OPTIMIZATION OF GROUTING METHOD AND AXIAL PERFORMANCE OF PRESSURE GROUTED HELICAL PILES

Pressure grouted helical pile (PGHP) is an innovative piling system that allows a significant increase in helical pile capacity with relatively low additional cost. The pile is constructed by applying pressurized grout during the installation of conventional helical piles. The grout is injected into the ground through two nozzles welded to the hollow pile shaft. This paper presents a comprehensive laboratory study to investigate the effect of three different nozzles configurations on the shape and axial performance of PGHP. The results reveal a significant increase in the PGHP shaft resistance over that of the un-grouted helical pile due to the formation of a continuous grout column with a larger diameter, higher friction angle at the pile/soil interface, and higher lateral earth pressure around the pile. The shape and diameter of the created grout column depend on the nozzles configuration used for grout injection. An increase in the end-bearing resistance is observed due to grout dissipation into the supporting soil voids. The study also shows that PGHPs installed with the third nozzles configuration have the fastest installation rate and the highest compression and pullout resistances. Thus, the third nozzles configuration is recommended for PGHP construction.

Performance of Back-to-Back Geogrid Reinforced Soil Retaining Walls for Railways during Service

To investigate the performance of a reinforced soil retaining wall during service for a passenger-dedicated railway, long-term remote observation testing of the back-to-back geogrid reinforced retaining wall (BBGRSW) of Qing-Rong passenger-dedicated railway in Shandong Province was conducted for 60 months. The performance of the reinforced retaining wall was investigated after construction, and the lateral earth pressure of the reinforced soil wall was analyzed. The vertical stress on the wall and tension on the geogrid were measured using pressure cells and flexible deformation gauges, thereby resulting in the distribution of data and changes in the service period. The test results show that the pressure and deformation of the wall are almost stable. It was determined that the lateral earth pressure on the back of the wall panel was approximately 119.2% of the completion time during the 60 months after construction. The vertical stress on the reinforced soil retaining wall remained approximately stable 60 months post-construction. The maximum strain of the measured geogrids accounted for less than 30% of the peak strain. Moreover, the deformation of the wall was relatively small, which indicated that both sides of the wall remained in good condition. These research results can serve as a reference for the design optimization of reinforced soil retaining walls for high-speed railways.