a short course in
Soil-structure
Engineering
_of Deep
mete te F
Excavations and
Bak
ee ee
Noel Simons & Bruce MenziesA SHORT COURSE IN
SOIL-STRUCTURE
ENGINEERING
OF DEEP FOUNDATIONS, EXCAVATIONS AND TUNNELS
CHARLES W. W. NG, NOEL SIMONS and BRUCE MENZIES
=
‘L' ThomasTelfordPublished by Thomas Telford Publishing, Thomas Telford Ltd, 1 Heron Quay,
London E14 4JD,
‘www.thomastelford.com
Distributors for Thomas Telford books are
USA: ASCE Press, 1801 Alexander Bell Drive, Reston, VA 20191-4400, USA
Japan: Maruzen Co, Ltd, Book Department, 3-10 Nihonbashi 2-chome, Chuo-ku,
Tokyo 103
Australia: DA Books and Journals, 648 Whitehorse Road, Mitcham 3132, Victoria
First published 2004
A catalogue record for this book is available {rom the British Library
ISBN: 0 7277 3263 3
© Charles Ng, Noel Simons, Bruce Menzies and Thomas Telford Limited 2004
All rights, including translation, seserved. Except as permitted by the Copyright,
Designs and Patents Act 1988, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in
4 retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical,
photocopying or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the Publishing
Director, Thomas Telford Publishing, Thomas Telford Ltd, 1 Heron Quay,
London E14 4JD.
‘This book is published on the understanding that the authors are solely responsible for
the statements made and opinions expressed in it and that its publication does not
necessarily imply that such statements and/or opinions are or teflect the views or
opinions of the publishers. While every effort has been made to ensure that the
statements made and the opinions expressed in this publication provide a safe and
accurate guide, no liability or responsibility can be accepted in this respect by the
authors or publishers.
‘Typeset by Academic + Technical, Bristol
Printed and bound in Great Britain by MPG Books, Bodmin
Cover photograph
Lion Yard excavation showing a vertical concrete bored pile and horizontal steel propsPreface
This book is divided into three parts - effectively three short courses —
focusing on the following three major geotechnical challenges of static
soil-structure interaction problems:
* Part 1 Deep foundations - piles and barrettes
© Part2 Multi-propped deep excavations
© Part3 Bored and open-face tunnels below cities.
Part 1 Deep foundations — piles and barrettes concentrates on axially
loaded long piles and barrettes. We were unable to include laterally
loaded piles because of space limitations. The introductory sections of
Part 1 draw mainly on the state-of-the-art papers by Poulos (1989) and
Randolph and Wroth (1979). We then focus on the long piles that are
typical in the Far East. Long piles have a particular character because
their elastic shortening under load makes the pile head load-displace-
ment test more difficult to interpret. Pile failure load criteria, therefore,
need re-examining and we provide new displacement failure criteria
based on many pile tests. For ‘floating’ barrettes and long piles, where
their load capacity is derived from side resistance only, the degree of
mobilisation of side resistance is clearly critical and so Mobilisation
Rating is a key concept that is explained.
Part 2 Mullti-propped deep excavations uses an extended case study as
the vehicle for explaining the design concepts ~ this is Lion Yard, Cam-
bridge. Preliminary design methods are presented as ‘handwritten’
Short Course Notes. Plastic mechanisms of failure are explained drawing
on the work of Bolton (1993). Numerical modelling is used to obtain
vertical and horizontal ground movements associated with the separate
effects of panel trenching and installation (including bentonite support
and tremie concreting), and of propping and excavating deep excavations
retained by diaphragm walls. In particular, the realistic Wall-Installation-
Modelled (WIM) method is introduced and compared with the more
common and unrealistic Wished-In-Place (WIP) method of analysis,
Part 3 Bored and open-face tunnelling below cities begins with an
introduction from Bolton (1979) showing how easily soil arching supportstunnels ~ making sprayed concrete linings quite acceptable as used by the
New Austrian Tunnelling Method (NATM). The main body of Part 3
draws extensively on the state-of-the-art paper by Mair and Taylor
(1997) and concentrates on the evaluation of the surface settlement
tough above a tunnel heading. The settlement trough shape follows the
classic Gaussian probability curve — all that is required to define the
trough are the parameters of either maximum settlement or ground loss,
and the point of inflexion of the Gaussian curve. Numerical modelling is
used to model the interaction between two parallel tunnels being driven
with one lagging behind the heading of the other. The left and right
tunnels are even driven in left and right drifts. This demonstrates the
quite detailed and numerous installation steps that can be numerically
modelled. We also show the effect of driving a tunnel near a pile tip.
The pile capacity is first assessed by modelling an axial loading test and
so providing a load-displacement curve from which a working load is
found. A tunnel is driven near the tip of the pile where plastic yielding
then occurs. The loss of working load is found to be an alarming two-
thirds!
Several detailed case studies are considered. These include a well-
instrumented test barrette in Hong Kong together with 15 other test
barrettes, plus an extensive review of 28 large-diameter floating bored
pile tests. These studies help to establish the Mobilisation Ratings that
are critical in design. We also include the extended case studies of the
Heathrow Express Trial Tunnel (Deane and Bassett, 1995) and the Lion
Yard deep excavation (Ng, 1992, 1998). Finally, we briefly review the
precautions taken to protect the Big Ben Clock Tower from ground move-
ments caused by the Jubilee Line Extension tunnels (Burland et ai., 2001),
These measures included monitoring of the Tower tilt and compensation
grouting by tubes d manchette (TAMS).
This book will give both student and practising civil engineers a useful
review of the state-of-the-art of designing deep foundations, excavations
and tunnels. In addition, the case studies and numerical modelling
presented will give valuable insights into the challenges of soil-structure
engineering
Charles W. W. Ng, Noel Simons, Bruce Menzies
Hong Kong University of Science and Technology
Hong Kong 2003Acknowledgements
We acknowledge permissions from authors and publishers to make
verbatim extracts from their published works as follows:
Professor Braja Das and Brookes/Cole, Publishers, from:
* Das, B. M. (2000). Fundamentals of Geotechnical Engineering
Brookes/Cole, Thomson Learning,
Professor Harry Poulos and Thomas Telford, Publishers, from:
@ Poulos, H. G, (1989). Twenty-ninth Rankine Lecture: Pile
behaviour - theory and application. Géotechnique, 39(3), 363-415.
Professor Harry Poulos and John Wiley, Publishers, from:
© Poulos, H. G. and Davis, E. H. (1980): Pile Foundation Analysis
and Design. John Wiley and Sons, New York.
Professor Mark Randolph and Thomas Telford, Publishers, from:
Randolph, M, F. and Wroth, C. P. (1979). An analysis of the
vertical deformation of pile groups. Géotechnique, 29(4), 423-439.
Mr Tommy Tomlinson and Prentice Hall, Publishers, from:
© Tomlinson, M. J. (2001). Foundation Design and Construction.
7th edn. Prentice Hall, London,
Professor Malcolm Bolton and M, D. and K. Bolton, Publishers, from:
Bolton, M. D, (1979). A Guide to Soil Mechanics, M. D, and
K, Bolton, Cambridge, 439 pp.
Professor Malcolm Bolton and the Japanese Society of Soil Mechanics and
Foundation Engineering, Publishers, from:
Bolton, M. D. (1993). Mechanisms of ground deformation due to
excavation in clay. Excavation in Urban Areas, KIGForum '93,
Toshihisha Adachi (ed.), Japanese Soc. of Soil Mech. and Fndn
Engng, 1-33.Professors Robert Mair and Neil Taylor and © Swets & Zeitlinger,
Publishers, from:
* Mair, R. J. and Taylor, R. N, (1997). Theme lecture: Bored
tunnelling in the urban environment. In Proc. 14th Int. Conf. Soil
Mech. & Fdn Engng, 4, 2353-2385, Balkema, Rotterdam.
Mr Tony Deane, Dr Dickie Bassett and Thomas Telford, Publishers, from:
© Deane, A. P, and Bassett, R. H. (1995). The Heathrow Express
Trial Tunnel. Proc. Inst. Civ. Engrs, 113, July, 144-156,
Professor John Burland, Dr Jamie Standing, Mr Fin Jardine and Thomas
Telford, Publishers, from:
¢ Burland, J. B., Standing, J. R. and Jardine, F. M., eds (2001).
Building Response to Tunnelling. Thomas Telford, London.
Professors C. W. W. Ng and G. T. K. Lee and Elsevier, Publishers, from:
© Ng, C. W. W. and Lee, G. T. K. (2002), A three-dimensional
parametric study of the use of soil nails for stabilising tunnel faces
Computers and Geotechnics, 29(8), 673-697.
Mr David Nash and Mr Martin Lings, University of Bristol and JT Design
and Build, for:
© Photographs of Lion Yard, Cambridge.
The American Society of Civil Engineers, from:
° Ng, C. W. W., Yau, T. L. ¥., Li, J. H. M. and Tang, W. H. (2001c).
New failure load criterion for large diameter bored piles in
weathered geomaterials. J. Geotech. & Geoenv. Engng, ASCE,
127(6), 488-498, Tables 1-2, Figs 3, 4, 6.
* Ng, C. W. W. (1998), Observed performance of multi-propped
excavation in stiff clay. J. Geolech. & Geoenv. Engng, ASCE,
124(9), 889-905, Figs 1-23, Table 1.
Ng, C. W. W. (1999). Stress paths in relation to deep excavations.
J. Geotech. & Geoenv. Engng, ASCE, 125(5), 357-363, Fig. 1
* Ng, C. W. W. and Lei, G. H. (2003a), Performance of long
rectangular barrettes in granitic saprolites. J. Geotech. & Geoenv.
Engng, ASCE, 129(8), 685-696, Figs 2-9, Tables 1-3.
¢ Ng, C. W. W. and Yan, W. M. (1998c). Stress transfer and
deformation mechanisms around a diaphragm wall panel
J. Geotech. & Geoenv. Engng, ASCE, 124(7), 638-648, Figs 1-15
* Ng, C. W. W., Rigby, D., Ng, S. W. L and Lei, G. (2000b). Field
studies of a well-instrumented barrette in Hong Kong. J. Geotech.
& Geoenv. Engng, ASCE, 126(1), 60-73, Figs 2-5, 7-9, 11-12.Ng, C. W. W., Yau, T. L. Y., Li, J. H. M. and Tang, W. H. (2001a).
Side resistance of large diameter bored piles socketed into
decomposed rocks. J. Geotech. & Geoenv. Engng, ASCE, 127(8),
642-657, Tables 2-4, Figs 2, 4, 7.
Ng, C. W. W. and Lings, M. L, (1995). Effects of modelling soil
nonlinearity and wall installation on back-analysis of deep
excavation in stiff clay. J. Geotech. & Geoenv. Engng, ASCE,
121(10), 687-695, Figs 3-14, Tables 1-2.
vilContents
Part 1: Deep foundations — piles and barrettes
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Overview
Sources
Uses and types of piles and pile groups
Large-displacement piles
Small-displacement piles
Replacement piles
Vertical pile load transfer mechanisms
Load-settlement relationships
Failure load on piles: definitions, interpretation and criteria
Definitions
Interpretation and criteria
Establishment of a new failure load criterion for
large-diameter bored piles and barrettes
Overview: the problem of large-diameter, long bored piles
Method for establishing a new failure load criterion
Summary
Analysis, design and parameters
Categories of analysis/design procedures
Estimation of geotechnical parameters
Dynamic formulae
Overview
Pile-driving formulae
The Wave Equation
Reliability of dynamic methods
10
10
15
15
20
20
21
31
31
34
39
40
40
40
53
53
54
59
62Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Design of rock-socketed piles
Research and practice in North America
Research and practice in Australia
Design practice in Hong Kong
Case studies: rock-socketed piles
Overview
Displacement Index (DI)
Capacity of side resistance and relationship with UCS and
decomposition grade
Pile instrumentation: a case study of a well-instrumented
barrette in Kowloon Bay, Hong Kong
Overview: key questions
Introduction
Site location and ground conditions
Details of construction
Instrumentation
Load and displacement behaviour of barrette
Barrette side resistance
Pore pressure response at soil-barrette interface
Changes of lateral stress at soil-barrette interface
Case studies: 15 full-scale loading tests on barrettes in
Hong Kong
Test barrettes reviewed
Site locations and ground conditions
Methods of interpretation of test data
Mobilization of side resistance in granitic saprolites
Construction effects on side resistance
Case studies: bored piles in weathered materials in
Hong Kong
Overview: key questions
Introduction
Typical ground conditions and soil types in Hong Kong
Load test procedures
Load tests under review
Degree of mobilization of side shear resistance
Correlation of side shear resistance with SPT
Construction factor
64
64
65
66
68
68
73
73
77
7
7
78
78
80
82
83
85
87
89
89
89
89
94
100
102
102
102
103
103
104
109
109
113Chapter 12
Part 1
Settlement analysis of piles and pile groups
Overview: methods of analysis
Empirical methods
Simplified analytical methods
Numerical methods
Settlement characteristics of piles and pile groups using the
boundary-element method
Summary
Part 2: Multi-propped deep excavations
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Overview
Sources
Stress paths in relation to a deep excavation
Overview: the stress path dependency of soil parameters
Idealized stress paths adjacent to deep excavations
Plastic geo-structural analysis
Source
Overview
Plastic geo-structural mechanism for lateral stress relief on an
undrained clay face
Mechanism for undrained excavation against a cantilever wall
pinned at its toe
Geo-structural mechanism for base heave in undrained clay
excavations
Preliminary design for deep excavations
{short course notes)
General design aims
Preliminary design for ultimate limit states
Design against base heave in clays
Design against piping in sands
Preliminary design for serviceability limit states
Estimation of ground settlements outside excavations and
maximum lateral wall deformations
Estimation of soil swelling inside the excavation in both the short
term and long term
Comment: detailed design using computer programs
115
415
115
116
122
124
135,
137
138
139
141
141
141
144
144
144
144
147
150
157
157
157
159
161
162
163
164
166Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
xii
Instrumentation: a case study of a multi-propped excavation
at Lion Yard, Cambridge
Overview: the site
Geology
Soil profile and properties
Top-down construction
Unusual research opportunities
Observed performance
General ground deformation patterns
Assessment: the ‘two-phase’ behaviour of Gault Clay
Concluding comments
Lateral pressure of wet concrete in diaphragm walls
Overview
Pressure of wet concrete on formwork
Underwater concreting and diaphragm wall construction
The Lion Yard diaphragm wall
The Telefonhuset, Oslo
The Seville subway
Assessment
Concluding comments
Stress transfer and deformation mechanisms around
diaphragm walls
Overview
Numerical models and parameters
Finite-difference mesh and modelling procedure
Normal stress distributions behind panel
Shear stress distributions behind panel
Horizontal deformations
Surface settlements
Assessment
Concluding comments
Effects of modelling soil non-linearity and wall installation
on back-analysis of deep excavations in stiff clay
Overview
Numerical analysis
Simulation procedures
‘Comparison of linear and non-linear analyses with
Wall-Installation-Modelled (WIM)
167
167
167
169
173
175
179
184
194
196
198
198
199
202
204
209
211
213
217
218
218
220
224
224
229
235
236
237
239
241
241
241
245
247Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Part 2
Comparison of Wall-Installation-Modelled (WIM) and
Wished-In-Place (WIP) analyses with Mohr-Coulomb model
Overview
Assessment of mobilized soil stiffness
Concluding comments
Prediction of ground movements due to diaphragm wall
installation
Overview
Elastic solutions
Modelling diaphragm wall installation: methodology
Ground deformations
‘Assessment
The prediction and control of displacements around deep
excavations in completely decomposed granite
Minimizing displacements
Prediction of displacements
Assessment
Summary
Part 3: Bored and open-face tunnelling below cities
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Overview
Sources
Terminology
Unsupported tunnels: theoretical assessment of the collapse
of soil arches
Modern tunnel construction techniques
Open-face tunnelling
Closed-face tunnelling
Principal design and construction requirements
Overview: stability, ground movements and linings
Stability
Ground movements
Case study: the Heathrow Express trial tunnel
Design and construction
252
252
255
258
259
259
259
260
262
270
271
27a
274
278
279
281
282
283
284
285
290
290
291
293
293
294
301
320
320Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Part 3
Review of measured ground movements
Conclusions
Finite-element modelling of multi-tunnel interactions and
tunnelling effects on adjacent piles
Overview
Influence of in situ stress state and anisotropy
Multi-tunnel interaction
Stabilizing tunnel faces using soil nails
Finite-element modelling of a tunnel advancing on an existing
loaded pile
Effect of ground movements on buildings
Classification of damage and assessment criteria
Influence of building stiffness
Case study: effect of the Jubilee Line Extension on the
Big Ben Clock Tower
The completed Jubilee Line Extension
The Big Ben Clock Tower and the Palace of Westminster
Situation, design criteria and ground conditions
Tilt of the Big Ben Clock Tower
Compensation grouting
Summary
Recommended list of units, unit abbreviations, quantity symbols and
conversion factors for use in soil and rock mechanics
References and Bibliography
Index
xiv
327
330
333
333
334
335
338
343
353
353
355
357
357
358
358
362
363
366
368
371
397PART I
Deep foundations — piles and
barrettes
Kentledge reaction stack for testing piles in Hong KongOverview
The major challenges facing designers of deep foundations, par-
ticularly in crowded urban areas, are;
1 How are piles analysed for their load-carrying capacity and
how is a safe working load established?
2 How are loading tests on barrettes and long piles interpreted
and of the many failure load criteria which one should be
used?
3. Are dynamic pile-driving formulae reliable?
For ‘floating’ barrettes (i.e. that rely on side resistance for their
load capacity), how are lateral stresses and pore water pres-
sures distributed and how do they change during a load test?
5 What is the importance of degree of mobilisation of side resis-
tance in floating piles and barrettes?
6 How are rock-socketed or rock end-bearing piles assessed for
their load capacity in weathered rocks in particular (as distinct
from sedimentary rocks)?
7 What are realistic design values of side resistance and settle-
ment?
8 Whatis the influence of construction factors such as duration,
use of bentonite and grouting?
‘This Part 1 - effectively a short course on deep foundations ~ seeks
to answer these questions by correlating theory with field
measurement. Numerous case studies of both barrettes and long
bored piles are considered and their implication for design
practice is made clear. The French term. ‘barrette’ refers to a
concrete replacement pile formed in a short and deep trench
excavated under bentonite or polymer slurry by diaphragm
walling equipment.
-Sources
In addition to the authors’ papers, this Part 1 makes verbatim
extracts from the following:
* Poulos, H. G. and Davis, E. H, (1980). Pile Foundation Analysis
and Design. John Wiley and Sons, New York.
© Poulos, H. G. (1989), Twenty-ninth Rankine Lecture: Pile
behaviour - theory and application. Géotechnique, 39(3),
363-415,
Randolph, M. F. and Wroth, C, P. (1979). An analysis of the
vertical deformation of pile groups. Géotechnique, 29(4),
423-439,
Tomlinson, M. J. (2001). Foundation Design and Construction,
7th edn. Prentice Hall, London.
We gratefully acknowledge permissions to make verbatim
extracts from these sources from Professor Harry Poulos, Professor
Mark Randolph and Mr ‘Tommy’ Tomlinson.CHAPTER ONE
Uses and types of piles and pile groups
Deep foundations are almost invariably piles, caissons or barrettes. Piles
that are cast-in-place concrete are generally circular in cross-section.
Driven piles may be circular or square in section. Caissons may be any
section and are often installed in stages. Barrettes are generally rectangular
or cruciform in section.
Pile foundations are needed in many circumstances. Das (2000) defines
the following cases in which piles may be considered for the construction
of a foundation.
‘When the upper soil layer or layers are highly compressible and too
weak to support the load transmitted by the superstructure, piles are
used to transmit the load to underlying bedrock or a stronger soil
layer, as shown in Fig. 1.1(a). When bedrock is not encountered at a
reasonable depth below the ground surface, piles are used to transmit
the structural load to the soil gradually. The resistance to the applied
structural load is derived mainly from the frictional resistance devel-
oped at the soil-pile interface (Fig. 1.1(b)).
* When subjected to horizontal forces (see Fig. 1.1(c)), pile foundations
resist by bending while still supporting the vertical load transmitted by
the superstructure. This situation is generally encountered in the
design and construction of earth-retaining structures and foundations
of tall structures that are subjected to strong wind and/or earthquake
forces.
