the weathered rock are key elements for successful construction. The Delaware River Tramway Project has provided an opportunity to address the design and construction of drilled shafts in weathered rock. The Tramway, supported by twin 300-foot towers, will shuttle eight-person gondolas across the Delaware River in about four minutes. Each tower, founded on four high capacity drilled shafts, is designed to resist large axial and lateral loads. At the New Jersey tower, each 7-foot diameter shaft extends 145 feet deep and terminates in weathered Mica Schist. The shafts are situated in the Delaware River where the mud line is approximately 20 feet below Mean Low Water. Below the mud line, there exists a very soft, 20-foot thick layer of organic silt, followed by a 40-foot thick dense sand stratum. Below these sand and silt strata, a 70-foot thick layer of weathered Mica Schist underlies the entire site. Both skin friction and end bearing in the weathered rock stratum were utilized in the analysis to compute the axial capacity. AASHTO and the PennDOT design methodologies were utilized independently during design of the drilled shafts to verify the design. The drilling of large diameter drilled shafts embedded into weathered rock and situated in a marine environment provided a unique challenge in the construction. A permanent steel casing was installed for a specified depth and proper equipment was used to drill and keep the shaft open through the weathered rock. In addition, a 5000 kip Osterberg load test was performed on one shaft to verify design assumptions and confirm the shaft capacity. The results of the test were utilized to establish load transfer characteristics within the weathered rock and to develop foundation design parameters to be used for the remaining shafts.

Jan 1, 2003

By Giovanni Lombardi

In order to get a clear overview of the grouting works carried out, to avoid misinterpretations of the data and functions shown on the display of the grout monitoring device, it is recommended to keep the flow rate as constant as possible. Obviously, at the beginning of the process, the flow rate will increase from nil to the selected "basic" value. An important question frequently addressed is also how to reduce the flow rate in nearing the GIN limit so to finally reach the target intensity. Depending on the actual conditions, there are different manners to proceed. However, the following one appears to be the most convenient. It is represented on Figure 25. Being GIN the target intensity, two new limits at, let's say, 0.95 GIN and at 1.05 GIN as shown in the figure should be defined. The selected basic grout flow rate "q0", is kept as constant as possible all along the grouting process until the 0.95 GIN limit is reached. The flow is then reduced step wise to 2/3 q0, 1/3 q0 and zero at crossing each of the three limits. A similar rule can be used in respect to the maximum pressure, while for the maximum volume the process can be stopped at one time. Obviously the number of successive limits and thus the number of steps in reducing the pressure, as well as the width of the fringes defined in said way may be adapted to the local conditions.

Feb 10, 2003

By John G. DiGenova

The Allwell Center Ice Arena at Plymouth State University, Plymouth, New Hampshire is located in the flood plain of the Pemigewasset River. To maintain the arena near the level of the surrounding area, foundation design required use of uplift elements to resist hydrostatic loads caused by frequent flood conditions. Soils beneath the arena consisted of very loose to medium dense alluvial deposits overlying thick glaciolacustrine deposits. Bedrock was encountered at depths of 115 feet (35 m) or more. A mat foundation with a sealed building system was developed for the arena to guard against flood events. Several alternatives were investigated to provide uplift capacity for the mat foundation, including the Rammed Aggregate Pier® (RAP) system, driven precast-prestressed concrete piles, driven H-piles, and deep drilled soil/rock anchors. Evaluations indicated that the most cost effective uplift solution was a tension RAP system that developed uplift resistance in the shallow alluvial deposits. A total of 344 55-kip (245-kN) capacity RAP elements were required for the project. The RAPs were designed to resist tensile loads using threaded steel bars. Dual corrosion resistance was provided to the uplift elements by including sacrificial steel and galvanizing the oversized bars and connection plates. A pre-construction test program was conducted on RAP elements drilled to a depth of approximately 25 feet (7.6 m) and installed using various shaft construction procedures and materials. Ten test piers were constructed and six were tested to verify that the piers could resist 200 percent of the design load with measured deflections of less than 1 inch (25 mm). The RAP system also provided improved bearing conditions for the perimeter wall and mat foundations by densifying and stiffening the upper alluvial soils.

Jan 1, 2011

By Dennis Nottingham

Increased interest in seismic soil liquefaction and preventative soil stabilization sets the stage for improved deep compaction methods using pile driving techniques. In 1971 L.B. Foster Company personnel patented a method of deep compaction using a vibratory pile hammer and pile probe. The technique had some success, but did not produce consistent results and thus found its way to obscurity. Other patents attempted to modify the technique by various probe modifications, but again without measurable improvement from a practical point of view. Solutions to economical deep compaction up to 100-foot depths particularly in saturated granular soils would have a great impact on the construction industry and new bulkhead structures being developed, thus PND was prompted into related research and development. The advent of higher horsepower vibratory hammers, coupled with PND engineers' experiments, observations and measurements, led to an "H" pile probe design which has produced measured soil density improvements up to 250% using SPT "N60" values as a measure. Case histories of two projects involving extensive SPT soil sampling comparative measurements will be discussed along with findings that led to the compaction success. Applications to numerous modern "Open Cell" bulkhead projects will be presented and discussed.

