scholarly journals Proposal for considering the group effect in the prediction of settlements in pile groups through load transfer methods

2021 ◽  
Vol 44 (2) ◽  
pp. 1-8
Author(s):  
Francisco Vladson Cardins Gomes Filho ◽  
Alfran Sampaio Moura

When designing a foundation project, it is necessary to ensure that all the elements meet both ultimate and serviceability limit states, which call for predictions of settlement and load capacity. The load transfer methods are a widely used alternative to estimate the load-settlement ratio of piles in the design of foundation projects. However, traditional load transfer methods do not consider the interactive effects between the elements in pile groups. This study proposes changes to the load transfer curves developed by Bohn et al. (2016), aiming to incorporate the group effect in the analysis of load-settlement relationships in pile groups. Comparisons between the predicted settlements obtained using the proposed method and the results of load tests performed by Dai et al. (2012) in Jiangsu, China, showed that the modifications proposed in this study agreed well with the experimental results for most of the analyzed groups.

2002 ◽  
Vol 39 (6) ◽  
pp. 1254-1272 ◽  
Author(s):  
J R Omer ◽  
R Delpak ◽  
R B Robinson

The present work stems from the design of a viaduct in South Wales, U.K., where full-scale pile testing was carried out to assess whether the proposed design methods would meet the required load capacity and settlement criteria for the working piles. Five fully instrumented large diameter bored cast in situ piles, up to 30 m deep, were installed in weathered mudstone and tested under vertical loading. A sixth pile, which had no shaft instrumentation, was formed with a voided toe. In conjunction with vast soil data from 218 site investigation boreholes, the extensive data produced from the load tests were analyzed to quantify the key parameters considered to influence load transfer and settlement behaviour. Each pile was first calibrated using four methods to establish the as-built stiffness, taking into account the nonlinearity of concrete and the effect of partial steel encasement. It is demonstrated that the current national norms for bored pile design in cohesive soil – soft rock are overconservative for South Wales ground conditions. To ameliorate this, alternative methods are proposed, which lead to improved reliability and accuracy in shaft and base capacity assessment. In addition, a numerical model is developed that can be used to predict the complete load-settlement variation up to the ultimate state. The model is sufficiently expounded to allow its immediate application in pile design by geotechnical engineers.Key words: piled foundations, load tests, bearing capacity and settlement, Mercia mudstone.


2002 ◽  
Vol 39 (6) ◽  
pp. 1358-1383 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yasser E Mostafa ◽  
M Hesham El Naggar

Pile foundations supporting bridge piers, offshore platforms, and marine structures are required to resist not only static loading but also lateral dynamic loading. The static p–y curves are widely used to relate pile deflections to nonlinear soil reactions. The p-multiplier concept is used to account for the group effect by relating the load transfer curves of a pile in a group to the load transfer curves of a single pile. Some studies have examined the validity of the p-multiplier concept for the static and cyclic loading cases. However, the concept of the p-multiplier has not yet been considered for the dynamic loading case, and hence it is undertaken in the current study. An analysis of the dynamic lateral response of pile groups is described. The proposed analysis incorporates the static p–y curve approach and the plane strain assumptions to represent the soil reactions within the framework of a Winkler model. The model accounts for the nonlinear behaviour of the soil, the energy dissipation through the soil, and the pile group effect. The model was validated by analyzing the response of pile groups subjected to lateral Statnamic loading and comparing the results with field measured values. An intensive parametric study was performed employing the proposed analysis, and the results were used to establish dynamic soil reactions for single piles and pile groups for different types of sand and clay under harmonic loading with varying frequencies applied at the pile head. "Dynamic" p-multipliers were established to relate the dynamic load transfer curves of a pile in a group to the dynamic load transfer curves for a single pile. The dynamic p-multipliers were found to vary with the spacing between piles, soil type, peak amplitude of loading, and the angle between the line connecting any two piles and the direction of loading. The study indicated the effect of pile material and geometry, pile installation method, and pile head conditions on the p-multipliers. The calculated p-multipliers compared well with p-multipliers back-calculated from full scale field tests.Key words: lateral, transient loading, nonlinear, pile–soil–pile interaction, p–y curves, Statnamic.


1983 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
pp. 173-176
Author(s):  
Bengt H. Fellenius ◽  
Geoffry G. Meyerhof

A review is presented of some aspects of deep foundation design in the new Ministry of Transportation and Communications of Ontario, ultimate limit states Bridge Design Code. The design of axial pile capacity distinguishes between structural capacity limit and geotechnical capacity limit. The geotechnical capacity of a driven pile is governed by the dynamic impedance of the pile cross section. Higher geotechnical capacity, for instance due to soil setup, can only be utilized if proven to exist. Different capacity modification factors are used for routine load tests and high level test loading. Modern methods of dynamic monitoring are included and capacity determination by such methods is accepted as equivalent to determination from routine load tests. Lateral capacity of single piles and group piles, downdrag, and inclined loading of pile groups are considered, as are details such as splicing and use of pile shoes. Pile spacing is given as a function of expected pile length.