© In many cases, the soils at the site of a proposed structure may be
expansive or collapsible. These soils may extend to a great depth
below the ground surface. Expansive soils swell and shrink as the
moisture content increases and decreases, and the swelling pressure
of such soils can be considerable. If shallow foundations are used,
the structure may suffer considerable damage. However, pile founda-
tions may be considered as an alternative when piles are extended
beyond the active zone, which swells and shrinks (Fig. 1.1(d)). Soils
such as loess may be collapsible. When the moisture contents of
these soils increase, their structures may break down. A suddenSHORT COURSE IN SOIL-STRUCTURE ENGINEERING
| Foe t
(a) (o)
t © ©
©
Fig. 1.1 Conditions for use of pile foundations (aiter Das, 2000)
decrease in the void ratio of soil induces large settlements of structures
supported by shallow foundations, In such cases pile foundations may
be used, in which piles are extended into stable soil layers beyond the
zone of possible moisture change.
* The foundations of some structures, such as transmission towers,
offshore platforms, and basement mats below the water table, are
subjected to uplifting forces. Piles are sometimes used for these
foundations to resist the uplifting force (Fig. 1.1(e)).
* Bridge abutments and piers are usually constructed over pile founda-
tions to avoid the possible loss of bearing capacity that a shallow
foundation might suffer because of soil erosion at the ground surface
(Fig. 1.1(f)).
Although numerous investigations, both theoretical and experimental,
have been conducted to predict the load-settlement characteristics and
the load-bearing capacity of piles in soils and rocks, the mechanisms are
not yet entirely understood and may never be clear due to the difficulty
of estimating the effects of construction and workmanship. The designPART | DEEP FOUNDATIONS - PILES AND BARRETTES
of pile foundations may therefore be considered somewhat of an ‘art’ as a
result of the uncertainties involved in working with some subsoil
conditions and construction methods.
Piles can be classified according to the type of material forming the
piles, the mode of load transfer, the degree of ground displacement
during pile installation or the method of installation. Pile classification in
accordance with material type (e.g. steel and concrete) has drawbacks
because composite piles are available. A classification system based on
the mode of load transfer will be difficult to set up because the proportions
of side resistance and end resistance that occur in practice usually cannot
be reliably predicted.
In the installation of piles, either displacement or replacement of the
ground will predominate. A classification system based on the degree of
ground displacement during pile installation, such as that recommended
in BS 8004 (BSI, 1986), encompasses all types of piles and reflects the
fundamental effect of pile construction on the ground which in tar will
have a pronounced influence on pile performance. Such a classification
system is therefore considered to be the most appropriate.
In this section, piles are classified into the following three types:
Large-displacement piles, which include all solid driven piles,
including precast concrete piles, and steel or concrete tubes closed
at the lower end by a driving shoe or a plug, that is, driven cast-in-
place piles.
Small-displacement piles, which include rolled steel sections such as
H-piles and open-ended tubular piles. However, these piles will
effectively become large-displacement piles if a soil plug forms.
Replacement piles, which are formed by machine boring, grabbing or
hand-digging. The excavation may need to be supported by bentonite
slurry or lined with a casing that is either left in place or extracted
during concreting for reuse.
Special piles, which are particular pile types or variants of existing pile
types, are introduced from time to time to improve efficiency or overcome
problems related to special ground conditions.
Large-displacement piles
Advantages and disadvantages
The advantages and disadvantages of large displacement piles are
summarised in Table 1.1 (GEO, 1996).
Precast reinforced concrete piles
These piles are commonly in square sections ranging from about 250mm
to about 450mm with a maximum section length of up to about 20m.
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Other pile sections may include hexagonal, circular, triangular and H
shapes. Maximum allowable axial loads can be up to about 1000kN.
The lengths of pile sections are often dictated by practical considerations
including transportability, handling problems in sites of restricted area,
and facilities of the casting yard. Reinforcement may be determined by
handling stresses
These piles can be lengthened by coupling together on site. Splicing
methods include welding of steel end plates or the use of epoxy mortar
with dowels. Specially fabricated joints have been successfully used in
other geographical regions such as Hong Kong and Scandinavia.
This type of pile is not suitable for driving into ground which contains a
significant amount of boulders or stones.
Prestressed concrete tubular piles
Precast prestressed concrete piles are typically tubular sections of 400mm
to 600mm diameter with maximum allowable axial loads up to about
3000KN. Pile sections are normally 12m long and are usually welded
together using steel end plates. Pile sections up to 20m can also be
specially made.
Prestressed concrete piles require high-strength concrete and careful
control during manufacture. Casting is usually carried out in a factory
where the curing conditions can be strictly regulated. Special manu-
facturing processes such as compaction by spinning or autoclave
curing can be adopted to produce high-strength concrete up to about
75 MPa.
Closed-ended steel tubular piles
Steel tubular piles have high bending and buckling resistance, and have
favourable energy-absorbing characteristics for impact loading. Steel
piles are generally not susceptible to damage caused by tensile stresses
during driving and can withstand hard driving. Driving shoes can be
provided to aid penetration.
The tubular piles may be infilled with concrete after driving, as
appropriate
Driven cast-in-place concrete piles
Driven cast-in-place concrete piles are formed by driving a steel tube into
the ground to the required set or depth and withdrawing the tube after
concrete placement. The tube may be driven either at the top or at the
bottom with a hammer acting on an internal concrete or compacted
gravel plug, A range of pile sizes is available, up to 600mm in diameter.
The maximum allowable axial load is about 1400 kN.SHORT COURSE IN SOIL-STRUCTURE ENGINEERING
Small-displacement piles
Overview, advantages and disadvantages
Small-displacement piles are either solid (e.g. steel H-piles) or hollow
(open-ended tubular piles) with a relatively low cross-sectional area.
This type of pile is usually installed by percussion methods; however, a
soil plug may be formed during driving, particularly with tubular piles,
and periodic drilling out may be necessary to reduce the driving resis-
tance. A soil plug can create a greater driving resistance than a closed
end, because of damping on the inner-side of the pile.
The advantages and disadvantages of small-displacement piles are also
summarised in Table 1.1 (GEO, 1996)
Steel H-piles
Steel H-piles are widely used worldwide because of their ease of handling
and driving. Compared with concrete piles, they generally have better
driveability characteristics and can generally be driven to greater
depths. H-piles can be susceptible to deflection upon striking boulders,
obstructions or an inclined rock surface. In areas underlain by marble,
heavy-section H-piles with appropriate tip strengthening are commonly
used to penetrate the karst surface and to withstand hard driving.
A range of pile sizes is available, with different grades of steel. The
maximum allowable axial load is typically about 3000KN. Very large H
sections (283kg/m) with a working load of about 3600kN have been
used in some projects.
Open-ended steel tubular piles
Driven open-ended tubular piles have been used in marine structures and
in buildings on reclaimed land. This type of pile has been drivan to over
50m. A plug will form when the internal side resistance exceeds the
end-bearing resistance of the entire cross-sectional area of the pile
Driving resistance can be reduced by pre-boring or by reaming out the
plug formed within the pile. Typical diameters range from 275mm to
about 2m with a maximum allowable axial load of about 7000 KN. Maxi-
mum pile diameter is often governed by the capacity of the driving
machine available.
Replacement piles
Overview, advantages and disadvantages
Replacement, or bored, piles are formed by excavation or boring tech-
niques. When constructed in water-bearing soils which are not self-
supporting, the pile bore will need to be supported using steel casing,
concrete rings or drilling fluids such as bentonite slurry, polymer mud,
etc, Excavation of the pile bore may also be carried out by hand-diggingPART | DEEP FOUNDATIONS - PILES AND BARRETTES
in the dry; and the technique involving manual excavation is known as
hand-dug caissons.
The advantages and disadvantages of replacement piles are sum-
marised in Table 1.2 (GEO, 1996).
Machine-dug piles
Machine-dug piles are formed by rotary boring, or percussive methods of
boring a hole, and subsequently filling the hole with concrete. Piles
600mm or less in diameter are commonly known as small-diameter piles.
Piles greater than 600mm diameter are referred to as large-diameter piles.
Small-diameter bored piles have sizes ranging from about 300mm to
600 mm with working loads up to about 1500 KN.
One proprietary form of small-diameter bored pile involves the use of
drop tools for excavation and compressed air to compact the concrete in
the pile shaft. The common sizes of this type of pile range from 325mm
to 508mm, with working loads up to about 1000KN. These piles can be
installed in sites where the headroom is limited. They are sometimes con-
structed without reinforcement and the integrity of such unreinforced
piles when subject to ground movements arising from adjacent construc-
tion activities should be considered.
Another proprietary piling system is the continuous-flight auger (CFA)
type pile. In this system, the bore is formed using a flight auger and
concrete or grout is pumped in through the hollow stem. Sizes of PIP
piles range from 300mm to 700mm diameter and lengths are generally
less than 30m. The CFA piles have considerable advantages over conven-
tional bored piles in water-bearing and unstable soils by eliminating the
need for casing and the problems of concreting under water. The piles
can be installed with little noise and vibration and are therefore suited
for sites in urban areas. However, this type of pile cannot cope with
boulders. The lack of penetration under continuous rotation due to a
hard layer or an obstruction can lead to soil flighting up the auger, causing
ground loss and settlement.
Large-diameter machine-dug piles and pile groups are used to support
heavy columns of tall buildings (e.g. Holt et al., 1982; Fraser, 1985; Ng
et al., 2001a,b,c; Zhang et al, 2001b) and highways structures such as
viaducts (Fraser and Kwok, 1986). Typical sizes of these piles range
from 1m to 3.5m, with lengths up to about 100m and working loads up
to about 40000KN. Special mechanical tools are readily available for
belling out the base.
Barrettes
The French term ‘barrette' refers to a concrete replacement pile formed in
a short and deep trench excavated under bentonite or polymer slurry by
["]SHORT COURSE IN SOIL-STRUCTURE ENGINEERING
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2PART | DEEP FOUNDATIONS - PILES AND BARRETTES
diaphragm walling equipment. It is actually identical in form to a short
discrete length or a panel of a diaphragm wall (Ng ef al., 1999; Ng et al.,
2000b). Functionally, it is used as a pile foundation that transfers the
load from the superstructure to the ground rather than as a soil-retaining
structure supporting a mass excavation.
Conventional circular piles sometimes become impractical and unecono-
mical when very heavy column loads are to be transmitted to a very deep
bearing stratum. Barrettes provide an alternative to large-diameter bored
and cast-in-place piles or drilled shafts, This is because a rectangular
barrette has a higher specific surface than has a circular pile for resisting
large vertical loads by side resistance. In addition to this, the construction
method used to construct barrettes satisfies reasonable noise and other
environmental stipulations (Ramaswamy and Pertusier, 1986). In particular,
barrettes are often selected on projects that require diaphragm wall con-
struction for supporting the excavation of a foundation pit, because they
are installed using the same equipment, thus avoiding mobilising other
equipment for the foundation installation, Substantial savings in both
mobilisation costs and time can be achieved. Coordination and scheduling
of operations may also be improved if the same subcontractor installs the
diaphragm wall and the foundation units (Johnson et al., 1992).
Over the past three decades, barrette foundations have been widely
used all over the world (Ng ef ai. 2000b; Ng and Lei, 2003a). The fact
that a single barrette can replace a group of conventional circular piles
in many applications results in a more compact, economical and reliable
foundation system. A good example is the use of shaft-grouted floating
barrettes (varying from 40m to 105m in depth) in the foundation of the
world’s tallest building prior to the 2ist century, the Petronas Twin
Towers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (Baker et al., 1994)
Hand-dug caissons
Hand-dug caissons have been used as foundations or earth-retaining
structures with a diameter typically ranging from 1.5m to 2.5m, and an
allowable load of up to about 25000kN. Hand-dug caissons of a much
larger size, of between 7m and 10m in diameter, have also been
constructed successfully (e.g. Humpheson et al., 1987; Barcham and
Gillespie, 1988). The advantages and disadvantages of hand-dug caissons
are summarised in Table 1.2.
Hand-dug caisson shafts are excavated using hand tools in stages with
depths of up to about 1m, depending on the competence of the ground
De-watering is facilitated by pumping from sumps on the excavation
floor or from deep wells. Advance grouting may be carried out to provide
support in potentially unstable ground, Each stage of excavation is lined
with in situ concrete rings (minimum 75mm thick) using tapered steel
[3]SHORT COURSE IN SOIL-STRUCTURE ENGINEERING
(
forms which provide a key to the previously constructed rings. When the
diameter is large, the rings may be suitably reinforced against stresses
arising from eccentricity and non-uniformity in hoop compression. Near
the bottom of the pile, the shaft may be belled out to enhance the
load-carrying capacity.
The isolation of the upper part of hand-dug caissons by sleeving is
sometimes provided for structures built on sloping ground to prevent
the transmission of lateral loads to the slope or conversely the build-up
of lateral loads on caissons by slope movement (GCO, 1984), The
influence of sleeved piles and pile groups on slope stability has been
reported by Ng ef al. (2001d) and the performance of laterally loaded
sleeved piles in sloping ground has been described by Ng and Zhang
(2001). However, there is a lack of instrumented data on the long-term
performance of the sleeving.
Given the disturbingly high accident rate and the health hazard in
installation and construction (Ng et al., 1987) of caissons, their use
should be discouraged.CHAPTER TWO
Vertical pile load transfer mechanisms
Load-settlement relationships
Load-settlement curve
As described by Tomlinson (2001), the load-settlement relationship
typical for a single pile driven into a sand when subjected to vertical
loading to the point of failure is shown in Fig. 1.2(a). At the carly stages
of loading, the settlement is very small and is due almost wholly to elastic
movement in the pile and the surrounding soil. When the load is removed
at a point such as A in Fig. 1.2(a) the head of the pile will rebound almost to
its original level. If strain gauges are embedded along the length of the
pile shaft they will show that nearly the whole of the load is carried by
side resistance on the upper part of the shaft (Fig. 1.2(b)). As the load is
increased, the load-settlement curve steepens, and release of load from
a point B will again show some elastic rebound, but the head of the pile
will not return to its original level, indicating that some ‘permanent set’
has taken place. The strain gauge readings will show that the shaft has
taken up an increased amount of side resistance but the load carried by
the shaft will not equal the total load on the pile, indicating that some
proportion of the load is now being carried in the end-bearing. When
the load approaches failure point, C, the settlement increases rapidly
with little further increase of load. A large proportion of the ultimate
load is now carried by end-bearing.
The relative proportions of load carried in side resistance and end-
bearing depend on the shear strength and stiffness of the soil. Generally,
the vertical movement of the pile which is required to mobilize full end
resistance is much greater than that required to mobilize full side resistance.
Ultimate bearing capacity
At the limit state corresponding to point C in Fig. 1.2(a) the ultimate
bearing capacity of a pile is given by the following equation and is
illustrated in Fig. 1.3.
Qy = Q,+ Qy — Wy
where Q, = ultimate side resistance, Q, = ultimate end-bearing r
W, = weight of pile. Usually W, is smail in relation to Q, and is often
[5]SHORT COURSE IN SOIL-STRUCTURE ENGINEERING
Load on pile head
Permanent
sat
Uttimate load
on pile
Settlement
@
‘Load on pile head
Depth below pile head
~
Loads carried in
‘end-bearing
(0)
Fig. 1.2 Effects of loading a pile. (a) Load-settlement curve. (b)
Distribution of load over depth of pile shait for various stages of loading
(after Tomlinson, 2001)
neglected because it is not much greater than the weight of the displaced
soil. However, it must be taken into account for marine piling where a
considerable proportion of the pile length extends above the sea-bed,
Eurocode 7 (BSI, 1997) refers to the ‘design bearing resistance’, Rea,
which is derived from:
(1.2)PART | DEEP FOUNDATIONS - PILES AND BARRETTES
a, a a,
soil
Weak L {
af SR
1 Rook } “ot
a
=a, a= Q,=0,
@) 1 = depth of penetration
into bearing stratum
©
Fig. 1.3 (a) and (b) End-bearing piles. (c) Floating piles (after Das, 2000)
where %, and y, are the partial safety factors for side resistance and base
resistance respectively, and
Rac = So dsitAsi (1.3)
and the base resistance is given by
Rox = GeAv (1.4)
where Ag is the nominal surface area of the pile in soil layer i, Ay is the
nominal plan area of the pile base, qa is the characteristic value of the
resistance per unit of the shaft in layer i, and qy, is the characteristic
value per unit area of base.
Eurocode 7 (BSI, 1997) requires that the characteristic values q,, and qix
do not exceed the measured bearing capacities used to establish the
correlation divided by 1.5 on average. For example if q, is shown by
correlation with loading tests to be equal to nine times the average
undrained shear strength of the soil below the pile base the characteristic
value should be obtained from 9 x s, (average) divided by 1.5. This
additional factor is used essentially to allow for uncertainties in the
calculation method or scatter in the values on which the calculation was
based
Where the ultimate limit state pile load is determined from loading tests,
Equation (1,2) can be used to obtain R,, provided that the components of
base resistance and side resistance are obtained either by instrumentation
or by a graphical interpretation. To allow for the variability of the ground
—
7SHORT COURSE IN SOIL-STRUCTURE ENGINEERING
[|
and variability in pile installation techniques, the measured or estimated
Rem Should be reduced by a factor which depends on the number of
loading tests performed.
The Institution of Civil Engineers’ specification for piling (1996a)
defines the allowable pile capacity as
+. @ Capacity which takes into account the pile's bearing capacity,
the materials from which the pile is made, ihe required load factor,
settlement, pile spacing, down-drag, the overall bearing capacity
of the ground beneath the piles and other relevant factors. The
allowable pile capacity indicates the ability of the pile to meet the
specified loading requirements and is therefore required to be not
less than the specified working load.
Hence this definition is broader than the Eurocode (BSI, 1997) term
‘design bearing resistance’, which refers only to the bearing capacity of
an individual pile and takes no account of the serviceability limit state
of the structure supported by the piles. The Institution of Civil Engineers’
definition corresponds to that of ‘allowable load’ in BS 8004: Foundations
(BSI, 1986).
Pile groups
When piles are arranged in close-spaced groups (Fig. 1.4) the mechanism
of failure is different from that of a single pile. The piles and the soil
contained within the group act together as a single unit, A slip plane
occurs along the perimeter of the group and ‘block failure’ takes place
when the group sinks and tilts as a unit. The failure load of a group is
not necessarily that of a single pile multiplied by the number of piles in
the group. In sand it may be more than this; in clays it is likely to be
less. The ‘efficiency’ of a pile group is taken as the ratio of the average
load per pile when failure of the group occurs to the load at failure of a
comparable single pile.
It is evident that there must be some particular spacing at which the
mode of failure changes from that of a single pile to block failure. The
Original level of pile cap
Plies and soil
acting as a unit
Fig. 1.4 Failure of piles by group action (after Tomlinson, 2001)PART | DEEP FOUNDATIONS - PILES AND BARRETTES
change is not dependent only on the spacing but also on the size and
shape of the group and the length of the piles.
Group effect is also important from the aspect of consolidation settle-
ment, because in all types of soil the settlement of the pile group is greater
than that of the single pile carrying the same working load as each pile in
the group. The ratio of the settlement of the group to that of the single pile
is proportional to the number of piles in the group - that is, to the overall
width of the group. The group action of piles in relation to carrying
capacity and settlement will be discussed in greater detail later in this
Part 1.CHAPTER THREE
Failure load on piles: definitions,
interpretation and criteria
Defi
In the foregoing discussion, the failure load is taken as the load causing
ultimate failure of the pile material, or the load at which the bearing
resistance of the soil is fully mobilised. However, in the engineering
sense, failure may have occurred long before the ultimate load is reached
when the settlement of the structure has exceeded tolerable limits
Terzaghi’s suggestion that, for practical purposes, the ultimate load can
be defined as that which causes a settlement of one-tenth of the pile
diameter or width, is widely accepted by engineers. However, if this
criterion is applied to piles of large diameter and a nominal safety factor
of 2 is used to obtain the working load, then the settlement at the working
load may be excessive.
In almost all cases where piles are acting as structural foundations, the
allowable load is governed solely by considerations of tolerable settlement
at the working load. An ideal method of calculating allowable loads on
piles would be one which enabled the engineer to predict the load—
settlement relationship up to the point of failure, for any given type and
size of pile in any soil or rock conditions.
In most cases, a simple procedure is to calculate the ultimate bearing
capacity of the isolated pile and to divide this value by a safety factor
that experience has shown will limit the settlement at the working
load to a value which is tolerable to the structural designer, But where
settlements are critical it is necessary to evaluate separately the propor-
tions of the applied load carried in side resistance and end-bearing and
then to calculate the settlement of the pile head from the interaction of
the elastic compression of the pile shaft with the elasto-plastic deformation
of the soil around the shaft and the compression of the soil beneath the
pile base.
In alll cases where piles are supported wholly by soil and are arranged in
groups, the steps in calculating allowable pile loads are as follows:
ions
* Determine the base level of the piles that is required to avoid excessive
settlement of the pile group. This level is obtained by the methodsPART | DEEP FOUNDATIONS ~ PILES AND BARRETTES
described in Tomlinson (2001). The practicability of attaining this
level with the available methods of installing the piles must be kept
in mind.
