Foundation Failures Mitigation under Expansive Clay by Using Granular Pile Anchor System

Author(s):  
Ehab Hamad Sfoog ◽  
◽  
Alvin John Lim Meng Siang ◽  
Nahla Naji ◽  
Sim Sy Yi ◽  
...  

Expansive soils are found in typical areas in the world especially in arid and semi-arid regions. The problems associated with this type of soil drive geotechnical engineers to invent new technologies as remediation’s such as physical and chemical treatments. Innovative foundation techniques were also suggested for remedying the swell-shrink problems of the expansive soil. The granular pile anchor (GPA) is relatively a more favorable technique indebted to its cost-effective, easy and fast to assemble and most importantly was found to be more efficient in remedying the expansive soil. Despite the extensive studies on the expansive soil remedies, yet the granular pile anchor system requires more comprehensive and in-depth investigations. This study is aimed at developing a model with granular piles of various length and diameter extended to the stable zone to investigate the heave and uplift pressure in the expansive soil. For this purpose, experimental and numerical analysis were conducted in a small and in a full scale model respectively. A significant improvement was attained in heave reduction and an increment of uplift capacity. The findings also show that heave decreased significantly when the length and diameter of the GPA increases while the uplift capacity increased. However, it was noted that the extension of length to the stable zone resulted in insignificant changes. Therefore, it can be concluded that the maximum length of 6 m is the ideal length for GPA with different diameters according to foundations design requirement for this particular type of soil.


Author(s):  
Alvin John Lim Meng Siang ◽  
Ehab Hamad Sfoog ◽  
Nahla Naji ◽  
Sim Sy Yi ◽  
Nickholas Anting Anak Guntor ◽  
...  

<span lang="EN-GB">Expansive soil is found in many parts of the world where its major drawback is its expansion and shrinking property upon moisture absorption and drying during alternation of rainy-dry seasons. Due to its swelling-shrinkage repeated process, fatigue and distress cause crack to structures. Granular pile anchor (GPA) system is a pioneering technique that is utilised in reinforcing these expansive soils. Granular pile anchor (GPA) system is a pioneering technique that is utilised in reinforcing expansive soils. The GPA provides tensile resistance which arrest the exerted upward forces and hence reducing heave. Previous investigations have only focused on load-displacement relationships by utilizing the pull-out technique. In this technique, an external force pulls the GPA and the corresponding displacements are recorded. The results provide indication of the GPA resistance to the applied force. However, in real conditions the heave and expansion forces were developed as a result of the pressure caused by the water absorption which pushes the entire soil bed in the upward direction along with the GPA. Therefore, this paper is aimed to explore this concept by carrying experimental and numerical investigations on a small scale model for a single pile with a diameter of 4 cm, with lengths of 20 and 40 cm. Ultimately, the reinforced soil exhibits reduction in upward force and heave compared to the unreinforced soil. Also, verifications for the testing shows that the relationship between the upward force and heave exhibits almost linear relationship for both experimental and numerical investigations. Therefore, shallow foundations incorporated with a GPA system proves to effectively lessen the heave that occurs in expansive soils which in turn can solve problems for constructions.</span>



2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Abhishek Sharma ◽  
Ravi Kumar Sharma

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to provide a cost-effective foundation technique for the design of foundations of transmission towers, heavily loaded structures, etc. Design/methodology/approach Experimental model tests are conducted in a model test tank to find out the effect of length and diameter of geogrid encased granular pile anchors, the relative density of sand and the angle of inclination of the pile from the vertical on uplift behavior of granular pile anchors. Findings The uplift capacity of the geogrid encased granular pile anchor increased with increasing length and diameter of granular pile anchor. Further, increasing the relative density of surrounding soil increased uplift capacity of geogrid encased granular pile anchor system. Moreover, increasing the angle of inclination of loading also increased uplift capacity of whole system. Thus, the proposed system can be effectively used in field for further applications. Originality/value The paper is helpful for the engineers looking for cost-effective foundation techniques for heavily loaded structures.