Author(s):  
Aligi Foglia ◽  
Khalid Abdel-Rahman ◽  
Elmar Wisotzki ◽  
Tulio Quiroz ◽  
Martin Achmus

Estimating pile group efficiency for open-ended steel piles in small group arrangements is a challenging task for designers. This paper reports on the large-scale experimental campaign performed for the BorWin gamma offshore converter platform, which involved single piles and two-pile group systems on a scale of 1:10. The experimental works included installation, dynamic end-of-driving tests, dynamic restrike tests, and static load tests of a single pile and a pair of two-pile groups in densely compacted, artificially prepared homogeneous sand. The CPT profiles and the blow counts confirmed that the foundation systems are comparable to each other. The experimental results of the single pile system were compared with conventional design methods. Such comparison indicated that CPT-based methods and load-transfer methods are applicable at the considered model scale. The bearing capacity prediction obtained via the CAPWAP method is conservative with respect to the static capacity. A consistent setup effect can be detected by analyzing the complete dynamic loading session. The pile group efficiency for the given foundation system was found to be less than 1.0 at both very small and very large soil strains, while it equaled 1.0 at failure.


2015 ◽  
Vol 52 (8) ◽  
pp. 1005-1022
Author(s):  
Wilson Cartaxo Soares ◽  
Roberto Quental Coutinho ◽  
Renato Pinto da Cunha

Geotechnical projects typically achieve load transfer to the ground using shallow or deep foundations. The conventional design approach does not provide for the combination of these two types of foundation. The piled raft philosophy allows the association of the soil elements, raft, and piles to obtain technical and economic advantages over conventional design. The city of João Pessoa, in northeastern Brazil, has developed foundation practices with hollow auger piles in piled raft design. The coastal area of the city has topsoil layers with favorable conditions for using such a technique. This paper addresses the results of a research project with instrumented load tests on foundation systems of hollow auger piles and a piled raft. The analysis is based on the load–settlement curve through extrapolation criteria. The Poulos–Davis–Randolph (PDR) method is applied according to a trilinear and hyperbolic approach to simulate the load–settlement curve of piled rafts. The results indicate that the raft absorbs most of the load, and the raft–soil contact significantly increases the load capacity of the foundation. The PDR hyperbolic method could apply to practical use in the foundations of the region, as it allows a more detailed assessment of the behavior of the foundation and can forecast the behavior of the (locally nontraditional) piled raft foundation system.


2005 ◽  
Vol 42 (5) ◽  
pp. 1485-1493 ◽  
Author(s):  
Su-Hyung Lee ◽  
Choong-Ki Chung

The interactions among closely located piles and a cap in a pile group are complex. The current design practice for vertically loaded pile groups roughly estimates their overall behavior and generally yields conservative estimations of the group capacity. For a proper pile group design, factors such as the interaction among piles, the interaction between cap and piles, and the influence of pile installation method all need to be considered. This paper presents the results of the model test, which can be used to better understand the interactions of vertically loaded pile groups in granular soil. Load tests were carried out on the following: an isolated single pile, single-loaded center piles in groups, a footing without any piling, free standing pile groups, and piled footings. The influences of pile driving and the interactions among bearing components on load–settlement and load transfer characteristics of piles and on the bearing behavior of a cap in a group are investigated separately by comparing their respective test results. The favorable interaction effects that increase pile capacities are identified.Key words: pile group, pile installation, interaction, model test, free standing, piled footing.


Author(s):  
Le Thiet Trung ◽  
Duong Diep Thuy ◽  
Pham Viet Anh

Results of in-situ tests showed that the performance of single isolated piles and individual piles within a group is largely different. When piles are arranged in a group, the interaction between piles and the foundation depends on the pile arrangement and the pile group effect. To date, studies on the pile group effect in Vietnam have been limited to reduced-scale laboratory testing or static load testing where piles are installed into homogeneous sandy or clayey foundation. This paper presents in situ tests which were performed on both single piles and pile groups, loaded to failure, with the aim of studying the pile group effect of piles embedded in multi-layered foundation. Strain gauges were installed along the shaft of 10 m long steel pipe piles, with a diameter of 143 mm. The influence of loose sand layers on the group effect in case of friction piles was evaluated. The experimental results indicated that the influence of sand layers was evident, and the group factor was calculated to be 1.237. Keywords: group efficiency; pile groups; axial capacity; load transfer.


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