¢ Calculate the required diameter or width of the piles such that
settlement of the individual pile at the predetermined working load
will not result in excessive settlement of the pile group.
* Examine the economics of varying the numbers and diameters of the
piles in the group to support the total load on the group.
‘The general aim should be to keep the numbers of piles in each group as
small as possible - that is, to adopt the highest possible working load on
the individual pile, This will reduce the size and cost of pile caps, and
will keep the settlement of the group to a minimum. However, if the
safety factor on the individual pile is too low, excessive settlement, leading
to intolerable differential settlements between adjacent piles or pile
groups, may result.
In the case of isolated piles, or piles arranged in very small groups, the
diameter and length of the piles will be governed solely from considera-
tion of the settlement of the isolated pile at the working load.
Interpretation and crite!
Overview
‘Failure criteria’ or ‘ultimate load criteria’ are methods for interpreting the
‘failure load’ of a pile loading test, which usually refers to the maximum
test load that can be used for design purposes. Here, as suggested by
Hirany and Kulhawy (1989), the term ‘interpreted failure load’ will be
used to emphasise that the load is an interpreted value. In a load test,
the load-movement curve may show that the load is still increasing at
the termination of the test and at large movements. The recorded load~
movement behaviour may be subject to errors due to creep characteristics
of the soil and fluctuations in the applied load (Hirany and Kulhawy,
1989). Therefore, failure criteria are often formed with two considerations
in mind, namely practicality and consistency. Practicality is a measure of
whether a failure criterion can be achieved in practice. Consistency
refers to the similarity of the results from a criterion for any number of
loading tests, with regard to the position of the failure load on the load~
movement relationship ~ that is, the degree of mobilisation and the level
of yield. A high level of consistency may also mean a criterion is more
effective in providing predictable and safe movements at working load
after the interpreted failure load is combined with a factor of safety.
For different pile types and sizes, construction methods, testing methods
and soil types, variations in the characteristics of the load-movement
relationships can be expected. This may help to explain the considerable
21SHORT COURSE IN SOIL-STRUCTURE ENGINEERING
[2 |
number of different failure criteria which have been proposed in the litera-
ture and which are in use in specifications and codes of practice around
the world. Criteria are sometimes selected on a project-by-project basis
and are specified by government departments responsible for overseeing
a particular type of work. In the United States for example, a limiting
plastic settlement of 0.25 inches (about 6mm) has been adopted by the
American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials
(AASHTO), New York State, Louisiana (ASCE, 1993) and Butler and
Hoy's method has been adopted by the Federal Highway Administration
(Butler and Hoy, 1977). In Hong Kong, separate general failure criteria
are set out by the Buildings Department (BD) for private developments
(BD, 1997, b), by the Housing Authority (HA) for public housing works
(HA, 1998) and by the Civil Engineering Department (CED) for civil
engineering works (HKG, 1992).
Methods and criteria for interpreting failure load
Brinch Hansen (1963) described two methods for interpreting failure. The
‘90% criterion’ defines failure as the stress at which the strain is twice
the strain at a 10% smaller stress. The '80% criterion’ defines failure as
the stress at which the strain is equal to four times the strain at 20%
smaller stress. The criteria assume hyperbolic relationships of stress and
strain, They were originally not specifically intended for use with piles,
but were proposed for stress-strain relationships of soils in general.
However, the 90% criterion has gained widespread use in Scandinavian
countries as a pile load test failure criterion (Fellenius, 1990). Brinch
Hansen (1963) suggested that the definition of failure using the 80%
criterion is useful for practical cases in which the stress-strain curve
does not have any vertical tangent and where a point of failure must be
defined more or less arbitrarily. The criteria can be used to extrapolate
the load-movement relationship if so desired, However, Fellenius (1990)
recommended that an extrapolated failure load should not be used for
design purposes due to the uncertainty of the pile behaviour after
reaching the maximum test load.
De Beer (1967) described a method for slow! tests and interpreted failure
Joad as the load at the intersection of two straight lines, which are plotted
on the load-displacement relationship in double logarithmic scale. The
criterion was applied to tests on Franki piles with over-expanded bases.
* Slow tests refer to maintained load tests in which load is applied in increments. Each
applied load is held until the rate of movement has reduced to an acceptable low value
before the next load increment is applied. It is usual practice to include a number of
Joading and untoading cycles in a load test programme. Different loading procedures
have been proposed in the literature (GEO, 1996). The entire load test programme may
last a few days.PART | DEEP FOUNDATIONS - PILES AND BARRETTES
Chin (1970) proposed a method of finding failure load which involved
full mobilization of end-bearing capacity using extrapolation for tests
not carried to failure. Similar to the Brinch Hansen criterion, the method
assumes that when the failure load is approached, the load-settlement
curve is hyperbolic in shape. The suitability of the method can be
measured by how close the load-settlement relationship of a pile is to a
hyperbolic curve. Chin (1970) conducted a series of laboratory tests on a
1.94 in (about 49mm) diameter model steel piles and three field tests on
a 14in (about 356mm) reinforced concrete driven piles to verify his
method; all the load increments were carried out in a constant time
interval (48h). This method is applicable to both quick” and slow tests,
provided constant time increments are used (Fellenius, 1990),
Fuller and Hoy (1970) proposed a criterion for use with the quick load
test method, which was applied to driven piles installed for the Texas
Highway Department. The failure load is interpreted to be the load at
the maximum slope of the load-movement curve or the load at which
the slope of the load-displacement curve is greater than 0.05in/t
(about 1.2mm/1000 kg). The purpose of the criterion was to produce an
interpreted failure load, which could correlate well with the interpreted
failure load obtained by using slow maintained load testing methods
‘The interpreted failure load is found graphically by extending a line
back from the point at which ‘plunging failure’ occurs. Plunging failure
is defined as the load on the pile that requires constant pumping of the
hydraulic jacks on the pile head to be maintained, and the interpreted
failure load will usually be slightly less than this load. Butler and Hoy
(1977) later published a modification of the Fuller and Hoy criterion for
bored piles. Failure load is defined as the load at the intersection of the
initial tangent and the point with a slope of 0.01in/t (about 0.25mm/
1000kg). At working load, the pile head settlement should also not
exceed 13mm.
Davisson (1972) developed a failure criterion using the results of loading
tests on 12in (about 300mm) diameter driven piles in conjunction with
wave equation analysis and dynamic measurements. It was intended
for use with the quick load test. Failure load was defined as the load
corresponding to a movement which exceeds the elastic compression
of the pile by a value of 0.15in (about 3.8mm) plus ‘quake’. Quake,
designated Qyp, is defined as the movement required to cause yielding
of the soil at the pile tip and Davisson suggested it is equal to around
O.1in (about 2.5mm) for 12in (about 300mm) diameter piles in most
2 Quick tests refer to constant rate of penetration tests. A constant strain rate of 0.25 to
1,25mm/min and 0.75 to 2.5 mm/min is commonly used for clays and granular soils,
respectively (ASTM, 1995),
2BSHORT COURSE IN SOIL-STRUCTURE ENGINEERING
[=|
soils. The criterion is given by the following equation:
anc +0.15+ Quy (im) (1.5)
where P is the applied load, L is the pile length, A is the pile area and E is
the pile shaft elastic modulus. However, Davison (1972) also stated that
the value of Qu, depended on soil type. He gave another example of a
pile in micaceous soil with a Qiip of 0.3 in (about 7.6 mm).
‘An advantage of Equation (1.5) is that the interpretation of failure load is
non-subjective, requiring only a simple mathematical calculation and not
requiring graphical interpretation of the load-movement relationship.
Also, the method can be included in contract specifications so that the engi-
neer can determine in advance the maximum allowable movement for a
load with consideration of the length and size o/ a pile (Fellenius, 1980).
The Canadian Geotechnical Society (CGS, 1995) suggested an offset limit
load method for interpreting failure load in pile load tests which slightly
modified the Davisson criterion as given in Equation (1.5). This criterion
can be used in pile load tests by the constant rate of penetration method
(Davisson, 1972). The CGS (1995) suggests this criterion is intended for
the quick maintained load test method but it can also be used for interpret-
ing failure load for the slow maintained load test involving no unloading and
loading cycles.
Weltman (1980) suggested that a movement of 10% of the pile diameter
be used to determine failure load. For piles in granular soils, Weltman
suggests that a unique ultimate load may not exist as the pile resistance
may increase with penetration to larger movements than would be
achieved in testing in practice. However, 10% of the pile diameter is
still recommended on the hasis that it is the minimum movement that
could be associated with failure of the soil beneath the pile toe. The
International Society for Soil Mechanics and Foundation Engineering
(ISSMFE, 1985) also suggests that the failure load be taken as the load
causing a gross settlement of 10% of the equivalent diameter. This is
also suggested by BS 8004 (BSI, 1986) as well as by Lehane and De
Cock (1999) and Eurocode 7 (BSI, 1997) for practical purposes unless
the failure load can otherwise be defined by some clearly recognisable
feature of the load-movement curve. Where appropriate, BS 8004 allows
a correction to be made for the elastic shortening of the pile shaft under
axial loading.
Fellenius (1980) recommended the use of four different criteria, includ-
ing the Davisson criterion, the Brinch Hansen 80% criterion and the Butler
and Hoy criterion mentioned above. He also suggested the use of other
criteria depending on the circumstances. The CGS (1995) left the choice
of which method to use as a failure criterion open to the designer andPART | DEEP FOUNDATIONS - PILES AND BARRETTES
described the Davisson (1972) criterion, the Brinch Hansen (1963) 80%
criterion and the Chin (1970) criterion as examples. Similarly, the
American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE, 1993) details a number of
different criteria, but does not recommend anyone in particular.
Hirany and Kulhawy (1989) suggested the use of an interpreted failure
load for drilled shafts (bored piles), which corresponds to ‘failure threshold’.
This is defined to be the point at which the load-movement curve becomes
linear again after an initial linear region followed by a curved ‘transition’
region. By studying a number of loading tests on bored piles between 0.4
and 1.1m in diameter and less than 17m in length, they found that the
failure threshold generally occurs at a pile head movement of 4% of the
pile diameter and therefore effectively the method of interpretation is
implemented as a limiting movement criterion.
The Australian AS-2159 standard (SAA, 1995) sets out a maximum
movement criterion of 50mm, and 30mm upon unloading for 1.5 times
the design action effect. The ‘design action effect’ (S) is defined under
the AS limit state design system and is similar to the working load. At
serviceability load (equal to 0.758), maximum movements of 15mm, and
7mm upon unloading apply. The criterion also allows a consideration of
elastic shortening for long piles, although details of how to calculate the
clastic shortening are not provided.
The Florida Department of Transportation (FDT, 1999) set out a maxi-
mum movement criterion as shown in Equation (1.6) for large-diameter
bored piles; in any case where the pile head movement under maximum
test load is less than the value given by the proposed method, the
maximum test load can be taken as the failure load. For small-diameter
piles, the Davisson criterion as given in Equation (1.5) can be used.
Am
80) corresponding to Ay less than 60
to 80mm. The last definition defines the failure load just before an obvious
bend occurs in the Ay versus log ¢ (t = time) plot.
A summary of the methods and criteria around the world for interpret-
ing failure load from the literature is given in Table 1.3 and from Hong
Kong experience is given in Table 1.4. It should be noted that the residual
pile settlement criteria listed in the table should be abolished completely.
Although the residual pile movement may indicate some degree of soil
25SHORT COURSE IN SOIL-STRUCTURE ENGINEERING
Table 1.3 Settlement/failure load criteria for pile load tests from literature
Criteria Test method/pile Settlement. Key assumptions _—Related
type and size rate references
Brinch Ultimate toad, Q, is Nil Na The criterion was Brinch
Hansen _ the load that gives originally developed Hansen
90% twice the pile head using laboratory (1963)
criterion _ settlement as measured stress- __Fellenius
(1963) obtained for 90% of strain relationships (1980,
{adopted by that load, Q, ic. of soll and defines 1990),
CED (1992); Ag = 2x Agag failure as the stress
Norway) for which the strain is
twice the strain at a
10% smaller stress
and assumes a
hyperbolic stress—
strain relationship,
The criterion was not
specifically intended
for use with piles,
Brinch Pailure load is Not stated, Nil The criterion was Brinch
Hansen defined as the load _ Applicable for slow, originally developed Hansen
80% that gives four times quick maintained using laboratory (1963)
criterion _the pille head load test, constant meesured stress~ CGS (1995)
(1963) displacement as. rate of penetration strain relationships Fellenius
(suggested obtained for 80% of test involved no and assumes a (1980,
by C the failure load. unloading cycles parabolic stress- 1990)
(1995) (Fellenius, 1980, strain relationship,
1990). Theeriterion was not
specifically intended
for use with piles,
This is an
extrapolation
method.
DeDeer This uiitesion defines Slow mamrained_—— Nit ‘ Fellenius
(1967) failure load as the load test (1980,
Toad at the ‘The criterion was 1990)
intersection of two applied to tests on
straight lines, which Franki piles with
are plotted on the _overexpanded bases.
Joad-displacement
relationship in
double logarithmic
scale.
Hirany and Ay <4%d ‘The criterion is Nil Failure load is Hirany and
Kulhawy sag verified by bored defined to be the Kulhawy
(1989) Failure piles with diameter point at which the (1989)
(fe wae nd Toad-movement
bu 11m and less than ‘curve becomes linear
17min length. again after an initial
linear region
followed by a curved
transition region,
[=|PART | DEEP FOUNDATIONS - PILES AND BARRETTES
Table 1.3 Settlement/failure load criteria for pile load tests irom literature (continued)
Criteria Test method/pile Settlement Key assumptions _—_—Related
type and size rate references
Chin (1970) a mate, Slow and quick z Failure load reached Chin
teuggested —Peate load = 1/m, Maintained load test only after full (1970)
By Oe eee tiae | provided that mobilization of | CGS (1995)
(1995) Sueutarmesmingy, constant time bearing capacity. Fellenius
intervals are used Load-displacement (1980,
(Fellenis, 1980, 1990) relationship is 1990)
Chin used 1.94in approximately
diameter ste! pipe hyperbolic
piles and three 14in This is an
reinforced concrete extrapolation
piles to verify his method.
criterion, and he also
applied his erterion
to pile data trom
literature.
The load increments
‘were carried out in
constant time
intervals (48h)
Fullerand Failure load should Slow and quick test Nil Faller and Hoy gave Faller and
Hoy (1970) be Toad at the method and CRP anexample which Hoy (1970)
(adopted by maximum slope of Verified by driven was 0.05in/ for pile- Fellenius
FHWA 1970) the load- pile (size not stated) hhoad displace- ment (1980,
displacement curve and0.03in/tfor 1990)
or where the load~ plastic displace-
displacement curve rent of which they
is sloping 0.05in/t took the lowest. This
‘at WL should be is still an arbitrary
Jess than the allowed definition of failure
displacement of the Dutis a more
structure generalized
approach
Butler and Failure load is the Quick maintained Nil Required totest to Butler and
Hoy (1977) toad at the Joad test method plunging failure. Hoy (1977)
{adopted by intersection of initial (constant time Failure load < Fellenius
FHWA tangent and the line interval), plunging failure (1980,
(1978) for of tangent with slope Verified by 36 in Toad. 1990)
drilled shatt} of 0.01in/t of the (200mm) diameter.
load-displacement 60 (18.3 long
curve drilled shaft
Proven max. safe
staticloadis equal to}
of the failure loa,
provided that,
Soy. < 33mm (for
drilled shat),
For driven pile use
the same criterion as
Faller and Fi (1970)
wSHORT COURSE IN SOIL-STRUCTURE ENGINEERING
Table 1.3 Settlement/failure load criteria for pile load tests from Literature (continued)
Giiwia __‘Tetmetod/pie. Seeement Keyannmpooct _Heaied
Davison a 80)
corresponding to
Aw < 60-80mm
Based on A-logt
plot, the failure load
isthe load just before
an obvious bend
atk Sin Quick maintained Nil ? FDT (1999)
av took load test.
Factor of safety.
‘Smaller piles use
Davisson criterion.
Diameter > 600 mm,
yield at the pile tip, the magnitude of the residual movement is strongly
affected by ‘locked-in movement’ of the pile as a result of side shear
acting downward against the pile upon unloading thus preventing it
from rebounding to its original position. This locked-in effect is almost
impossible to assess accurately and reliably. In addition, the residual
movement is affected by any creep in the concrete pile. These two
phenomena are likely to be more prominent in long and large-diameter
bored piles and barrettes than short and small-diameter driven piles
(GEO, 1996; Ng et al, 2001c). The residual pile movement criterion is
therefore irrational, unreliable and unsuitable for use as an acceptance
criterion, especially for long piles and barrettes, and it always leads to
unnecessarily conservative design (GEO, 1996).
29SHORT COURSE IN SOIL-STRUCTURE ENGINEERING
Table 1.4 Settlement/failure load criteria for pile load tests in Hong Kong
Criteria Test method/pile Settlement Key assumptions Related
type and size rate references
Buildings Am < ae ‘Slow maintained Before Based on Davisson = GEO.
Department, pray load Westin Zeyeles Inerements/ caterion (1072) (1906)
HKSAR (BD) Mox.test load.” decrements: ‘which are based on PNAP.6,
an < (Peed mm) 2sdesign working <00Smmin driven pile #Rwide BD (19973)
vy load. 10 min. (0.3m), Davi
where PL/ABis the
where PL/AEIs the Unioading at end of Before hold: D/120is directly (1872)
Sasi shortening, each cycle. <0.1mm/n. transformed from
Disthepile |, yah hold at peak tin on it pu,
Sramcter, is the oad of cycle 2 given in Davisson
pile head sellement. pre type and size not th973,
Agisthe residual ated but intended Reasoning behind
for bored pies result setlement
Exsterion nt stated
PLD
Housing A 24.P (inmm) HA specification efore Based on Yiu and HA (1998)
‘Author, A requited test carried increments/ Lam 1990; the GEO
HKSAR ak|CHAPTER FOUR
Establishment of a new failure load criterion
for large-diameter bored piles and barrettes
Overview: the problem of large-diameter, long bored piles
Ng et al. (2001c) have observed that often in the literature, piles used to
verify design criteria have been small-diameter driven piles; hence,
there is uncertainty as to how suitable these criteria are for large-diameter
long bored piles which are common in the Far East in general and in Hong
Kong in particular. Because the load-carrying capacities of large-diameter
bored piles are relatively large, high-capacity loading-reaction systems
are required and the targeted failure load may not always be practical
to achieve, A total of 38 large-diameter test bored (drilled) piles founded
in weathered rocks and saprolites were critically examined and investi-
gated. ‘Saprolites' refer to soils that retain various degrees of the original
texture, fabric and structure of the parent rock from which they were
formed by decomposition (GCO, 1988). The test piles under review
range from 0.6 to 1.8m in diameter and from 12 to 66m in length. The
rock sockets were generally around 2m in depth. Details of all of the
tests are given in Table 1.5.
Among the 38 piles, 31 tests were examined for toe resistance and shaft
shortening and incorporated in an investigation of pile behaviour related
to the development of a failure load criterion. Based on the study of the
mobilization of toe resistance and on a consideration of shaft shortening,
a new semi-empirical method was proposed for determining an approxi-
mate moderately conservative failure load for large-diameter bored
piles. The interpreted failure loads using the new criterion were compared
for the five pile tests and further verified independently for two additional
piles that were not used in the formation of the criterion. Moreover, pile
movements at factored loads were reported and discussed using global
and partial mobilization factors.
A comparative study of failure loads using some existing criteria is
shown in Table 1.6. Pile-head movements corresponding to failure are
not reached according to the failure criteria of Brinch Hansen (1963)
and Butler and Hoy (1977) and failure load as suggested by the ISSMFE
(1985). However, criteria such as the modified Davisson criterion and
[a]SHORT COURSE IN SOIL-STRUCTURE ENGINEERING
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32PART | DEEP FOUNDATIONS - PILES AND BARRETTES
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3BSHORT COURSE IN SOIL-STRUCTURE ENGINEERING
34
the failure threshold of Hirany and Kulhawy (1989) were achieved in all
cases, The method of Hirany and Kulhawy (1989) seems to be attractive
for use with large-diameter bored piles, as it was verified specifically by
loading tests on bored piles, most of which were of large-diameter but
founded at relatively shallow depths. The method does not explicitly
include the shaft shortening, because the amount of shaft shortening for
the short piles considered is small and so the pile-head movement is
approximately equal to the pile-toe movement. However, inconsistencies
in interpreted failure load could be expected for long piles of 30-70 m in
length, if shaft shortening is not explicitly considered.
The modified Davison criterion does include an estimation of the shaft
shortening, but, from the comparisons, the criterion appears to be over-
conservative. Possibly, the general form of the modified Davisson criterion
could be adopted, but greater movement of the pile toe should be
specified to provide less conservative results. Also, the estimation of
shaft shortening in the modified Davisson criterion may not be accurate
enough due to shaft resistance reducing the axial load in the shaft, and
the estimation should be refined based on actual measured shaft
shortening results from loading tests.