2000 ◽  
Vol 37 (4) ◽  
pp. 870-881 ◽  
Author(s):  
B R. Phani Kumar ◽  
N Ramachandra Rao

Granular pile anchors are innovative and effective in resisting the uplift pressure exerted on the foundation by a swelling expansive soil. In a granular pile anchor, the foundation is anchored at the bottom of the granular pile to an anchor plate with the help of a mild steel rod. This renders the granular pile tension-resistant and enables it to offer resistance to the uplift force exerted on the foundation by the swelling soil. This resistance to uplift or pull-out load depends mainly upon the shear parameters of the pile-soil interface and the lateral swelling pressure of the soil, which confines the pile radially and prevents it from being uplifted. The resistance to uplift can be increased by placing a base geosynthetic above the anchor plate so that it forms an integral part of the granular pile anchor. The increase in resistance is due to the friction mobilized between the geosynthetic and the confining media when the uplift load acts on the pile and the geosynthetic moves along with the pile. Hence it depends on the friction between the geosynthetic and the confining media and the area and stiffness of the geosynthetic. This paper discusses the effects of these parameters on pull-out load, rate of heave, and relative ground movement near the pile surface.Key words: expansive soil, granular pile anchor, base geosynthetic, ground movement, rate of heave, pull-out load.



2013 ◽  
Vol 649 ◽  
pp. 217-222
Author(s):  
Mircea Aniculaesi ◽  
Anghel Stanciu ◽  
Irina Lungu

The main factor that governs the shrink-swell behavior of expansive soils is the change in water content and the amount and type of clay size in the soil. In this paper, the research made are focused in reducing the swell potential of the studied clay by improvement in two ways: first by stabilization with a combination of eco-cement and Portland cement (1:1 ratio), and second by synthetic fiber reinforcement. A series of laboratory tests were performed on synthetic fiber reinforced expansive soil to determine the potential for using synthetic fiber reinforcement to reduce swell potential of soils. Specimens tested were prepared at two different synthetic fiber dosages 0.2% and 0.4%. The treatment of expansive clay with 5% eco-cement and 5% Portland cement revealed a better improvement of the swelling potential. The synthetic fiber reinforcement of the expansive soil doesn’t lead to a significant improvement of the soil.



Aerospace ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 20 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dominique Bergmann ◽  
Jan Denzel ◽  
Asmus Baden ◽  
Lucas Kugler ◽  
Andreas Strohmayer

Future aircraft design highly depends on the successful implementation of new technologies. However, the gap between conventional designs and new visions often comes with a high financial risk. This significantly complicates the integration of innovations. Scaled unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) are an innovative and cost-effective way to get new configurations and technologies in-flight. Therefore the Institute of Aircraft Design developed the e-Genius-Mod taking into account all relevant similitude requirements. It is a scale model of the electric motor glider e-Genius. Since the Reynolds number for the free-flight model cannot be adhered to, an airfoil was developed with lift-to-drag and lift-to-angle-of-attack courses reproducing the full-scale e-Genius flight characteristics. This will enable testing and assessment of new aviation technologies in a scaled version with an opportunity for free-flight demonstration in relevant environment.



From the fast few decades, several techniques were introduced inorder to modify the behaviour of expansive clays. The use of strong electrolytes like calcium chloride (CaCl2 ), aluminum trichloride (AlCl3 ) and iron chloride (FeCl3 ) were extensively used in various civil engineering applications. Expansive soils possesses alternate shrinkage and swelling with the removal and addition of water from it. Iron chloride was effectively used to alter the swelling and shrinkage and also improve the engineering behaviour of expansive clays. Therefore, in the current work an effort is made for study the influence of iron chloride (FeCl3 ) on the strength behaviour of the expansive soil. The outcomes from the laboratory investigation proved that the usage of iron chloride (FeCl3 ) produce reduction in swelling and improvement in the strength. It was found that 1% FeCl3 be the optimum for both the UCS and CBR. Hence, from the investigation it was showed that iron chloride is a valuable stabilizer to enhance the properties of black cotton soil and to create it apt for various applications of Civil Engineering.