Jan 1, 2004

By E. Ulrich Klotz

It is difficult to predict accurately the capacity of driven piles in sand. In practice, this uncer­tainty either leads to conservative designs if the capacity is under-predicted, or worse, if the capacity is over-predicted, it can lead to severe foundation problems. One significant possible cause of the problem is that currently available semi-empirical design methods do not capture the fundamental mechanisms that govern the load capacity of driven piles in sands. As part of a recent research project at City University centrifuge tests on a driven model pile in sands have been undertaken. A fully instrumented model pile was constructed and pushed into samples of quartz and carbonate sand thus covering a wide range of mineralogies. Tri-axial tests were used to determine the fundamental patterns of behavior of the sands. This allowed a general framework to be established, in which the in situ stress:volume relationship is shown to govern the capacity of the pile. The paper sets out with a brief introduction of the experimental techniques used in the study. The results of the pile tests are discussed in detail with particular attention given to distribution of the radial stresses along the pile shaft. Existing design methods for piles in sand are then discussed in the light of the new understanding gained from the research, highlighting their deficiencies and suggesting an improved approach.

Jan 1, 2002

By Mark A. Rohrbach, Timothy R. Kovacs, PhD Saidin

"Crosshole Sonic Logging (CSL) testing is commonly used to verify the integrity, quality and ultimately the acceptability of the concrete in structural elements such as drilled shaft foundations, secant pile cutoff walls, and secant/tangent pile earth retention structures. Besides concrete quality, many factors can impact CSL test results (e.g. laitance, air temperature, access tube spacing, access tube debonding, etc.). Effective use of CSL testing requires fully informed qualified practitioners capable of distinguishing between abnormal readings unrelated to deficiencies in the drilled shaft concrete and similar readings indicating the presence or possible presence of drilled shaft defects. Based on data and experience gathered from CSL testing of thousands of drilled shafts across North America, this paper discusses such factors and other information useful when evaluating CSL test results, and provides practical recommendations intended to reduce the potential for incorrect test data interpretation. The CSL testing industry is lacking in a clear, universally accepted guideline for the interpretation of CSL data and acceptance criteria of these concrete elements. This paper proposes terminology and a streamlined process for use when atypical results are obtained. The proposed terminology and method are intended to simplify and expedite the submittal review and approval process. Because construction activities for these elements are often on the project’s critical path, the benefits obtained in terms of project savings and reducing costly delays areundoubtedly valuable.1. INTRODUCTIONCSL testing is used extensively throughout the world on many projects to verify the quality of concrete used for drilled shaft foundations, secant pile walls, diaphragm walls, etc. In this paper, these structural elements will be referred to as “drilled shafts,” as they are the most common subject of this test method. In the United States, CSL testing is frequently specified by state and regional transportation agencies, ports, design builders, and others. Although other methods are currently available such as Gamma-Gamma Logging and low-strain Impulse-Echo or Sonic-Echo testing, and new methods are under development such as the Thermal Integrity testing, CSL testing is likely to remain one of the most useful tools for evaluating the acceptability of constructed drilled shafts for quite some time. The popularity of CSL as a testing method can be attributed to two main factors: 1) there is no depth limitation to the method and 2) the apparent ease of interpreting the results. A third advantage of CSL testing is that, when correctly interpreted and with adequate test coverage, it is unlikely to misrepresent a defective profile resulting in acceptance of a defective or inadequate drilled shaft. In other words, CSL testing is very likely to underestimate concrete quality/drilled shaft acceptability within its area of coverage."

Jan 1, 2017

By Frederick C. Rhyner

The United States government sponsored the construction of a new vehicular bridge over the Diyala River in Bubriz, Iraq. This paper describes the geotechnical engineering for design and construction of drilled shaft foundations for this bridge. An Iraqi geotechnical engineering firm made borings and laboratory tests while analysis and design recommendations were provided in the United States. Despite the severe challenges of engineering in a war zone, excellent cooperation was the key to a successful effort. Three drilled shafts designs were necessary to accommodate the different subsurface conditions: a) medium-compact to compact sands, b) stiff to hard clays and c) mixed soil profile. The alpha and beta methods were used to estimate capacities for a conservative design, recognizing that quality control during construction might be less than what is normally provided in the United States. Iraq has a high seismic risk and LPILE was used to estimate the drilled shaft response during earthquake loading conditions. Settlement estimates were made using FHWA methods. Construction was carried out entirely by local Iraqi firms, despite the challenges of working in an active conflict area.

Jan 1, 2009