Method for establishing a new failure load criterion
Study of pile toe movement
‘Weltman (1980) and the ISSMFE (1985) suggest that a movement of 10% of
the pile diameter corresponds to ultimate load, based on the suggestions
of Terzaghi. However, Reese and O'Neill (1988) provide toe resistance—
toe movement relationships of bored piles in clays suggesting that full
mobilization of toe resistance capacity occurs ai a movement of around
45% of the pile diameter. For bored piles in sands, they report that toe
resistance may continue to increase at movements exceeding 15% of the
pile diameter. For the purpose of interpreting an approximate failure
load for moderately conservative designs, a moderately conservative
movement for the mobilization of capacity is preferred. For piles display-
ing increasing toe resistance at movements greater than the moderately
conservative movement, the interpreted failure load may not represent
the actual total load-carrying capacity of the pile, but the interpreted fail-
ure load will be comparable with the failure load determined for other
piles, Furthermore, as suggested by Reese and O'Neill (1988) and Welt-
man (1980), actual ultimate toe resistance for piles in granular materials
effectively may never be achieved.
Figure 1.5 shows the toe resistance-toe movement relationships for 11 of
the piles having reliable data available. Details of the piles are given in
Table 1.5. The unit toe resistance, ,, was generally calculated using the
measured strain near the pile toe by strain gauges (or by extensometers)PART | DEEP FOUNDATIONS ~ PILES AND BARRETTES
000
2500
= 2000
5 1500
s ©- Pl: Gante soto
Aa TE Pie to metnsertany sapote
e TE Plo 2 Motsndmosay eoate
z SP 21: atasederetnysaprote
Pho 22 Metamora eprae
500 Topless: Grant sap
TE phe 24 Metanctay sgote
Tr fhe 28 Meteseomertay spre
°
012045 6789 0H 2 19 4 15
(a) Normalized toe movement, 5,/d (96)
16000
14.000
= 12000
© 10000
5 000
el
a)
8
5 4000
-0- Pa: Weathered vlan ok
‘2000 45% —@ Pile 6: Weathered granitic rock
“a Pio 7 Wenbered ok
°
01245 67 89H B14 15
(o) Normalized toe movement, dy/d (%)
Fig. 1.5 Toe resistance-movement relationships for (a) piles embedded in
saprolites; (b) piles socketed in and founded on weak rocks (aiter Ng et al.,
2001¢)
and by estimating the pile modulus of elasticity. The movement 4, is the
‘local’ toe movement, obtained by subtracting the shaft shortening
(measured by extensometers or strain gauges) from the measured pile
head movement and is normalized by d. Figure 1.5(a) shows the relation-
ships for piles founded on saprolites. The figure indicates scatter in the
rate of mobilization of resistance and varying magnitudes of r,, at which
yielding began. The variation may be due to the soil originating from
different rock types, the varying density and confining pressure. The
35SHORT COURSE IN SOIL-STRUCTURE ENGINEERING
LE]
construction of each pile, involving unknown levels of disturbance, must
also be a factor.
For most of the test piles, toe resistance capacity was not reached. An
exception is Pile 20, which did achieve its capacity, and this occurred at
a displacement of 4.5% of d. Figure 1.5(b) shows the relationships for
three piles founded on weathered rocks. There is scatter in the magni-
tudes of mobilized toe resistance, but all three relationships are consistent,
in that significant yielding clearly occurs at a movement of 0.5% of d.
However, resistance is observed to be still increasing after this point.
The three tests were terminated at a toe movement of around 4.5% of d
and in the case of Pile 5, the test was terminated due to the rate of pile
movement exceeding the maximum allowed by the test requirement
(0.5mm in 10mm)
From Fig. 1.5, it appears likely that the full mobilization of toe resistance
is difficult to achieve, as it may require extremely large toe movements.
However, a moderately conservative movement for the mobilization of
toe resistance capacity has been identified to be 4.5% of d, and this is con-
sistent for both piles founded on saprolites and piles founded on weath-
ered rocks. The results are also consistent with the suggestions of Reese
and O'Neill (1988). This approximate movement could be adopted in a
new method of interpretation of moderately conservative failure load.
Study of shaft shortening
The modified Davisson criterion includes an estimation of the pile shaft
shortening equal to PL/AE. The estimation assumes that no frictional
resistance acts along the whole pile length. The load transferred as shaft
friction depends on many factors, such as soil type and construction
details. Whether the pile toe is ‘floating’, i.e, founded in soil or bearing
on rock, also affects the total axial load in the shaft. A comparison of
measured pile shaft shortening and calculated pile shaft shortening
using PL/AE at measured P,,.; obtained from 28 pile loading tests is
shown in Fig. 1.6, Details of the 28 test piles are given in Table 1.5,
All of the measurements in Fig. 1.6 lie on or above the line for calculated
shortening equal to PL/AE, indicating that shortening is overestimated by
the expression. The piles founded in soils generally have shortening
measurements between values calculated by }PL/AE and }PL/AE. The
second expression is consistent with the theoretical shortening for piles
with zero toe resistance and for which the average shaft resistance is con-
stant along the pile length. For piles with toe resistance, the theoretical
shortening will be greater than }PL/AB. This explains the measured
values in soil, which are as high as } PL/AE. Figure 1.6 also shows results
for 'end-bearing piles’, piles with rock sockets and piles with slip liners.
‘End-bearing piles’ refer to piles founded on rocks and relying predomi-PART | DEEP FOUNDATIONS - PILES AND BARRETTES
3 PL PL
4 Ae/ 88 aE
pam 2
‘© Piles founded in soil
‘¢ End-bearingirock socket piles
(without slip liner)
‘4 End-bearingfrock socket ples
(with slip finer)
terpreted shortening, PLIAE: mm
20 30 40
Measured shortening: mm
Fig. 1.6 Pile shaft shortening (after Ng et al., 2001¢)
nantly on toe resistance. ‘Slip liners’ refer to casings, often coated in a
material such as bitumen and sometimes surrounded by a soft grout annu-
lus. They are intended to allow minimal shaft resistance and thus allow
maximum axial load to reach a test section below the liner. The piles
with rock sockets and slip liners and the end-bearing piles may be
expected to give similar results, due to the majority of the pile load
being transferred at or close to the pile toe. The measured shortening
would be expected to be higher than the piles founded in soils, due to
shaft resistance being relatively lower, and this is supported by Fig. 1.6
with the results lying between PL/AE and $PL/AE.
For use in interpreting failure load, a moderately conservative estimate
of shaft shortening may be appropriate. From the results in Fig. 1.6, the
moderately conservative estimates are }PL/AE and 3PL/AE for piles
founded in soils and end-bearing piles, respectively. End-bearing piles
are piles that rely predominantly on toe resistance, piles with rock sockets
and piles with slip liners. Note that these estimations may also err on the
conservative side for the reason that the maximum test load P;,,. may be
less than failure load, as determined by the new criterion in which the esti-
mation will be incorporated.
New proposed method of interpretation
From the previous discussions, 4.5% of the pile diameter (or 0,045d) seems
to be a moderately conservative toe movement for the mobilization of toe
resistance capacity of large-diameter bored piles founded on saprolites
and weathered rocks. Combining this movement with the observations
of shaft shortening, a new method for interpreting failure load is given
7SHORT COURSE IN SOIL-STRUCTURE ENGINEERING
[=|
as follows (in mm):
1 PL
Am ¥ 0.045d + = = (17
mM 3 AE (1.7)
for piles founded in soils, and
An x 0.085d-+2 7 (1.8)
4 AE
for piles founded on rocks and/or with short rock sockets and for piles with
slip liners.
In any case that the pile-head displacement under maximum test load is
less than the value given by the proposed method, the maximum test load
can be taken as the conservative failure load for design,
Sensitivity analysis of global Factor of Safety
For practising civil engineers, pile-head movements at the interpreted
failure load scaled down by factors of safety are often of interest. Move-
ment limits of piles will vary with structural requirements, the design
methodology, and the choice of factor safety. These issues will not be
addressed here. However, the effectiveness of some of the failure criteria
introduced in this chapter in controlling pile-head movements can be
examined by studying the pile-head movements measured at the inter-
preted failure load and at the interpreted failure load divided by a factor
of safety.
Figure 1.7 shows the relationship between pile-head movement, Aawork
{assumed working load movement), as measured during loading testing at
100 p>
+ Davison
eas.
+ Proposed erterion
' Proposed criteria
(max)
Proposed
crteria (min) AS (max)
pec ET
ee
AS (min)
20 [Mod. Davissony \\
Mod. Davisson (max)
(min)
Pile-nead movement at assumed working load
(ty ah ey ry re ER ee
Nominal global factor of safety F
Fig. 1.7 Pile movement at assumed working loads (after Ng et al., 2001¢)PART | DEEP FOUNDATIONS - PILES AND BARRETTES
a load equal to the interpreted failure load divided by a nominal global
factor of safety, F, defined as ‘working load’. Values of F from 1.0 to 4.0
were applied to the interpreted failure loads for Piles 1-7, calculated
using the new proposed criterion, the modified Davisson criterion by
BD, and the AS criteria, which is dominated by its residual movement cri-
terion. The ‘max’ and ‘min’ in Fig. 1.7 refer to the maximum and minimum
measured movements for each criterion or set of criteria, respectively. At F
equal to 1.0 (.e, ultimate load) the scatter in A, yor is considerable, but the
scatter decreases as F increases. The modified Davisson criterion pro-
duces the lowest values of Aaworx Of the three criteria, with the maximum
line for this criterion on the figure being less than 12mm for F equal to 1.5
and less than 8 mm for F equal to 2.0. For F equal to 2.0, the AS criteria and
the new method provide similar results, with the maximum movement
being around 15mm.
Unlike the new method, the AS criteria are not dependent on pile dia-
meter; hence, at greater pile sizes, the AS criteria and the new proposed
criteria would be expected to produce a greater variation in interpreted
results, The AS criteria should tend to limit the factored movements con-
sistently to around the same values as those shown in Fig. 1.7, which could
be considered to be an advantage by structural engineers. However, as
mentioned in previous sections, the degree of mobilization at failure
load for different pile diameters is likely to vary because the criteria are
independent of diameter. Provided that structural tolerable movements
are not exceeded, the new method will result in a more effective design.
If structural requirements are demanding, for greater pile sizes the
safety factor may need to be increased to a value greater than 2.0.
Summary
A new failure load criterion for large-diameter bored piles and barrettes
is that the pile head displacement Ay, at failure load in weathered geo-
materials may be given as follows (in mm):
1 PL
An © 0.045d +5 Fe (1.7)
for piles founded in soils, and
3 PL ,
An © 0.045d +7 Ze (1.8)
for piles founded on rocks and/or with short rock sockets and for piles with
slip liners.
[>]CHAPTER FIVE
Analysis, design and parameters
Categories of analysis/design procedures
As pointed out by Poulos (1989), analysis and design procedures can be
divided into three broad categories, depending onthe level of sophistication
and rigour. An extended classification system of these procedures has been
proposed by Poulos and Hull (1989) and is shown in Table 1.7. Category 1
procedures probably account for most pile design done throughout the
world, Category 2 procedures have a proper theoretical basis, albeit
simplified, and are being increasingly used for pile deflection calculations.
Such procedures involve the use of simple computational methods or
design charts, and generally do not demand the use of a computer,
Category 3 procedures involve the use of a site-specific analysis based
on relatively advanced analytical or numerical techniques such as the
finite-element method or the boundary-element method. In most cases,
such procedures require the use of a computer. Category 3 procedures
are frequently used to carry out the necessary parametric solutions and
develop the design charts which can then be used as category 2 solutions.
Typical examples of the various categories of procedures for
axially loaded piles are shown in Table 1.8, In choosing an appropriate
category of design for a practical problem, the following factors need to
be considered:
the significance and scale of the problem
the available budget for foundation design
the geotechnical data available
the complexity of both the geotechnical profile and the design loading
conditions
© the stage of the design process (i.e. whether a feasibility, preliminary
or final design is being carried out)
© the experience of the designer with the methods being considered.
Estimation of geotechnical parameters
If soils can be idealised as elastic materials, the most significant para-
meters required for many of the categories 2A, 2B, 3A and 3B analyses
[|PART | DEEP FOUNDATIONS - PILES AND BARRETTES
Table 1.7 Categories of analysis/design procedures (after Poulos, 1989)
Category Subdivision Characteristics Method of parameter
determination
1 = Empirical - not based on soil Simple in situ or
mechanics principles laboratory tests, with
correlations
2 28 Based on simplified theory or Routine relevant in situ
charts — uses soil mechanics tests - may require some
principles - amenable to hand —_correlations
calculation. Theory is linear
elastic (deformation) or rigid
plastic (stability)
2B As for 2A, but theory is non-
linear (deformation) or elasto-
plastic (stability)
3 3A Based on theory using site- Careful laboratory and/or
specific analysis, uses soil in situ tests which follow
mechanics principles. Theory isthe appropriate stress
linear elastic (deformation) or paths
rigid plastic (stability)
3B As for 3A, but non-linearity is
allowed for in a relatively simple
manner
3c As for 3A, but non-linearity is
allowed for by way of proper
constitutive models of soil
behaviour
of pile behaviour under static loading are as follows:
.
.
.
the side resistance f,
the end-bearing resistance fy,
Young's modulus of the soil E,
Poisson's ratio of the soil v,.
For calculation of axial pile load capacity, f, and f, must be estimated as
accurately as possible. For the calculation of settlement resulting from
direct axial loading, the theoretical solutions reveal that the choice of an
appropriate value of £, is generally crucial, unless the piles are long and
compressible. For piles in soil subjected to external movement, the pile
behaviour is generally much less dependent on E, and, provided that
the soil movement is known,’ an approximate estimate of E, may be
® The soil movement is treated here as an independent variable, although it will be
influenced to some extent by the soil modulus.
atSHORT COURSE IN SOIL-STRUCTURE ENGINEERING
Table 1.8 Examples of categorization of methods for evaluation of axial pile response (aiter
Poulos, 1989)
Category Axial pile capacity Settlement
1 Correlations with CPT Approximate correlations with pile
(e.g. Schmertmann, 1975; De Ruiter diameter (Meyerhof, 1959; Frank,
and Beringen, 1979) 1985)
Correlations with SPT (Meyerhof, 1956; Column deflection multiplied by a
Thorburn and McVicar, 1971) factor (Focht, 1967)
Total stress (a) method (Tomlinson,
1957; Semple and Rigden, 1984)
24 Effective stress (3) method (Burland, _ Elastic solutions (Randolph and
1973; Meyerhof, 1976; Stas and Wroth, 1978a; Poulos and Davis,
Kulhawy, 1984) 1980)
2B Effective stress method (Fleming ef al, Elastic solutions modified for slip
1985) (Poulos and Davis, 1980)
3A Plasticity solutions for end-bearing Elastic finite-element analysis
capacity (Meyerhof, 1963; Giroud et al, (e.g. Valliappan et al., 1974)
1973)
3B Non-linear load transfer analysis
(e.g. Coyle and Reese, 1966; Kraft et al,
1981)
Non-linear boundary-element analysis
(e.g. Poulos and Davis, 1980)
Non-linear finite-element analysis
(e.g. Desai, 1974; Jardine et al., 1986)
3c Finite-element analysis, including
simulation of pile installation
(e.g. Randolph et al., 1979; Withiam and
Kulhawy, 1979; Nystrom, 1984)
a2
adequate, although reasonable estimates of shaft and end-bearing
resistance are desirable.
Methods for determining parameters
For evaluating the parameters for static pile response, a number of
methods can be contemplated, including
laboratory testing
appropriate interpretation of field pile load tests
empirical correlations with laboratory determined parameters
empirical correlations with the results of in situ test data
Conventional laboratory tests, such as triaxial or oedometer tests, are
generally not suitable for direct measurement of the soil’'s Young's
modulus as they do not follow, even approximately, the stress pathPART | DEEP FOUNDATIONS - PILES AND BARRETTES
which the soil adjacent to the pile follows. Laboratory model pile tests
may overcome this deficiency to some extent, but may not accurately
reflect the behaviour of prototype piles because of the presence of scale
effects, particularly for piles in sand. Some potential exists for more
sophisticated tests such as the constant normal stiffness (CNS) direct
shear test (Johnston and Lam, 1984; Ooi and Carter, 1987), and this type
of test has been used in the design of grouted piles in offshore carbonate
sediments (Johnston et al., 1988). However, the direct utilisation of
laboratory tests for pile design is infrequent in practice, and still requires
further research before it can be applied with confidence.
The most reliable means of determining f, and E, is by back-analysing
from the results of pile load tests. Methods for interpreting the pile load
test data have been detailed by Poulos and Davis (1980) and Stewart
and Kulhawy (1981), among others. Such methods are particularly
effective if the pile is instrumented so that details of the load transfer
along the pile shaft are available; it is then possible to determine detailed
distributions of soil modulus and limiting pile-soil resistance along the pile
shaft (Ng et al., 2001b).
Side resistance f,
Tables 1.9 and 1.10 summarize available methods for determining side
resistance, f,, from laboratory strength data, for both driven and bored
piles. Effective stress approaches can be used for all soil types, whereas
a total stress approach is still adopted commonly for piles in clay, The
parameters a and @ (or K and 6) are usually obtained from empirical
correlations, despite the fact that the effective stress 9 approach is
fundamentally sound and falls into category 2.
A summary of some suggested correlations between f, and the standard
penetration resistance N are given in Table 1.11. Considerable variations
occur in these correlations, particularly for bored and cast-in-place piles.
Figures 1.8 and 1.9 show values of f, correlated with the static cone
resistance, q., These relationships have been developed by Poulos
(1989) from the correlations suggested by Bustamante and Gianeselli
(1982) and cover a wide range of pile types in both clay and silica sand.
The classification of these pile types is shown in Table 1.12, It should be
emphasized that several other correlations have been proposed and that
wide variations exist between some of these. Figure 1.10 shows an
example of this variability, for driven piles in silica sand. The potential
inaccuracy of shaft capacity prediction using category 1 correlations,
especially for loose sands, is clearly demonstrated.
Schmertmann (1975; 1978) proposes a different approach to the utiliza-
tion of cone data, whereby the pile side resistance is related to the
measured sleeve resistance of the penetrometer. Corrections are applied,SHORT COURSE IN SOIL-STRUCTURE ENGINEERING
Table 1.9 Shaft resistance {, for driven piles, determined from laboratory strength data
{after Poulos, 1989)
Soil type Equation Remarks Reference
Clay f= acy, a= 1.0(¢, < 25kPa) API (1984)
= 0.5(¢y > 70 kPa)
Linear variation in between
@ = 100(c, < 35kPa) ‘Semple and Rigden
@ = 0.5(¢, 2 80kPa) (1984)
Linear variation in between
Length factor applies for L/d > 50
“@lGy ™(
-QLE)" =(G
Fleming et al. (1985)
Bo, (1 sing’) tan g'(OCR)°* Burland (1973
Meyerhof (1976)
Silica sand f, = J, 9 = 0.15-0.35 (compression) McClelland (1974)
( ¥ fim) 0.10-0.24 (tension)
B=044 — for ¢! = 28° Meyerhof (1976)
075 forg’
12 ford! =37°
8 = (K/K): Ko tan(- 5/4) Stas and Kulhawy (1984)
6/0 depends on interface materials
(range 0.5-1.0);
K/Ky depends on installation method
(range 0.5-2.0)
Kg = coefficient of earth pressure at rest,
and is a function of OCR
Ja, 9 = 0.05-0.1 Poulos (1988d)
calcareous
sand
depending on soil type, pile type, relative pile length and depth below the
surface. Robertson et al. (1985) have found that the method proposed
by Schmertmann provides a more reliable prediction than the direct
correlation to q. when applied to piles in a clayey silt.
Correlations such as those outlined must always be employed with
caution, as a number of other factors may also influence side resistance,
e.g. the presence of overlying layers (Tomlinson, 1977).