2017 ◽  
Vol 23 (2) ◽  
pp. 124
Author(s):  
Wilis Diana ◽  
Edi Hartono ◽  
Anita Widianti

Expansive soils experience volumetric changes due to water content changes. These volumetric changes cause swell and shrink movement in soils, which in turn will inflict severe damage to structures built above them. A Proper understanding of how the expansive soil behaves during the wetting/drying process is essential for assessing the mitigation action of expansive soil hazard and design suitable foundation. The structures that build above expansive soil bed are susceptible to heave and to withstand swell pressure, thus the swell pressure must be considered in the design. This study focuses on swelling properties of two expansive clay from Ngawi, East Java and Wates, Yogyakarta. Laboratory test on disturbed samples is used to identified and to measured swelling properties. A series of swelling test was performed under constant soil dry density. The influence of initial water content and surcharge pressure on swelling properties (i.e swell percent and swell pressure) of compacted samples were investigated. The swelling properties test used ASTM standard 4546-03 method B. It was found that the lower initial water content the higher the swell percent, but the swell pressure seems not to be affected by initial water content. At the same initial water content, swell percent decrease with the increase of surcharge pressure, but swell pressure remains unchanged.



2020 ◽  
Vol 195 ◽  
pp. 03006
Author(s):  
Arthur Gomes Dantas de Araujo ◽  
Nayara Torres Belfort ◽  
Felipe Araujo Silva Barbosa ◽  
Thalita Cristiana Rodrigues Silva ◽  
Silvio Romero de Melo Ferreira ◽  
...  

Expansive soils may present cracks arising from the drying process and their evolution can cause irreparable damages to engineering projects. Investigating this phenomenon is vital to understanding its geomechanics. The objective of this article is to present numerical modelling of the formation and propagation of cracks in expansive soil. A desiccation experiment was therefore carried out using an expansive silty clay from Paulista, in northeastern Brazil. The drying process was monitored by measuring the temperature and relative humidity of the air, as well as by capturing images with a camera. The digital images were correlated using the Ncorr numerical tool in MATLAB. As a result, this study made it possible to conclude that the soil cracking dynamics presented a non-orthogonal pattern during the dryness test, while the image treatment made it possible to observe the tendency of cracks to appear and propagate on the soil surface, allowing for the detection of crack growth and propagation trends.



2020 ◽  
Vol 195 ◽  
pp. 01030
Author(s):  
Shirin Aminzadeh Bostani Taleshani ◽  
Robert Evans ◽  
Emad Gad ◽  
Mahdi Miri Disfani

Swell-shrink movement of expansive soils due to seasonal wetting and drying can cause differential ground movements. This movement can inflict substantial structural damage above foundation level to lightly loaded infrastructure. To reduce this movement, techniques have been employed to either (i) chemically restrain the soil’s reactivity, (ii) control the moisture variation within the ground, or (iii) engage a footing system that can limit the impact of the stresses generated by such differential ground movements. Recently, a new concrete-free footing system has been developed in Australia in an attempt to sufficiently resist such ground movements. This system is comprised of an adjustable steel plate attached to the ground by multiple thin steel (hollow) battered mini-piles. The technology shows promise as a low-impact, cost-effective, excavation and concrete-free, innovative alternative to traditional footing systems. It is also quick and easy to install without the use of bulky and expensive equipment. Early field trial results have indicated that this new footing system can combat against and significantly reduce the transfer of the swell-shrink ground movements to a structure. This paper will describe this new footing system and report on an experimental field trial to date, which will include measured ground movements, moisture content and soil suction results vs. depth, as well as the performance of this new driven battered mini-pile group footing system.



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