End-bearing resistance fi,
Table 1.13 summarizes the two methods usually used for assessment of
the end-bearing resistance of piles using laboratory data. A total stress
approach is almost invariably used for piles in clay, whereas an effectivePART | DEEP FOUNDATIONS - PILES AND BARRETTES
Table 1.10 Shaft resistance f, for bored piles, determined from laboratory strength data
(after Poulos, 1989)
Soil type Equation Remarks Reference
Clay f= acy ‘= 0.45 (London clay) Skempton (1959)
a= 0.7 times value for driven Fleming et al. (1985)
displacement pile
A Kis lesser of Ky or 0.5(1+Ky) Fleming et al. (1985)
K/Ko = 2/3to 1; Ky is function of Stas and Kulhawy
OCR; 6 depends on interface (1984)
materials
Silica sand f, = ol, $=01 — ford’ =33° Meyerhof (1976)
0.2 for ¢’ = 35°
035 for g! = 37
8 = Ftan(¢' — 5°) Kraft and Lyons (1974)
Uncemented
calcareous
sand
where F = 0.7 (compression)
and 0.5 (tension)
f, = Boy §=0.5 100.8 Poulos (198d)
{fy # fetirn) fetim ~ 60 to 100 kPa
stress approach is used for piles in sand. Two main problems arise in the
latter case:
* some experimental evidence suggests that a limiting value of f, may
occur when the pile is embedded more than 10 to 20 diameters; no
entirely satisfactory method of theoretical analysis has been devel-
oped to take this into account and an empirical upper limit to fi, is
usually specified
¢ the theoretical bearing capacity factor, Ng, is very sensitive to the
angle of shearing resistance ¢! for values of ¢' in excess of about 35°,
thus small changes in ¢ can theoretically lead to large changes in
Nq although the effects of soil compressibility are then more
important and may reduce the dependence of N, on ¢’.
Table 1.14 shows some empirical correlations between f, and the standard
penetration resistance in the vicinity of the pile tip. These correlations
indicate that bored or cast-in-place piles develop a significantly smaller
end-bearing resistance than do driven piles.
Bustamante and Gianeselli (1982) suggested correlations between fy
and the average cone penetration resistance value near the pile tip. The
correlation factor to the latter value is between 0.3 and 0.55, depending
on soil and pile type. These correlations contrast with procedures such
as those proposed by Belcotec (1985) and De Ruiter and Beringen
(1979), in which a factor of unity is applied to the average value (computed
[+]SHORT COURSE IN SOIL-STRUCTURE ENGINEERING
Table 1.11 Correlations between shait resistance f, and SPT value, with f, = 0 + NkPa
(ater Poulos, 1989)
Pile type Soil type a p Remarks, Reference
Driven Cohesionless 0 2.0 f, =average value Meyerhof (1956)
displacement over shaft
Cast-in-place
Bored
N=average SPT —_Shioi and Fukui (1982)
along shaft
Halve f, for small-
displacement pile
Cohesionless 10 3.3. Pile type not Decourt (1982)
and cohesive specified
N23
i, # 170kPa
Cohesive 0 100 Shioi and Fukui (1982)
Cohesionless 302.0. f, ¥ 200kPa Yamashita et al. (1987)
Shioi and Fukui (1982)
0 50
Cohesive 0 5.0 f, ¥150kPa Yamashita et al. (1987)
Shioi and Fukui (1982)
0 100
Cohesionless 0 10 Findlay (1984)
Shioi and Fukui (1982)
0 33 Wright and Reese
(1979)
Cohesive Oo 0) Shioi and Fukui (1982)
Cohesive 10 3.3. Piles cast under _—_—Decourt (1982)
bentonite
504NZ3
f, #170 kPa
Chalk -125 12.5 30>N>15 After Fletcher and
i, % 250kPa Mizon (1984)
46
differently than in the Bustamante and Gianeselli approach). However,
the latter approaches are confined to driven piles, whereas the Busta-
mante and Gianeselli approach is more general, simpler to apply, and
probably more conservative.
Young’s modulus E, of the soil
Ideally, for piles in clay, a distinction should be made between the
undrained Young's modulus, used for calculations of immediate or
undrained settlement, and the drained Young's modulus, used for calcu-
lations of total settlement of a pile. However, for many clays, the difference
between the drained and undrained modulus values is not great and the
approximate nature of most correlations makes such a distinction imprac-
tical. It is therefore suggested that the correlations presented here should
be considered to apply to the drained Young's modulus. For alll soil types,PART | DEEP FOUNDATIONS - PILES AND BARRETTES
160
Cure | Applicable, pile types | Note: Lower limit applies for
No, (see Table 1.12) | unreliable construction contro!
upper fmt applies for very
sao ft | 1B, tower timit for fea coeseuant antl
cece ‘careful construction control
2 | Upper limit for 18
320} 3 | INA, upper tit for
1A iA and 1B
i)
100
Shalt resistance f; KPa
40
20
ers C0
Cone resistance a,: MPa
Fig. 1.8 Design values of shait resistance for piles in clay (based on
Bustamante and Gianeselli, 1982; after Poulos, 1989)
a further distinction needs to be made, between the tangent value of the
Young's modulus (if a non-linear interface model is being used) and the
secant value of the Young's modulus (if a purely linear analysis is being
used). Again, it is often difficult to make such distinctions with rough
empirical correlations and, unless specified, the Young's modulus referred
to here will be a secant value, relevant for normal working load levels of
between one-third to one-half of the ultimate load capacity.
For piles in clay, the Young's modulus has often been correlated with
laboratory-measured undrained shear strength, ¢,. Some of these correla-
tions are shown in Fig. 1.11, and a feature of this figure is the wide spread
of correlations. Possible reasons for this spread might include differences
in the method of determining c,, differences in the method of determining
the modulus values, differences in the load level at which the modulus
was determined, differences in the overconsolidation ratio of the clay
between different tests, and differences between the clay types. Callanan
and Kulhawy (1985) find that values of E,/c, generally range between 200
and 900, with an average value of about 500, These values apply to piles
with a length-to-diameter ratio in excess of about 15. For shorter piles, the
upper range of E,/c, may be greater because of the possible effects of
fissuring, desiccation and overconsolidation of the clay near the surface.
]SHORT COURSE IN SOIL-STRUCTURE ENGINEERING
48
Fig. 1.9 Design values of shaft resistance for piles in sand (based on
Shait resistance f,: KPa
Cure | Apotcable pile tes | Note: Lower it appies for
No] (s0e Table 1.12) unreitle constuction contol:
300 | th | Lower limit for 8 upper tnt apples for very
10 | Upgerurt fori catetul construction control
2 | ine
3. | Lower limit for 1A and A
3U_| Upper limit fort and iA
20 4 | mw
5
200
5
150 |
4 wy
x
3
100
tu
eae —
ot
1
50 =
°
° 5 10 15 20 280
Cone resistance 9, MPa
Bustamante and Gianeselli, 1982; after Poulos, 1989)
Table 1.12 Classification of pile types (Bustamante and Gianeselli, 1982;
aiter Poulos, 1989)
Pile Type of pile
category
14 Plain bored piles, mud bored piles, hollow auger bored piles, cast
screwed piles
‘Type I micropiles, piers, barrettes
1B Cased bored piles
Driven cast piles
HA Driven precast piles
Prestressed tubular piles
Jacked concrete piles
1B Driven steel piles
Jacked steel piles
MA Driven grouted piles
Driven rammed piles
IIB High-pressure grouted piles (d > 0.25m)
Type II micropilesPART | DEEP FOUNDATIONS - PILES AND BARRETTES
120 a
4
100 4 2| [as
3
80
€
2 60 5
3 3
3 12
2 4 _
12
zo |
|
|
°
(a) (b) ©
Number Source of correlation
1] “Bustamante and Gianesell (7082)
2 | Fleming and Troroum (1084)
3 | Verbrugge (1982)
4 | Vanimpe (1986)
5 | Poulos (1889)
Fig. 1.10 Example of variations between correlations for shaft resistance
against CPT-driven piles in sand: 6 MPa; (b) qe = 10 MPa; (c)
dc = 20MPa (alter Poulos, 1989)
Some correlations between the Young's modulus and the standard
penetration test number are summarized in Fig. 1.12, and show alarming
variability. At least some of this variability may be attributed to differences
in the determination or definition of the SPT value, but it is clear that the
potential for selection of inappropriate values of E, is great.
Table 1.15 shows some suggested correlations between E, and the cone
penetration resistance, qc, and, as with most of the other correlations, the
range is large. Two correlations for initial tangent modulus, E,,, are shown,
both being derived from dynamic triaxial tests but believed to be relevant
for piles.
Poisson's ratio v,
‘The Poisson's ratio of the soil is a necessary input parameter into analyses
that involve elastic continuum theory, but its effect is generally quite
minor when the solutions are expressed in terms of the Young's modulus
[1
49}SHORT COURSE IN SOIL-STRUCTURE ENGINEERING
Table 1,13 End-bearing capacity of pile tip {,: determination from laboratory data (after
Poulos, 1989)
Soil type Equation Remarks Reference
Clay fy =Netyy Ne =9for L/d > 3 Skempton (1959)
Gy = value of , in vicinity of pile
tip
Silica sand’ fy = Nqow Ny =40 API (1984)
F losis’ N, plotted against ¢ Berezantzev ef al. (1961)
Nj related to ¢', relative density Fleming et al. (1985)
and mean effective stress
'N, from cavity expansion theory, Vesic (1972)
as'a function of ¢! and volume
compressibility
Uncemented fy = Nya N, = 20 Datta et al. (1980)
calcareous hum Typical range of Ng = 8-20 Poulos (1988d)
sand [N, determined for reduced value Dutt and Ingram (1984)
of 6! (eg. 18°)
“For silica and caleareous sands, the above expressions apply for driven piles only
"Typical limiting values fyys; range from 10-15 MPa for silica sand, and 3-5 MPa for calcareous sand; the latter value
depends on soil compressibility (Nauroy et al, 1986)
Table 1.14 Correlations between end-bearing resistance f, and SPT value, with
1, = KN MPa (after Poulos, 1989)
Pile type Soil type K Remarks Reference
Driven Sand 0.45 N =average SPT value in. Martin et al. (1987)
displace- local failure zone
ment Sand 0.40 Decourt (1982)
Silt, sandy silt 0.35 Martin et al. (1987)
Glacial coarse to fine 0.25 Thorburn and MacVicar
silt deposits (1971)
Residual sandy silts 0.25, Decourt (1982)
Residual clayey silts 0.20 Decourt (1982)
Clay 0.20 Martin ef al. (1987)
Clay 0.12 Decourt (1982)
All soils 0.30 For L/d>5 Shioi and Fukui (1982)
ILjd <5;
K=0.1+0.04L/d
(closed-end piles) or
K =0.06L/a
(open-ended piles)
Cast-in- _ Cohesionless fy = 3.0MPa Shioi and Fukui (1982)
place
0.15 f, #7.5MPa ‘Yamashita et al. (1987)
Cohesive = fy = 0.09(1 + 0.162) Yamashita et al. (1987)
‘where z = tip depth (m)
Bored Sand oA Shioi and Fukui (1982)
Clay 0.15 Shioi and Fukui (1982)
Chalk 0.25 N<30 Hobbs (1977)
0.20 N>40
[>|PART | DEEP FOUNDATIONS -~ PILES AND BARRETTES
120
100
Young's modulus E,: MPa
20
°
° 00 200 300
Undtained shear strength g, kPa
Legend [Remarks Reterence
1 Driven piles Pouios (1968)
2 Bored piles Poulos (1968)
3 Driven piles ( ‘Aschendrenner and Olsen (1964)
4 Bored piles, lower bound | Callanen and Kulhawy (1965)
(E=200¢)
Fig. 1.11 Correlations for soil modulus for piles in clay (after Callanan and
Kulhawy, 1985; Poulos, 1989)
600
Komorik (1974)
D'Appotonia etal. (1970)
500} 3 Shiol and Fuku’ (1982)
Denver (1982)
CChristoulas and Pachakis (1987)
Yamashita et al. (1987)
MPa
0 20 40 60
SPT value
Fig. 1,12 Comparison between correlations for soil modulus and SPT value
for driven piles in sand (after Poulos, 1989)
51SHORT COURSE IN SOIL-STRUCTURE ENGINEERING
Table 1.15 Correlations between soil’s Young’s modulus E, and CPT value for driven piles
(aiter Poulos, 1989)
Soil type Correlation Remarks Reference
Clay and E,* =21.0qi Various pile types Christoulas (1988)
silts E, and q. in MPa
E, = 15qe Poulos (1988c)
Silica sands E, ~ aq = 20-40 Milovic and Stevanovic
(1982)
a=5 Poulos (1988¢)
(normally consolidated sands)
a=75
(over-consolidated sands}
Ey! = 53q2"! Bq, and q. in MPa Imai and Tonouchi
Dynamic modulus value (1982)
Unspecified Ey = aq. a= 24-30 Holeyman (1985)
Dynamic modulus value
E,=10.8+6.6q. E, and q. in MPa Verbrugge (1982)
(for q. > 0.4 MPa)
“8, = secant Young's modulus.
* B =initial tangent Young's modulus
of the soil. For saturated clays under undrained conditions, v, can be taken
as 0.5. For clays under drained conditions, », generally lies within the
range 0.35 + 0.05, whereas for silica sands, v, is usually within the range
0.30.1, Lower values, within the range 0.15 0.1, are applicable for
many marine calcareous sediments.
[=|CHAPTER SIX
Dynamic formulae
Overview
As pointed out by Poulos and Davis (1980), perhaps the oldest and most
frequently used method of estimating the load capacity of driven piles
is to use a driving formula, or dynamic formula, All such formulae relate
ultimate load capacity to pile set (the vertical movement per blow of the
driving hammer) and assume that the driving resistance is equal to the
load capacity of the pile under static loading. They are based on an
idealised representation of the action of the hammer on the pile in the
last stage of its embedment, There are a great number of driving formulae
available, of varying degrees of reliability.
Smith (1960) states that the editors of the Engineering News Record
have on file 450 such formulae. The derivation of some of these formulae
is discussed by Whitaker (1970), while details of some of the parameters
required are available in Chellis (1961).
The primary objectives in using a pile-driving formula are usually either
to establish a safe working load for a pile by using the driving record of the
pile, or to determine the driving requirements for a required working load.
The working load is usually determined by applying a suitable safety
factor to the ultimate load calculated by the formula. This safety factor,
however, varies considerably depending on the formula used and the
type of pile being driven. Also, because pile driving formulae take no
account of the nature of the soil, the appropriate safety factor may vary
from one site to another.
An improvement in the estimation of load capacity by dynamic methods
has resulted from the use of the wave equation to examine the trans-
mission of compression waves down the pile, rather than assuming that
a force is generated instantly throughout the pile, as is done in deriving
driving formulae. The main objective in using the wave-equation
approach is to obtain a better relationship between ultimate pile-load
and pile-set than can be obtained from a simple driving formula. As
well as providing a means of load capacity estimation, this relationship
allows an assessment to be made of the driveability of a pile with a
particular set of equipment. Moreover, this approach also enables a
[>|SHORT COURSE IN SOIL-STRUCTURE ENGINEERING
rational analysis to be made of the stresses in the pile during driving and
can therefore be useful in the structural design of the pile.
Pile-driving formulae
Derivation of general formulae
Pile-driving formulae attempt to relate the dynamic to the static resistance
of a pile. They have been established on an empirical or a theoretical
basis. Several of the latter are based on Newton's law of impact, modified
in some cases for energy losses during impact and stress propagation,
The assumed relationship between pile resistance and downward
movement of the pile is shown in Fig. 1.13. The materials of the pile and
the driving cushion are assumed to be perfectly elastic, and inertia
forces in the soil and energy losses stemming from irreversible deforma-
tions (except of the soil) are disregarded.
Dynamic equations
Dynamic equations can be categorized into three groups: theoretical
equations, empirical equations and those which consist of a combination
of the two. The theoretical equations are formulated around analyses
which evaluate the tolal resistance of the pile, based on the work done
by the pile during penetration. These formulations assume elasto-plastic
force-displacement relations, as shown in Fig. 1.13. The total work is
therefore:
Q
(s + at (1.9)
where R, is the yield resistance, Q is the quake denoting the combined
elastic deformation of the pile and the soil, and S is the set, denoting the
Load
Seitlement
Fig. 1.13 Assumed load-settlement curve for pile (after Poulos and Davis,
1980)PART | DEEP FOUNDATIONS - PILES AND BARRETTES
plastic deformation (permanent displacement ~ also called the ‘final set
value’) under each blow.
When the work of the resisting forces W is equated to the energy deliv-
ered to the pile, that is, W = E,ior (Where Exe; is the energy transferred to
the pile-soil system after impact), then:
pee to)
S4 2
2
The low reliability of dynamic equations has been reported (Housel, 1965).
There are several reasons for this:
© the parameters, such as the efficiency of energy transfer and the
pile/soil quake, are assumed, and therefore may not reflect the high
variability of the field conditions
the theoretical analysis of the ‘rational’ pile formula (see for example
Bowles, 1988) relates the energy transfer mechanism to a Newtonian
analysis of ram-pile impact. This formulation is theoretically invalid
for representing the ‘elastic’ wave propagation mechanism which
actually takes place, and
* no differentiation is made between static and dynamic soil resistances.
A clear distinction is therefore required between the underlying valid
energy analysis and additional estimations of the different parameters,
many of which are either invalid theoretically or practically limited in
their accuracy.
If the anvil-pile cushion is included as part of the pile-soil system,
energy will also be stored during elastic compression of the pile cushion.
The elastic compression should therefore comprise three components,
namely, Q=C,+C,+Cy where C., C, and C, are the temporary
compression of pile cushion, pile and soil respectively.
If the anvil-pile cushion is not considered as part of the pile-soil system,
the energy transferred to the pile-soil system may be simplified to energy
stored in the pile and soil only. In this case, Q = C, + Cy and E,ye, may be
approximated by the total energy transferred to the pile head, Ey, where
Eq can be measured directly using a PDA (Pile Driving Analyser). Eq
can also be expressed in terms of the energy transfer ratio X, defined as
E, = XWh, where W is the hammer weight and h is the drop height.
The values of Ey and X are normally standard output in a PDA test report.
In some pile-driving formulae, Ey is related to the kinetic energy of
the hammer before impact F’. It is common to express £' in terms of
the hammer efficiency a defined as F’ = Wh. The hammer efficiency
measures the energy loss during descent of the hammer. Some hydraulic
hammer systems impart energy to the hammer during descent of the
55SHORT COURSE IN SOIL-STRUCTURE ENGINEERING
56
hammer and the input energy of the hammer fer pile driving is actually
higher than Wh. This may give a hammer efficiency higher than 1.0
even if there is energy loss before impact. As there is further energy loss
after impact, Ey can be expressed in terms of the efficiency of hammer
blow 7. This gives By = £’ = naWh.
Hiley formula
By considering the physics of impact of two spheres, Hiley (1922) derived
the following expression to calculate 1
_W+(Wp+ Wie >
'—"Wwa(We+w) °
where W, is the weight of pile, W, is the weight of anvil and e is the
coefficient of restitution.
The Hiley formula considers the anvil as part of the pile-soil system. By
substituting Ey = naWh and Q = C, + Cy + Cy into Equation (1,10), then
___yaWh
S+H(C.4+ CG, +C,)
Ry
Major deficiencies in using the Hiley formula for long piles have been
pointed out and explained by Triantafyllidis (2001) and hence it should
not be used blindly.
Reliability of dynamic formulae
Poulos and Davis (1980) point out that several investigations have been
made to determine the reliability of the various pile-driving formulae by
comparing the load capacity computed from the appropriate formula
with the measured capacity from a pile loading test. Some of the most
comprehensive investigations have been reported by Sorensen and
Hansen (1957), Agerschou (1962), Flaate (1964), Housel (1966) and
Olsen and Flaate (1967)
Sorensen and Hansen used data from 78 load tests on concrete, stecl
and wooden piles, most of these having their points bearing on sand (a
few were founded on hard moraine clay). The results of their comparisons
are shown in Fig, 1.14, in which the ratio, 1, of the measured to the
computed load-capacity is plotted against the percentage of load tests
smaller than js. This plot is a probability plot, and a straight line on this
plot represents a normal or Gaussian distribution of results. Figure 1.14
shows that all the formulae considered, with the exception of the
Eytelwein formula, follow approximately a Gaussian distribution. There
is very little difference in the accuracy of the Danish, Hiley and Janbu
formulae, and the theoretical curves derived from the wave equation,
but the Eytelwein formula is very inaccurate.PART | DEEP FOUNDATIONS - PILES AND BARRETTES
Janbu formula
Hiley formula
Eytetwein formula —
Danish formula = ——
Wave equation
4 loss than
log u
Fig. 1.14 Statistical distribution of load test results (after Sorensen and
Hansen, 1957; Poulos and Davis, 1980)
Agerschou’s investigation concentrated on the Engineering News
formula but also broadly confirmed the conclusions of Sorensen and
Hansen regarding the Danish, Hiley and Janbu formulae. Agerschou
showed that despite its popularity, the Engineering News formula is
unreliable. It has the highest standard deviation, and 96% of the allowable
loads determined by this formula will have actual safety factors ranging
between 1.1 and 30. Flaate (1964) investigated the accuracy of the
Janbu, Hiley, and Engineering News formulae for 116 tests on timber,
concrete and steel piles in sand. The conclusions reached by Agerschou
regarding the unreliability of the Engineering News formula are
reinforced by Flaate’s results. There is relatively little difference between
the Janbu and Hiley formulae, although the former is perhaps the more
reliable overall and gives good results for timber and concrete piles.
Hiley’s formula is also reasonable for timber piles.
Modified pile driving formula for long piles
For relatively long piles the 7 factor in the Hiley formula suggests very low
energy transfer coefficients from the hammer onto the pile, because the
whole mass of the pile is taken into account (Triantafyllidis, 2001). If the
pile is relatively long it is worth considering only that portion of the pile
that is affected during the duration of the impact. Therefore a more
realistic approach is to consider the impact between two rods instead of
the impact between two spheres,
Alternatively, due to the availability of field equipment for measuring
the forces and accelerations in a pile during driving by using a PDA, a
[=]SHORT COURSE IN SOIL-STRUCTURE ENGINEERING
io
different but simple approach can be adopted. Broms and Lim (1988) and
Paikowsky and Chernauskas (1992) proposed an energy equation to
determine the pile-driving resistance as follows:
Ey
R= od (1.13)
“S45 (Cp + Cy) a
where E, can be directly measured by a PDA
In this modified formula the anvil-pile cushion is not considered as part
of the pile-soil system and hence C is not included in the equation
Accuracy of the modified pile-driving formula
Figure 1.15 compares the ultimate capacity of piles predicted by the
modified pile-driving formula of Equation (1.13) with that predicted by
CAPWAP (Case Analysis with Wave Analysis Program) or pile loading
tests, The data smaller than 3000KN are taken from Paikowsky and
Chernauskas (1992) for which the failure loads were obtained from pile
loading tests. The other data points are obtained from Li et al, (2003). A
total of seven test piles of Grade 55C 305 x 305 x 224kg/m H-piles
constructed in completely decomposed granite (CDG) were loaded to
failure or 3.3 times the design pile capacity. The length of the piles
ranged from 35 to 46m. Each test pile was initially driven to final set by
hydraulic hammer followed by drop hammer. As shown in Fig. 1.15 it
can be seen that the modified formula predicts the test loads for long
piles reasonably well. However, further verifications of this modified
formula are still needed.
19 000
10 000
5000 + Paikousky and Chomauskas (1962)
* Drop hammer (eased to faire)
* Drop hammer {rat leaded to flue)
& Hycraule hammer adod to file)
& Hydraulic hammer (not loaded ofa)
Pile capacity measured by loading test: KN
° i —
° 5000 10 000 18 000
Pile capacity based on the modified pile driving formula: KN
Fig. 1.15 Pile capacity based on the modified pile-driving formula
correlated with measurements from loading testsPART | DEEP FOUNDATIONS - PILES AND BARRETTES
The Wave Equation
Stress propagation
Stress propagation in a pile during driving can be described by the
following equation of motion:
&u Sp Fu
Bonu Anu 2 1ie
(1.14)
where u(x,t) — longitudinal displacement of an infinitesimal segment;
Ay, Sp = pile area and circumference, respectively; Ep, y = modulus of
elasticity and unit density of the pile material, respectively.
The friction stresses f, are activated by the pile movement and
under free wave motion (/, = 0) Equation (1.14) becomes the familiar
one-dimensional wave equation.
Equation (1,14) may be solved for the appropriate initial and boundary
conditions to determine the relationship among displacement, time and
position in the pile, from which the stress variation in the pile may be
determined. Because of the complications involved in practical piling
problems, analytical solutions to Equation (1.14) generally are not feasi-
ble, and resort must be made to numerical means of solution. A convenient
numerical method has been described by Smith (1960).
Smith (1960) proposed an idealization of the hammer-pile-soil system
which would be capable of representing the passage of the stress wave
down the pile (Fig. 1.16). The pile is modelled as a series of rigid masses
connected by springs which can act in both compression and tension.
The hammer ram and the anvil or pile cap are also modelled as rigid
masses, but interfaces between ram and anvil and between anvil and
top of pile are idealized by springs capable of sustaining compression
but not tension. Side resistance and end-bearing actions of the soil into
which the pile is being driven are represented by bi-linear springs
acting on the embedded rigid masses. Side resistance springs can exert
forces either upward or downward while the end-bearing spring can act
only in compression. Soil springs act linearly up to a limiting displacement
termed the ‘quake’. In addition, increased resistance of the soil due to
viscous damping is represented by a series of dashpots, Smith expresses
the instantaneous soil resistance force, R, acting on an adjacent rigid
mass as
R=R(I+JV) (1.15)
where R, = static soil resistance, J = a damping constant, V = instanta-
neous velocity of the adjacent mass.
‘Ascan be seen in Fig. 1,16, the basic Smith idealization is representative
of a pile driven by a drop hammer or a single acting hammer. Diesel
59SHORT COURSE IN SOIL-STRUCTURE ENGINEERING
60
i
— _
[-— batvicapotock x, Dspacement
(+ armen Wh Form of sol spring
=%
gel
Ky
1 It « eee
EK
«Fle ia
Vit Sido springs to we lee Dass o represent
represent skin Ke
fete on ple = amping fects soll
oe
Ht «ete
ge le a
tl it im
er
Ww,
_
tl} it ZK,
Kae Mele
—~ See
—~ Ene-bearing ——
Fig. 1.16 Smith (1960) idealization for Wave Equation analysis of pile
during driving (after Tomlinson, 2001)
hammers have to be considered in a rather different manner since the
actual energy generated by such a hammer will vary with the resistance
of the pile that is being driven. For low resistance there will be low ener-
gies per blow at a high number of blows per minute, while for high resis-
tances the energy per blow will increase and the number of blows per
minute decreases. Manufacturers can provide charts of energy versus
rate of striking for diesel hammers, and when drivability predictions are
being made the range of energies at which a particular hammer may
operate should be considered. An example of this is shown in Fig. 1.17
in which back-analyses of static load tests have been used to generate
blow count versus driving resistance curves for closed-ended tubularPART | DEEP FOUNDATIONS - PILES AND BARRETTES
Pile: 914 mm 0.4. x 19 mm WT (lengths >16 m)
Hammer: Delmag D82; Energy range 11 160-22 820 kg m
© Test ple ‘A'~ Predicted resistance for energy and set at complotion of driving
© Test ple ‘A'~ Failure load (from test load) approx. 600 t
‘4. Test ple Predicted resistance, based on test pile ‘A’ results, for energy
and set al completion of driving (results of load test to 600 t
Indicated resistance well above 600 1)
1000
3
Driving resistance: t
20 40 60 80 100 120 140
Blows per 300 mm
Fig, 1.17 Pile drivability analysis for diesel hammer (after Tomlinson,
2001)
steel piles being driven into calcareous sands and corals. In these ground
conditions time-dependent effects are negligible, and so the driving
resistance is considered to be the same as the static resistance. Although
the original Smith idealization is incapable of modelling the interaction
between driving resistance and energy generated for a diesel hammer,
advances have been made. Goble and Rausche (1976) published details
of a computer program which will model diesel hammer behaviour
realistically; this program proceeds by iterations until compatibility is
obtained between the pile-soil system and the energy-blows per minute
performance of the hammer.
Data required to undertake a pile drivability analysis include values for
the stiffness and coefficient of restitution of the dolly/capblock and the
quakes Q and damping constants J for the soil. Typical values of Q and
J are given in Table 1.16, These may be used in pre-driving studies, but
it must be remembered that they can be subject to significant variations
and whenever possible they should be back-figured to fit load test results
Since the late 1970s the exact form of damping of soil for Wave Equation
analyses has been the subject of much investigation and Heerema
(1979) and Litkouhi and Poskitt (1980) have published findings indicating
that for end-bearing in clays and sands and for side resistance in clays,
damping is dependent on the fifth root of velocity, that is, Equation
61SHORT COURSE IN SOIL-STRUCTURE ENGINEERING
Table 1.16 Soil property values typically used in Wave Equation analyses
(aiter Tomlinson, 2001)
Soil type Damping constant Quake side
———— and end
Skin friction End-bearing Q (mm)
Jz (s/m) Jp (s/m)
Clay 0.65 0.01-1.0 25
Sand 0.15 0.33-0.65
silt 0.33-0.5, 0.33-1.5
(1.15) is modified to
R=R(1+JV°?) (1.16)
Capacity evaluation in the field using Wave Equation
The procedure of monitoring pile driving by dynamic measurements is
well established. Early large-scale studies (e.g. Michigan State Highway
Commission, 1965; Texas Highway Department, 1973; and Ohio Depart-
ment of Transportation, 1975; and Goble ef al., 1970) led to the develop-
ment of commercial systems which enable complete and relatively easy
acquisition of dynamic measurements and analysis during driving. The
PDA (Pile Driving Analyser, see Pile Dynamics Inc., 1990) which is the
most commonly used device in the USA, utilizes a simplified pile-capacity
evaluation method, known as the Case method (see Goble ef al., 1970)
The formulation of the method is based on a simplification of the Wave
Equation and employs the force and velocity measurements taken at the
pile top in order to obtain the total resistance. The static resistance is
then evaluated based on a dimensionless damping coefficient J. (Case
damping) which was correlated to the soil type at the pile tip (Goble
et al, 1967, 1975; Zhang et al. 2001a). The method encountered two
fundamental difficulties:
© the total resistance is time dependent and different variations of the
method produce different results
* the dimensionless damping coefficient was found to have question
able correlation to soil type (e.g. Paikowsky, 1982; Thompson and
Goble, 1988) and therefore had to be calibrated for the specific pile,
soil and site conditions.
Reliability of dynamic methods
MeVay ef al. (2000) evaluated the parameters for load and resistance
factor design (LRFD) of driven piles using dynamic methods. They consid-
ered a database of 218 pile cases in Florida. Eight dynamic methods were
[2 |PART | DEEP FOUNDATIONS - PILES AND BARRETTES
studied: ENR, modified ENR, FDOT and Gates driving formulae, and the
CAPWAP, Case method for PDA, Paikowsky’s energy method and Sakai's
energy method. It was demonstrated that the modern methods based on
wave mechanics, such as CAPWAP, PDA and Paikowsky's energy
method, are toughly twice as cost-effective in reaching the target
reliability indices of 2.0 to 2.5 (failure probability p; = 0.62 to 2.5%) as
the ENR and modified ENR driving formulae. They concluded that the
past designs with driving formulae reveal a large redundancy of pile
groups against failure and correspondingly underestimate pile group
effects. They therefore suggested that use of a relatively low reliability
target index, 3; = 2.0 (p; = 2.5%), is sufficient for single-pile design.
63CHAPTER SEVEN
Design of rock-socketed piles
Research and practice in North America
Ng et al. (2001a) report that Rosenberg and Joumeaux (1976) studied the
results of a limited number of field load tests on small-diameter piles (200—
610mm). They proposed a tentative relationship between the unconfined
compressive strength (UCS) of rock o, (MPaj and the ultimate side
resistance q, (MPa) as follows:
qs = 0.375(0,)°5!> (1.17a}
Horvath and Kenney (1979) reviewed the results of load tests on rock-
socketed piles and anchors from, mainly, Australia, Canada, the United
Kingdom and the United States, including 49 tests on piles with diameters
between 410 and 1220mm. The majority of the piles were socketed into
sedimentary rock types, mostly shale or mudstone. They reported socket
friction generally became fully mobilized at a displacement of around
6mm (0.5-1.5% of the pile diameter). A correlation was suggested
between q, (MPa) and the compressive strength of the weaker socket,
material (concrete or rock) c;- (MPa) for the piles given by
Is = bVGee (1.17b)
where b = 0.2-0.25 for piles >410mm in diameter. Horvath et al, (1983)
later revised b to be equal to 0.2-0.3 for ‘large’-diameter piles, presumably
>410mm, and proposed a method for estimating the effects of socket wall
roughness on the capacity of side resistance using a ‘roughness factor’,
which is dependent on asperity height, socket radius and socket length.
However, in practice it is difficult to determine the roughness factor in
the field accurately, particularly for piles constructed under water or ben-
tonite
Rowe and Anmitage (1987) recommended a correlation of q, = 0.45/70
for regular ‘clean’ sockets and q, = 0.6 /@;c for clean ‘rough’ sockets for an
initial estimate of side resistance from the results of a large number of field
load tests. ‘Rough’ sockets were defined as having grooves or undulations
of depth and width >10mm at a spacing of 50-200mm. A more detailed
design procedure taking into account socket dimensions was providedPART | DEEP FOUNDATIONS - PILES AND BARRETTES
to refine the prediction. Rowe and Pells (1980) studied theoretical con-
siderations of rock-socket behaviour. That paper is significant in that it
predicted variations in side resistance capacity as a result of varying
stress distributions, related to varying ratios of socket length to diameter
and pile modulus to rock modulus.
Reese and O'Neill (1988) recommended that the first of the following
equations be used for side resistance for rock (or concrete) with a UCS
up to 1.9 MPa and the second equation be used for higher strengths (MPa)
qe = 0.1505 (1.18a)
qs = 0.2 (1.18b)
The first equation was taken from Carter and Kulhawy (1987) and the
second equation from Horvath and Kenney (1979). The recommendations
are adopted by the US Department of Transportation. Recently, Zhang
and Einstein (1998) suggested relationships based on a review of the
results of Rosenberg and Journeaux (1976), Meigh and Wolski (1979),
Williams and Pells (1981), Horvath (1982) and Kulhawy and Phoon
(1993). These are as follows for ‘smooth’ and ‘rough’ sockets (MPa),
respectively:
4, = 04 VF (1.19)
ds = 0.85 Vee (1.20)
Research and practice in Australia
In Australia, most experience in the design of rock-socket piles has been
gained in mudstone, shale and sandstone. One example is the Melbourne
mudstone, which Chiu and Johnston (1980) described as having charac-
teristics very similar to over-consolidated clays. Williams et ai. (1980b)
described the results of a number of field load tests in Melbourne
mudstone, The socket friction-displacement relationships exhibited
peak, followed by residual, friction behaviour, although the residual
values were only around 5% less than the peak values for ‘rough’ sockets.
‘Rough’ sockets were defined by minimum statistical requirements for
asperity height and angle and were achieved with excavation by con-
ventional bucket augers. Williams et al. (1980a)} also described the results
of tests in Melbourne mudstone of which at least one reached peak friction
at a displacement of 6mm.
Williams and Pells (1981) suggested a design method based on the
results of Williams et al. (1980b), Pells et al. (1980) and Horvath (1978)
but with emphasis placed on test results in Australia. For cases in which
the socket wall is sufficiently rough to prevent brittle side shear behaviour,
acurve for the ratio of q, to o,, termed the 'side resistance reduction factor’
a is used, The side resistance factor decreases with increasing oj. A
65SHORT COURSE IN SOIL-STRUCTURE ENGINEERING
[ «|
further factor J is applied to take into account a variation of side resistance
with the rock mass factor (ratio of jointed rock modulus to intact rock
modulus) giving
Is = OB Ore (1.21)
As mentioned above, Rowe and Pells (1980) predicted the relationship
between socket side resistance capacity and the socket dimensions and
modulus ratio.
Design practice in Hong Kong
In Hong Kong design practice, for large-diameter bored piles bearing on
granitic and volcanic rocks, allowable values of toe resistance may be
used as specified in PNAP 141 (BOO, 1990). The presumptive end-bearing
values range from 3 to 7.5 MPa, depending on the rock ‘category’. The
category is defined in terms of the rock decomposition grade, strength
(UCS) and total core recovery. Generally, the presumed values may be
used without a settlement check for structures which are not unduly
sensitive to settlement. The details of the presumed end-bearing values
from PNAP 141 are summarized in Table 1.17. Presumptive values of
tock-socket side resistance are not defined. However, PNAP 141 allows
Table 1.17 Presumed safe vertical bearing stress for foundations on
horizontal ground in Hong Kong, simplitied from PNAP 141 (BOO, 1990;
after Ng et al., 20014)
Category Granitic and volcanic rock Presumed
bearing stress
(kPa)
1a) Fresh to slightly decomposed strong 1uck of 7500
material weathering grade II or better, with total
core recovery of >95% of grade and minimum
uniaxial compressive strength of rock material ¢,
not less than 50 MPa (equivalent point load index.
strength PLIsq" not less than 2 MPa)
1(b) Slightly to moderately decomposed moderately 5000
strong rock of material weathering graces Il or IIL
or better, with total core recovery of >85% of
grade and minimum uniaxial compressive
strength of rock material ¢, not less than 25 MPa
(PLIsg" not less than 1 MPa)
uo) Moderately decomposed moderately stong to 3000
moderately weak rock of material weathering
Grades Il] or lV or better, with total core recovery
of >50% of grade
* Point load index strength (
ccotes (ISRM, 1978),
PLIay values) of rock quoted is equivalent value for 50mm diameterPART | DEEP FOUNDATIONS - PILES AND BARRETTES
the use of a ‘rational design’ approach and rock-socket side resistance can
generally be incorporated in a design, provided that the parameters and
assumptions are verified by field testing,
For caissons in granite, the Geotechnical Engineering Office (GEO,
1991) reported various findings from studies including those by Ladanyi
(1977), Pells and Turner (1979) and Horvath et al. (1980) and acknowl-
edges that socket side resistance can account for a significant portion of
the load support capacity. For the preliminary design of side resistance
in widely jointed rock, the GEO (1996) suggested the use of the empirical
correlation proposed by Horvath et al. (1983) to estimate side resistance
capacity. Horvath's correlation was developed using the results of load
tests in mostly sedimentary rocks, however, whereas Hong Kong condi-
tions are dominated by granitic, volcanic and metasedimentary rocks.
‘The GEO (1996) also suggested that the allowable working load should
be estimated using a minimum mobilization factor of 1.5 on the ultimate
side resistance. The mobilization factor is intended to take into account
debris left at the base of the rock socket, which would cause the base
resistance to be unreliable at working load. It is implicit in the GEO's
recommendation that the contribution of toe resistance is only taken
into account at the ultimate limit state. Therefore the contribution of toe
resistance may potentially become irrelevant altogether if the working
load requirement governs the design.CHAPTER EIGHT
Case studies: rock-socketed piles
[#]
Overview
Ng et al. (2001a) report that a number of empirical relationships have been
published for estimating the side resistance of rock-socketed piles. All are
based on studies of field load test results and laboratory tests and relate
socket friction capacity to the UCS of rock or concrete, generally which-
ever is the weakest. Most of the load tests considered were carried out
in sedimentary rocks having lower strengths than typical rock types
encountered in Hong Kong.
Table 1.18 summarises details of the 13 tests carried out in Hong Kong.
The tests were generally carried out in the preliminary stages of the
respective projects. They were intended to investigate the feasibility of
using rock-socket side resistance in design, rather than using the pre-
sumed end-bearing stresses detailed in PNAP 141 (BOO, 1990), and to
establish design rock-socket side resistance values. Also, some of the
rock types tested were not volcanic or granitic rocks and therefore could
not be designed using the presumed values in PNAP 141. The chosen
methodology falls under the PNAP 141 clause permitting the use of a
‘rational’ approach to foundation design. Based on the loading test results,
the use of rock-socket side resistance in design for each of the specific
projects was approved by the relevant checking bodies and detailed
design and construction proceeded accordingly. Of the buildings being
supported by the piles, the settlements at this stage are, to the writers’
knowledge (Ng et al., 2001a), within acceptable structural limits.
With the exception of the hand-dug caisson reported by Lam et al.
(1991), excavation was by RCD (Rotary Core Drilling) under water or
bentonite. The geological descriptions including the rock decomposition
grades and the rock quality designations (RQDs| were assigned by geol-
ogists. Rock types have also been classified generally as being granitic,
volcanic or metasedimentary. The UCS o, values were either measured
directly by laboratory tests or estimated from a correlation with the point
load index test (PLIT) results. In the PLIT, rock specimens in the form of
core, cut blocks, or irregular lumps are broken by application of a concen-
trated load through a pair of spherically truncated conical platens with aPART | DEEP FOUNDATIONS - PILES AND BARRETTES
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70
tip radius of 5mm. Little or no specimen preparation is needed (Interna-
tional Society for Rock Mechanics (ISRM), 1985). A factor of 24 was
applied to the PLIT results, as suggested for weathered granite by the
GEO (1991). The suggestions of the ISRM Commission on Testing Meth-
ods were adopted for the PLIT tests (ISRM, 1985) and also the UCS tests
(ISRM, 1978). The UCS values reported in Table 1.18 are the average
values over the depth of the rock socket. Generally three or four tests in
total were performed for each socket. It is suggested that, for purposes
of comparison, the same or similar testing metheds should be adopted in
the future by other researchers. An anomaly may be observed in the
results in Table 1.18. Pile 12 was tested in rock, which was too decom-
posed to allow a UCS test to be conducted, and the test may be considered
to be not typical of the remaining tests in Table 1.18; the differences
should be kept in mind in the analyses to follow.
In the load tests, the axial load distribution in the rock socket was deter-
mined using strain gauges installed within the pile shaft and by estimat-
ing the pile shaft modulus. The average strain across the socket was
taken to be equal to the average reading of the gauges at each level,
For the piles with which the writers were directly involved, the average
strain gauge readings were checked by calculating the total socket short-
ening from the readings and comparing these with the shortening
measured by rod extensometers. The difference in the results varied
between 5 and 13%. The modulus was generally deduced using labora-
tory test results on concrete core samples taken from the pile shaft and
by considering the variation of modulus with strain over the duration of
the loading test using gauges located near the top of each pile. With the
axial load distribution known, the unit socket side resistance was calcu-
lated accordingly, For most of the piles, the calculated toc resistance
accounted for only up to 17% of the socket side resistance. The side resis-
tance value Gnax Shown is the maximum recorded or extrapolated for each
test and is the ‘mean’ value, averaged over the whole socket length.
Table 1.19 summarizes key details of the 66 other tests from the litera-
ture. Some contributed to the various empirical correlations for side resis-
tance in the literature detailed earlier. The details and measurements
shown in Table 1.19 are consistent with Table 1.18, although the level
of detail is generally lower. The RQD is not shown and whether or not
the excavation was ‘dry’ or ‘wet’ (constructed under bentonite or water)
is unknown in many cases. For a number of tests in granitic rock in Singa-
pore, the pile diameters are also unknown. Possibly some of these tests
were on small-diameter rather than large-diameter piles. Note that, in a
few cases, the sockets were artificially roughened, The UCS values
shown were obtained using a range of methods, including empirical cor-
relations with PLIT results and standard penetration test results.PART | DEEP FOUNDATIONS - PILES AND BARRETTES
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nPART | DEEP FOUNDATIONS - PILES AND BARRETTES
Displacement Index (Dl)
The database contains side resistance values recorded at varying displa-
cements and degrees of mobilization. Therefore, a DI is assigned. This is
an approximate measure of the pile ‘local’ displacement and degree of
mobilization of side resistance for a given maximum side resistance
value. The ‘local’ displacement is the pile displacement deduced at the
vertical centre of the rock socket using the measured pile-head movement
and shaft shortening at the rock socket midpoint. The DI values are
assigned by observation of the field side resistance-displacement relation-
ships. An index A is assigned to test results, which are observed to be close
to the fully mobilized value, and is defined by the displacement reaching a
minimum of 1% of the socket diameter and the gradient of the resistance-
displacement relationship becoming <30kPa/mm at the end of the curve
(at the completion of the test). An index B is assigned to test results not
achieving an index of A but recorded at a displacement of at least 0.4%
of the pile diameter and for which the gradient of the resistance-displace-
ment relationship is <200 kPa/mm at the end of the curve. An index C is
assigned to the remaining results. The various proposed displacement
indices are illustrated graphically in Fig. 1.18.
00 os 10 18 20 25
8/0 (%4)
Fig. 1.18 Proposed criteria for Displacement Index (DI) (after Ng et al.,
20014)
Capacity of side resistance and relationship with UCS and
decomposition grade
Relationship with unconfined compressive strength, UCS
All of the various empirical relationships reviewed in the literature
relate rock-socket side resistance to the UCS of rock or concrete, generally
BSHORT COURSE IN SOIL-STRUCTURE ENGINEERING
Gane KP
Gaus KPa
6000
@ © Granite
4 Volcanic
5000 . ¢ Metasodimortary
1 Sedimentary
Zhang and Einstein
‘ough socket (1998) ~~ Rowe and Armitage
4000 rough socket (1987)
7 Rowe and Armitage
smooth socket (1987)
3000 -
--7aoare are Eistoin
= smoath socket (1958) _
2000 awe
Fiorath ot a (1969), *
b=0 a5
o Figrai rat (1985)
1000 .
°
5000
4000
3000
2000
1000
) Rowe ane Armitage
rough socket (1987)
Zhang and Eingein 7”
rough socke/{1898) “Rowe and Armitage”
Serene ae
© Granite
4 Volearic
1 Sedimentary
10 20 30 40 50 60
8: MPa
Fig. 1.19 Maximum achieved side resistance versus UCS: (a) all results, DI= A, B or C;
(b) DI=A or B only (after Ng et al., 2001a)
4
whichever is weaker. In Fig, 1.19 the mean maximum socket side resistance
wax has been plotted against the mean UCS ¢,, for all test results, Also
shown are the suggested correlations of Horvath et al. (1983), Rowe and
Armitage (1987) and Zhang and Einstein (1998). Overall, almost all the
results lie below the correlation of Zhang and Einstein (1998) for ‘rough’PART | DEEP FOUNDATIONS - PILES AND BARRETTES
Table 1.20 Classification of rock material decompos
sockets but with a high degree of scatter. None of the correlations from the
literature appear to be particularly suitable for predicting side resistance for
all results. However, if the results in only sedimentary rock are examined,
these are mostly higher in magnitude than results produced by the correla-
tion of Horvath et al. (1983) for b = 0.2, Generally the results in granitic
rock are lower than in sedimentary rock and tend to be lower than the
empirical correlations. However, the UCS is also generally higher for
these tests. The results in volcanic rock are few and scattered. The single
result in metasedimentary rock indicates extremely high side resistance.
Relationship with decomposition grade
The Hong Kong tests were conducted in rocks varying from decomposi-
tion grade IV/III to Il. From the descriptions of the rock decomposition
grades in Table 1.20, it would be expected that rock strength and hence
‘ion grades of Hong Kong (simplified
from GCO, 1988)
Descriptive
term
Grade General characteristics for granite and volcanic rocks and other
symbol rocks of equivalent strength in fresh state
Residual soil
Completely
decomposed
Highly
decomposed
Moderately
decomposed
Slightly
decomposed
Fresh
VI Original rock texture completely destroyed
Can be crumbled by hand and finger pressure into constituent
grains
V Original rock texture preserved
Can be crumbled by hand and finger pressure into constituent
grains
Easily indented by point of geological pick
Slakes when immersed in water
Completely discoloured compared with fresh rock
IV__ Can be broken by hand into smaller pieces
Makes a dull sound when struck by geological hammer
Not easily indented by point of geological pick
Does not slake when immersed in water
Completely discoloured compared with fresh rock
I Cannot usually be broken by hand; easily broken by geological
hammer
Makes a dull or slight ringing sound when struck by geological
hammer
Completely stained throughout
Tl Not broken easily by geological hammer
Makes a ringing sound when struck by geological hammer
Fresh rock colours generally retained but stained near joint
surfaces
I Not broken easily by geological hammer
Makes a ringing sound when struck by geological hammer
No visible signs of decomposition (i.e, no discoloration)
7sSHORT COURSE IN SOIL-STRUCTURE ENGINEERING
10 000
At 1% socket diameter
.
o an -— Ur 95%
g Average Hong Kong result So Lo nt
1 _
~3
Lower 95%
‘onfdonee limit
100
' " Ww v
Decomposition grade of rock
Fig. 1.20 Maximum achieved side resistance versus decomposition Grade
for Hong Kong granitic and volcanic rocks (after Ng et al., 20014)
side resistance would decrease with the decomposition grade increasing
from Il to IV/ILI. Figure 1.20 shows the relationship between decomposi-
tion grade and side resistance. The side resistance results are as recorded
at a displacement of 1% of the pile diameter in granitic and volcanic
rocks. Each increment of decomposition grade is spaced evenly along
the horizontal axis, and materials having two decomposition grades
(identified by geologists) are shown halfway between the two increments,
It is recognized that the evaluation of decomposition grade is subjective
and is by no means accurate enough to provide rock strength, particularly
between various rock types. Not surprisingly for some of the decomposl-
tion grades, there is a range of results. This may be due to a variation in
the UCS, rock type and construction method. However, a trend line can
be drawn as shown in the figure. This could be used for preliminary
prediction of side resistance capacity without having information such
as UCS available. The 95% confidence limits of the trend line are also
included. Side resistance capacity in rock of higher decomposition
grades is particularly useful to designers if there is uncertainty over rock
quality over the whole socket length and diameter.CHAPTER NINE
Pile instrumentation: a case study of a
well-instrumented barrette in
Kowloon Bay, Hong Kong
Overview: key questions
As reported by Ng et al. (2000b), a well-instrumented barrette was tested
in order to answer the following key questions about the behaviour of
barrettes:
* How are lateral stresses and pore water pressures distributed and how
do they change during a load test?
What is the importance of degree of mobilization of side resistance
in ‘floating’ barrettes (i.e. that rely on side resistance for their load
capacity)?
What are realistic design values of side resistance and settlement?
What is the influence of construction factors such as duration, use of
bentonite and grouting?
Introduction
Limited space and high demand have made land in Hong Kong extremely
expensive. Tall buildings are built to optimize the floor area to land area
ratio, Many of the tall buildings located along the Victoria Harbour on
Hong Kong Island and the Kowloon peninsula are commonly founded
on reclaimed land. Thus deep foundations are required to resist both
vertical and horizontal loads due to the weight of the building and
‘wind, respectively. The prevailing deep foundation types for tall buildings
on these reclaimed lands are large bored and excavated piles, which are
very long, normally in excess of 50m. These piles can be circular (bored
piles/drilled shafts) or rectangular (barrette) in shape and must extend
through the fill, underlying soft marine clay, sandy clay and alluvial
sand deposit down into the deep weathered granite soil (saprolite),
which is typically less weathered with an increase in depth. The thickness
of the weathered granite can be up to 80m in some places, and its depth
can extend to more than 100m from the ground surface.
Over the past 15 years, barrette foundations have become increasingly
popular in parts of Asia such as Hong Kong and Malaysia for many civilSHORT COURSE IN SOIL-STRUCTURE ENGINEERING
78
engineering structures and tall buildings. The construction method for
barrettes is very similar to that adopted for diaphragm walls, where a
rectangular trench is excavated under bentonite by heavy grabs or
hydrofraise* and filled with tremie concrete. In Hong Kong, single
barrettes up to a size of 1.5m wide by 6.6m long (on plan) have been
constructed (Pratt and Sims, 1990). Due to their rectangular shape,
barrette foundations are particularly suited to resisting large vertical
and significant horizontal loads in a chosen direction.
Site location and ground conditions
The test site is located on the Kowloon peninsula of Hong Kong, to the east,
of the runway of the old Kai Tak international airport, at the Kowloon Bay
area, Figure 1,21 shows the geology and some relevant borehole informa-
tion obtained at Kowloon Bay. The site is on marine reclaimed land and the
ground level is at approximately 4.48 m above Principal Datum (PD). The
groundwater level is about 3m below ground surface, The ground con-
ditions consist of about 6 m fill material overlying a succession of approxi-
mately 9.5m marine clay deposits, 1.5m of sandy clay (probably alluvial)
4.8m alluvial sand of Quatemary age, and about 12m of weathered
granitic saprolites that overlie granitic rocks of the Upper Jurassic to
Lower Cretaceous age (Strange, 1990). Detailed descriptions and
measured N values (number of hammer blows per unit penetration) by
Standard Penetration Tests for each type of material are given in Fig. 1.21
Details of construction
The top 20m of the barrette consisted of a reduced-section sheathing zone
(Fig. 1.21) built with the intention of minimizing the interface side re:
tance developed between the barrette and the upper soil layers. This
sheathing layer consisted of four layers: a 3mm steel plate welded onto
the reinforcement cage, a coating of bitumen, a flexible and weak ‘voltex'
layer (geotextile infilled with sodium bentonite), and a thin sheet of ply-
wood. However, the final result was that the plywood was unfortunately
attached to the steel plate with a dense matrix of high-strength screws, pre-
cluding the possibility of shear between the intermediate ‘soft’ layers. As a
consequence, the theoretical gap of about 80 mm between the plywood and
the surrounding soil was not back-filled with gravel as planned, so that a
‘weak’ friction zone would hopefully exist. However, steel rods inserted
into this suspected bentonite-filled gap about two weeks after concreting
4 A ‘hydrofraise’ is a drilling machine powered by three down-hole motors, with reverse
mud circulation, A heavy metal frame serving as a guide is fitted at its base with two
cutter drums carrying tungsten carbide tipped cutters which rotate in opposite directions
and break up the soil. The hydraulic cutting device is designed to give the cutter drums a
high torque at low speed of rotation,PART | DEEP FOUNDATIONS - PILES AND BARRETTES
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Note all dimensions are in mm
2 piezometer cable and hydraulic hose
°
®
® 24” PVC tube fr sain gauge cable
Strain gauges @ Rod extensometer at middle cl CDG layer (36 m bal)
{©} Horizontal embedment strain gauges S
Inplace ineinometer %
od extensometer at level 6.5 m below ground level (ba!)
Rod extensometer at level 155 m gl
Rod extensometer at top of C2G layer (30 m ba)
Fd extensometer at bottom of CDG layar (41 m bal)
2 6” Castin flushing pipe
Tremie pipe
Fig. 1.22 Plan view layout of instrumentation of test barrette (after Ng et al., 2000b)
[=|
were unable to probe beyond a metre or two all round the barrette. Either
concrete overflow had partially filled the gap, or construction activities
failed the soil infilling the gap, or surface materials mixed with solidified
bentonite. Thus, in the end, the sheathing zone was not expected to func-
tion to effectively reduce side resistance over the top half of the barrette.
At the bottom of the barrette, a ‘soft’ base was formed to minimize the
effects of end-bearing for mobilizing full side resistance at the soil-wall
interface. This was done by placing a 2.8 x 0.8 » 0.3m high steel box to
the bottom of the trench, before the lowering of the main reinforcement
cages. The box was made of 3mm thick steel plate, and it was initially
filled with fine round sand, Seven days after concreting, the sand-filled
steel box was drilled through and flushed with pressurized water via two
cast-in flushing pipes and one concrete core hole in the middle of the
barrette (Fig. 1.22). Great care was taken to ensure that most of the sand
was flushed out to form a ‘soft base’ (i.e. void) underneath the barrette.
Instrumentation
To study the load transfer mechanism and load-settlement characteristics of
the barrette constructed at Kowloon Bay, a substantial amount of instrumen-
tation was installed. In addition, four sets of standard dial gauges together
with surveying were used to monitor the vertical settlement of the top of
the barrette and reference beams during testing. Strain gauges werePART | DEEP FOUNDATIONS - PILES AND BARRETTES
Inplaco incinometer Strain gauge instrument Rod extensometer and Legend
spacrg spacing Tocation” dummy gauge spacing
240000
4 Groundwater FI
4 a
|
g o
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3 o
3
4 ce: . 5
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Overbreak (approx. 6:2 mx 2.4 era
"Soft base @ Surface-mounted strain gauge
& Embecment strain gauge
“* The soft base is made by a box of 3 mm thick 11 Horizontal embed train gauge
mild stee!, 300 mm in height ‘Dummy gauge
1 Earth pressure col and piezometer
® Rod extensometer anchor
4 inpace intinometer
Fig. 1.23 Elevation layout of instrumentation of test barrette (aiter Ng et al., 2000b)
placed at 27 levels on the reinforcement cages (Figs 1.22 and 1.23). Ten
aluminium rod extensometers were sleeved individually in PVC tubes and
installed to five depths at two different locations inside the barrette to moni-
tor displacements between each depth and reference steel plate at the top of
the barrette (Figs 1.22 and 1.23). A total of 38 biaxial servo accelerometer
sensors were installed at 19 levels (most of them at 2m intervals) in two
alSHORT COURSE IN SOIL-~STRUCTURE ENGINEERING
cast-in pipes inside the barrette. The locations of the in-place inclinometers
and the levels of sensors are indicated in Figs 1.22 and 1.23, respectively.
The bottoms of the inclinometers were socketed in rock. A total of four
vibrating wire total earth pressure cells, together with four vibrating wire
piezometers, were installed at the barrette-soil interface at four levels
within the layers of sandy clay, alluvial sand and weathered granite. The
depths of the earth pressure cells and piezometers are shown in Fig, 1.23.
Load and displacement behaviour of barrette
‘The test programme originally comprised four loading and unloading cycles
(Fig. 1.24). However, after the applied load reached 7455 kN at the second
cycle, substantial settlement was recorded and the applied load could not
be held constant within the prescribed maximum settlement tolerance of
Applied load: KN
© 1000 2009 3000 4000 5000 6000 7000 8000 9000 1000011 000,
ter
10
Lez
20
Settlement: xm
100
M0
120
190
140
Fig. 1.24 Load-settlement response of test barrette (after Ng et al., 2000b)PART | DEEP FOUNDATIONS - PILES AND BARRETTES
Deduced axial load: KN.
0
45
ig. 1.25 Deduced axial load distribution at load test cycle 4 (after Ng et al.,
2000b)
0.05mm/10 min. It was therefore decided to unload the barrette to 4555 kN
and to hold it for 80h (about three days). After the holding period, the
testing programme resumed and two more loading cycles were per-
formed. The barrette-soil interface appeared to gain strength as a result
of consolidation, which is discussed later. Due to the presence of the
‘soft base’ (i.e. void) underneath the barrette, the barrette ultimately
settled about 100mm, enabling the side resistance to be fully mobilized
along the shaft. Figure 1.25 shows the deduced axial load versus depth
for the last loading cycle, LC4.
Barrette side resistance
From the gradient of the barrette normal stresses with depth, mobilized
side resistance (interface shear stress, r) was calculated and plotted
[=]SHORT COURSE IN SOIL-STRUCTURE ENGINEERING
60
50
40
30
Side resistance: kPa
Local
“1.98 to ~1.02 m PD (fi)
“10.02 to 17.02 m PD (sandy
© 22.52 to 34.02 m PD (weathe
Fig. 1.26 Mobilization of side resistance
| displacement: mm
“* =1,02 to -10.02 mPD (marine deposi)
clay) > ~17.02 to ~22.52 m PO (alluvial sand)
ered granite)
with local displacement (aiter Ng et al., 2000)
Mobilzed side resistance: KPa
oo ww
a
rr ra
pti bd f
10 ; '
15 ’ thi
20 ‘
5 pee
Sas '
bey
30 ' i
8 tou
©
45 eee testes ean
ER aE a TN Te OS
Fig. 1.27 Distribution of mobilized side resistance (after Ng et al, 2000b)PART | DEEP FOUNDATIONS - PILES AND BARRETTES
Plezometric level: m PD
against deduced local displacement of the barrette in each soil stratum as
shown in Fig. 1.26. Figure 1.27 shows the distribution of mobilized side
resistance with depth.
Pore pressure response at soil-barrette interface
After installation of the piezometers, readings were taken continuously to
compare them with the initial hydrostatic pore water pressures in the
ground (the initial groundwater table was located at about 1.3m PD).
These readings are shown in Fig. 1.28(a), (b) and (c). It was found that
the measured pore water pressure at gauge P1 in the sandy clay layer
(Fig. 1.28) was slightly higher than the corresponding hydrostatic value
(1.3mPD) before the loading test. Piezometric level (head) is defined as
the sum of the pore water pressure head and the elevation head at each
location. The measured piezometric heads recorded at P3 and P4 were a
little lower than the hydrostatic conditions in the weathered granite
before the commencement of the load test. Labels LC1-LC4 denote the
commencement of the first to the fourth load cycles, respectively. Simi-
larly, labels UC1-UC4 represent the start of the first to the fourth unload-
ing cycles.
After the load test, dissipation of excess pore water pressures continued
(Fig. 1.28(a)). As expected, the rate of dissipation was much slower in the
sandy clay soil (P1) than in the weathered granite (P3 and P4). Dissipation
at the alluvial sand interface was slow during loading, but generally the
excess pore pressures generated returned to near their equilibrium
value (around 2m of head) fairly quickly after slip. Nearly all the excess
2
F Second fallore
ey (took place
10 P1 (-18 m PO, sandy clay)
P2 (21 m PO, alluvial sand)
3 3 (-30 m PD, weathered granite)
4 (-82 m PD, weathered grrite)
sf
| Pt
‘
ee
cher Pe
Pas
Ei _—_——_-— F4
o |B: Pa
uca
List te Fe
‘2eee7 128097 120187 118 1288 1s ae SMB TGR 7M
Date: mmiddiyy
Fig. 1.28 (a) Variations of piezometric level during load testing.
85SHORT COURSE IN SOIL-STRUCTURE ENGINEERING
m Pi (18 m PD, sandy day)
Uecachas P2 (-21 m PO, alluvial sand)
io | 4555 kN Fa go m PO, weather grant)
oe Pa (22 m PD, weathered Grant) |
a 5570 KN| —_____|
e { Fi
E 5425 kN
26 2975 4N OF {Loading sip
peak
2 sssoiat °F peak
: oars
Bo
£ 3395 KN, i
:
a 2 hpi
Pe
0 in 4
t t t nD
uct ver deuce boting
2
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Date: mmdtiyy time
2
Tew TEE RE camera
@ NE eos mw PLB mE, sey ay)
ei (atmo saucy
7 cers en | Bez sas my P55) PO: wet sae
6585 kN PORN | /6875 kN P4 (-32 m PD, weathered granite)
6295 an i 8905 kN
sere hy
out
Piezometrc level: m PD
Pa t t t =e
: Loca ues Les uce
‘2i98 4:00 1/2198 8:00 1/2/98 12:00 1/2198 16:00 1/2/88 20:00 1/0/980:00 1/9/98 4:00 1/8198 8:00
Date: mmvadiyy time
Fig. 1.28 (continued) (b) Variations of piezometric level during first two load test cycles.
(¢) Variations of piezometric level during last two load test cycles (aiter Ng et al., 2000b)
pore water pressure was dissipated in the weathered granite by 6 January
1998, that is, 80h after the load test. On the other hand, about 3m and 1m
excess pore water head still remained in the sandy clay and alluvial sand
layers, respectively, at this same time. What appeared to be tidal beha-
viour was picked up at P2 and P4, but it is difficult to see since actual
peak tide magnitudes dropped by 50% and the scan frequency of instru-
ments was reduced substantially after the pile test.PART | DEEP FOUNDATIONS - PILES AND BARRETTES
Lateral earth prossure: kPa
Lateral earth prossure: kPa
Changes of lateral stress at soil-barrette interface
During the subsequent three-week curing period before the vertical load
test, a gradual, continuous decrease of lateral earth pressure was
measured at all lateral earth pressure cells (about 30kPa in the sandy
clay and alluvial sand and about 60kPa in the weathered granite). The
observed reduction in the contact earth pressure may in large part be
due to soil consolidation as indicated by the dissipation of excess positive
pore water pressures generated during the construction of the barrette, In
Cd First failure
took place ‘Second failure. PC1 (-18 m PD, sandy clay)
Pos. ® took place PC2 (-21 m PD, alluvial sand)
500 Fos | PCS (-30 m PO, weathered granite)
os POs (-32 m PD, weathered granite)
40 + Poa
; Consoicating a pos
ae Pos
seo
Poe
—— Poe
ee
200 aa Por
tt
Lot Loe Les Los
100
(@)
0
ieees? 120087 120187 ine 108 1ORB Hes 1B 18GB 7B
Date: mmiryy
soo
Pos PGI (18m PD, sandy cay)
PCa, PC2 21 m PD, alluvial sand)
oo ——— P63 (-20 m PD, weathered granite)
"C3 4 PCé4 (-32 m PD, weathered granite)
Poe
400
[toa sto
so P02 =
Pot TL
Pai
be + 4 t tt
uct jek LC2 UC2 Holding
100
©
° .
12129197 8:00 12/2987 12:00 1229997 16.00 12297 2000 128097 0:00 120097 200 128097 800 129097 1200
Date: mnvdaiyy time
Fig. 1.29 (a) Variations of lateral earth pressure during load testing. (b) Variations of
lateral earth pressure during first two load test cycles (aiter Ng et al., 2000b)
[ a7 |SHORT COURSE IN SOIL-STRUCTURE ENGINEERING
600
a 3 $s PC: (-18 m PD, sandy clay)
a) oe G2 (-2 m PO, alluvial sand)
500 4} 2 ele 3 (20 m PO, weathered grant)
: — a oH ala PCA (-32 m PD, weathered granite)
400 - PCa 5 §{5.
g oo Poa
$
5 aol POS
€ Poe. Poe
Z 200[ Por
Baw 4 Tot PCT
3 Lc uca lca uce
100
(©)
°
‘¥2ie8 4:00 1/288 8:00 172/88 12:00 12/98 16:00 17298 20:00 110/98.0:00 1/0198 400 11988 8.00
Date: mmidaiyy time
Fig. 1.29 (continued) (c) Variations of lateral earth pressure during last two load test
cycles (after Ng et al,, 2000b)
[= |
addition, the reduction in earth pressure might be caused by a small
shrinkage of the pressure ceil units as a result of a fall in temperature
after hydration of cement in the concrete. Lings et al. (1994) also reported
reductions in earth pressure at the soil-diaphragm wall interface of a
heavily over-consolidated stiff clay.
‘The measured earth pressures during the four cycles of load testing are
shown in Fig, 1.29. The earth pressure cells all remained virtually constant
during the first load and unload cycles (LC1 and UC1) when the barrette
displacement was small (Figs 1.24, 1,29(a) and 1.29(b)). With the begin-
ning of load cycle 2, some small drops of lateral earth pressure were
seen in the weathered granite soil layer until the onset of pile failure
{interface slip).CHAPTER TEN
Case studies: 15 full-scale loading tests on
barrettes in Hong Kong
Test barrettes reviewed
Tables 1.21 and 1.22 review 15 case studies of barrettes in Hong Kong of
which 13 were plain (non-grouted) barrettes (identified as B1-B13) and
two were shaft-grouted barrettes (G1 and G2), founded upon granitic
saprolites (weathered/decomposed granitic soils). All 15 barrettes were
constructed between 1987 and 1998. The design plan dimensions and
depths of the barrettes ranged from 2.2m x 0.6m to 2.8m x 1.0m and
from 36 to 63m deep, respectively. The embedded depths of the barrettes
into the granitic saprolites, d,, ranged from 11.6 to 37.6m.
Site locations and ground conditions
The typical ground conditions consist of fill material overlying a
succession of marine deposits, alluvium and medium-to-coarse-grained
granitic saprolites that overlie granitic rocks from the Jurassic to the
Cretaceous age (see Fig. 1.30). Site investigations revealed that the typical
thicknesses of the granitic saprolites range from about 10 to 40m,
corresponding to mean SPT N values ranging from about 60 to 120. The
water table is located at about 1.5m above the principal datum (PD)
with a small fluctuation due to tidal action, as given in Table 1.23.
Methods of interpretation of test data
Interpretation of unit side resistance
In order to investigate the side resistance behaviour at the interface
between the barrettes and the granitic saprolites, the unit side resistances
were interpreted from the test data using a consistent method. The unit
side resistance is defined as the side shear stress acting on the barrette
shaft. For a non-sleeved barrette segment in granitic saprolite, the unit
side resistance was calculated by dividing the axial load difference
between the two ends of the segment by the perimeter surface area of
the segment. The axial load distribution along the depth of the barrette
was obtained by multiplying the average vertical strain measured from
readings of the strain gauges at each level by a derived pile modulus.
89SHORT COURSE IN SOIL-STRUCTURE ENGINEERING
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[=]PART | DEEP FOUNDATIONS - PILES AND BARRETTES
Bunyjauanjatd 40} 100) UONPAPIN 5
‘Bugazu0s inp —*) ‘GuRarUos e10jaq pur uoNPAvXe JOT pasdeyo aury DulpuPys = * *OTPAVIXe JO LORPINP = °) :210N a
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abpapuey = — 8% 067 LIL ve Of SOK SPA 007 uy oor ‘astesjoxpAH wo
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(0g002 127 pud BN 49170) sajja110q 1891 Jo sTIDIaP UOHONIISUOD Za] AGLSHORT COURSE IN SOIL-STRUCTURE ENGINEERING
[2]
Te wore
Fil
Marine deposi
18 KN?
Sleeve (04 m thick)
Alluvium:
20 kNim®
Barrette
Granitic saprolite:
= 20 kNien?
| Toe level
Grantic rock
Fig. 1.30 Side view of typical test barrette (not to scale; after Ng and Lei,
2003a)
The vertical strains were calculated with the readings just before the
loading test being taken as the reference datum. The derived pile
modulus is the composite axial rigidity of concrete and steel in the
barrette. The Young's modulus of the barrette was obtained by calibration
against the applied load at the barrette head and the average vertical
strain at the top set of gauges. In deriving the unit side resistance, the
actual as-built cross-sectional area of the barrettes from the concreting
record was considered.
To investigate the degree of mobilization of the harrette side resistance
in granitic saprolites, the local displacements were also determined from
the test data. The local displacement is the displacement deduced at
the vertical centre of the non-sleeved barrette segment in the granitic
saprolite. It was calculated by subtracting the measured barrette head
movement from the shortening between the barrette head and the mid-
height of the segment. The shortening was estimated using the measured
vertical strains,
Mobilization rating system
Among many other factors, it is well recognized that the magnitude of the
side resistance mobilized along the pile-soil interface is also a function of
relative pile-soil movement, that is, the local displacement. A minimum.
amount of local displacement is needed to mobilize the side resistance
fully. In many circumstances, the full capacity of the side resistance may
not be achieved in full-scale barrette loading tests. In order to comparePART | DEEP FOUNDATIONS - PILES AND BARRETTES
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[|
the interpreted values of the side resistance among the test barrettes at
similar degrees of mobilization, a simple three-grade mobilization rating
(MR) system (Ng et al, 2001) was adopted to classify the degree of
mobilization of the barrette side resistance.
The mobilization rating A (i.e. an MR = A) is assigned to test results that
fall within 10% of the ultimate unit side resistance determined using Brinch
Hansen's (1963) 80% criterion. The ‘80% criterion’ defines failure as the
stress (or the unit side resistance) at which the strain (or the local displace-
ment) is equal to four times the strain at 20% less stress, The criterion
assumes a hyperbolic relationship between stress and strain.
The rating B is assigned to results that do not achieve a rating of A but
that achieve or have been extrapolated to a local displacement of at least
1% of the equivalent diameter of the barrette, assessed on an equal area
basis. A displacement of 1% of the pile diameter is used as a benchmark
because of the availability of test results recorded at and extrapolated to
this displacement in the literature. It is also defined by the GEO (1996)
as corresponding to the ‘substantial’ mobilization of the capacity of the
side resistance, although not necessarily the full mobilization of capacity.
The rating C is assigned to results for which the degree of mobilization is
unknown or the displacement was less than 1% of the equivalent diameter
of the barrette
The mobilization ratings assigned to the test barrettes are shown in the
last column of Table 1.23, together with the loading test data and the inter-
preted results. In addition, the concrete test results and the uncorrected
mean SPT N values of granitic saprolites near the non-sleeved barrette
shafts before barrette installation are given in Table 1.23.
je resistance in granitic saprolites
Figure 1.31 shows the mobilization of the unit side resistance with local
displacement at the interface between the barrettes and the granitic
saprolites. Figure 1.31b shows that, of the 13 plain barrettes, the lower
portion of the shaft of barrette B11 (i.e, B11b) has the largest (yet seem-
ingly far from fully) mobilized unit side resistance of 204kPa, whereas
barrette B7 has the smallest ultimate unit side resistance of 37 kPa (Fig.
1.31a). This is most likely because their corresponding mean SPT N.
values of granitic saprolites are, respectively, the largest and smallest
(N = 187 for B11b and N = 24 for B7; see Table 1.23). Compared with
most of the plain barrettes, the shaft-grouted barrettes Gl and G2 show
a relatively larger unit side resistance response to a given local displace-
ment and a higher ultimate unit side resistance, as expected,
In this section, the correlations are studied between the maximum unit
side resistance r, and the N’ value and the mean effective vertical stressPART | DEEP FOUNDATIONS - PILES AND BARRETTES
250
‘Number n parenthesis represenis pan baete
‘the mean SPT Ni value eee
“ae Shat-groutes parte
200
7 89 (19)
Bis cei
3 B13 (96) BS (82)
3° 26 (66)
so 212 49) aa
ao 50 6070 BOO
{Local displacement: mm
@)
250
Bib (187) 1 (166) — Plain barrette
MR te Shaft.grouted barrette
200
Number in parenthesis represents
the mean SPT N value
3 (132)
3 ita (50)
= 100 4 (80) B10 (109)
2 5 (61)
50
o ee
Vt Oo oo
Local displacement: mm,
rc
Fig. 1.31 Mobilization of unit shaft resistance with local displacement for
barrettes with Mobility Rating (a) A and (b) B and C (after Ng and Lei,
2003a)
‘The traditional correlation between 7, and N is purely empirical, whereas
the correlation between 7, and o, is based on the principle of effective
stress with an assumption of zero adhesion at the barrette interface and
the ratio 7,/o4, gives the well-known 8 value. Apart from these correla-
tions, alternative empirical relationships are also studied, such as 9
versus N, z,/N versus N, 7,/N versus pile depth and 4 versus pile depth.
Figure 1.32(a] shows the relationship between the maximum mobilized
unit side resistance 7, and the mean SPT N value of granitic saprolite for
barrettes with an MR = A, that is, more than 90% of the ultimate unit
9SSHORT COURSE IN SOIL-STRUCTURE ENGINEERING
300
w= 307 25/7 agi
“Constructed by hydroraise
with side soraping
3
8
$ os0
Nes i= 1.0
1 Soo *89
a &
g
i
100 150 200
Mean SPT value:
@)
300
wli= 307 25 wit 18
“Constructed by hydrotraise
with side scraping
oor
i= 40
\ \
:
\
0 —______]
° 100 150 200
Mean SPT value: A
©
Fig. 1.32 Relationship between measured unit shail resistance and mean
Standard Penetration Test N value for barrettes with Mobility Rating (a) A
and (b) B (after Ng and Lei, 2003a)
side resistance has been mobilized. Tabulated values are presented in
Table 1.23. Figure 1.32(b) shows the relationship between the maximum
mobilized unit side resistance 7, and the mean SPT N value of granitic
saprolites for barrettes with an MR = B, that is, the maximum mobilized
unit side resistance is less than 90% of the ultimate unit side resistance.
Tabulated values are presented in Table 1,23.
Figure 1,33 shows the values of 7,/N plotied against N for plain
A. Although the correlation between the values
barrettes with an MI
96PART | DEEP FOUNDATIONS - PILES AND BARRETTES
20
Constructed by hydrotraise
with side scraping
“Trend line
-tymean SPT fi value: KPa
05
° 50 100 160 200
Mean SPT value: i
Fig. 1.33 r,/N versus N for barrettes with Mobility Rating A (after Ng and
Lei, 2003a)
of 7,/N and N is fairly weak, it appears that 7,/N decreases slightly with
increasing N values, as shown by the trend line (the regression line).
This is similar, although the similarity is relatively weak, to the trend
observed for barrettes in old alluvium in Singapore (Ho and Lim, 1998)
Figure 1.34 shows the 7,/N values plotted against the embedded depths
of plain barreties with an MR =A. It is evident that the 1,/N value
decreases with increasing pile depth. This might be due to the increase
in the degree of construction disturbance to the granitic saprolites as the
“Constructed by hydrotraise
with side scraping
symean SPT W vale: KPa
20 30 40 50 60 70 80
Pile depth: m
Fig. 1.34 7,/N versus pile depth for barrettes with Mobility Rating A (afler
Ng and Lei, 2003a)
7SHORT COURSE IN SOIL-STRUCTURE ENGINEERING
[=|
8
constructed by hydrofralse
with side scraping
© 280
B 200
3
3
& 180
3s
E 100
2 50
2
°
° 100 200 300 400 500 0
Mean ect verical stess:KPa
(a)
300
“Constructed by hydrofraise
uth side scraping
250
200
180
100
50
Measured unit shaft resistance 1,: KPa
° 100 200 300 “00 600 600
Mean effective vertical stress: «Pa
>)
Fig. 1.35 Relationship between measured unit shait resistance and mean
effective vertical stress for barrettes with Mobility Rating (a) A and (b) B
(after Ng and Lei, 2003a)
depth increases. Relatively larger stress relief is likely to have been
induced during the excavation of a deeper barrette trench.
Figure 1.35(a) and (b) shows the relationship between the maximum
unit side resistance 7, and the mean effective vertical stress o(, in granitic
saprolites for MR =A and MR = B, respectively. For consistency, the
mean effective vertical stresses ci, (see Table 1.23) were calculated at
the mid-heights of the non-sleeved barrette shafts in granitic saprolites
by assuming that the unit weights of the fill and marine deposits are
18.0kN/m’, the unit weights of the alluvium and granitic saprolites arePART | DEEP FOUNDATIONS - PILES AND BARRETTES
o7 ~ -
Upper 95% confidence ‘Average: f= 0.00370
iit: B = 0.0042N
na limit: B = 0. /
05 j a
o4
e —___Lower 95% confidence
03 limit: B = 0.0082
02
oF “Constructed by hydrofraise
with side scraping
00
° 50 100 150 200
Mean SPT value, Nv
(a)
o7
Uoper 85% contgence Average: B= 0.00368
ne limit: B = 0.00450
cr
os , y :
oa
7 Lower 95% confidence
os lit = 0.00270
02 |
on “Constructed by hydrotaise
wit side soraping
09
° 30 700 150 200
Mean SPT valu, fi
(b)
Fig. 1.36 Relationship between value and mean Standard Penetration
Test N value for barreties with Mobility Rating (a) A and (b) B (after Ng
and Lei, 2003a)
20.0 kN/m‘ (see Fig. 1.30), and the water table is at 1.5m PD if the values
are not known.
Figure 1.36(a) and (b) shows the correlation of J with N for barrettes
with an MR = A and an MR = B, respectively. For plain barrettes, the 3
values lie between 0.0030N and 0.0046N, with an average value of
0.0037N, a 95% confidence range of 0.0032N-0.0042N, and a Coefficient
of Variance (COV) of 0.17. Figure 1.37 shows the variation of 3 values with
embedded depths of plain barrettes with an MR ~ A. Barrettes B8, B9 and
B13 have N values greater than 80 (see Table 1.23), and barrettes B6, B7
[>|SHORT COURSE IN SOIL-STRUCTURE ENGINEERING
os
oa}
= / ‘Trend line
oee/
on
*Constucted by hydrotraise
with side scraping)
00.
20 30 40 50 60 70 0
Pile depth: m
Fig. 1.37 Relationship between (3 value and depth for barrettes with
Mobility Rating A (after Ng and Lei, 2003a)
and B12 have N values less than 70. The 3 values for these two groups of
barrettes lie between two distinctly different ranges. It is clear that the 3
values for the barrettes with N values greater than 80 are higher than
those for the barrettes with N values less than 70. Although the results
for these two groups of barrettes are very limited, a trend of an increase
in 9 value with depth of the barrette can be observed, but a critical
depth cannot be identified, as pointed out by Kulhawy (1984). The
observed increase in the 4 value with increasing depth might be caused
by an increase in the shear strength with depth at the interface. This is
more likely to be the case if the interface contains both bentonite and in
situ soil, as an increase in shear strength with depth would not be
expected if failure occurs in the bentonite only, This observation (Wates
and Knight, 1975; Littlechild and Plumbridge, 1998) suggests that if a
bentonite filter cake does exist, it consists of some amount of in situ soil.
Construction effects on side resistance
Effects of grouting
‘The above-interpreted test results have shown that, compared with plain
barrettes, the side resistance response to local displacement for shaft-
grouted barrettes is relatively stiffer. The average 3 and 7./N values
for shaft-grouted barrettes are about 1.3 and 1.45 times those for plain
bartettes, respectively. The grouting effect in improving the side resis-
tance for the barrettes in granitic saprolites is comparably as effective as
that for a barrette in sand (Hamza and Ibrahim, 2000), which shows that
the resistance of the grouted shaft is 1.5 times that of the non-groutedPART | DEEP FOUNDATIONS - PILES AND BARRETTES
shaft, The stiffer side resistance response to local displacement and the
higher maximum mobilized unit side resistance both result from the
grouting which increases both the lateral pressure (i.e. the normal
stress) on the barrette shaft and the shear strength of the barrette-granitic
saprolite interface.
Effects of side scraping and excavation tools
After excavation and before base cleaning of a barrette trench, scraping the
filter cake on the sidewalls of the barrette trench is sometimes carried out in
practice, with the intention of minimizing the possible adverse effect of filter
cake on the side resistance as reported in some references (O'Neill and
Reese, 1970; Wates and Knight, 1975; Cernak, 1976; Baker et al., 1994;
Cheng and Haberfield, 1998). However, it is postulated that the side
scraping action would smooth the sidewalls of the barrette trench, leading
to a lower frictional angle at the barrette-soil interface, although the filter
cake may be fully or partially removed. In this study, side scraping was
carried out on shaft-grouted barrettes G1 and G2 and plain barrettes
B11-B13, but not on barrettes B1 and B3-B7 (see Table 1.22). Figures
1,32(a), 1.35(a) and 1.36 show the relationships between 7, and N, 7, and
o,, and 8 and N, respectively, giving the 7,/N, 6 and 3/N values for
barrettes with an MR = A. A superscript asterisk attached to the relevant
symbols is used to identify the barrettes constructed with side scraping.
Effects of duration of excavation and trench standing time
Among many other factors, the maximum mobilized unit side resistance 7,
is also a function of soil density and confining pressure at the barrette-soil
interface, which can be characterized roughly by the oy and N values. In
order to estimate the effects of duration of excavation and trench standing
time on the maximum mobilized unit side resistance, the values of 9/N
(,/a)/N)} for the plain barrettes were compared, for the sake of
minimizing the influence of soil density and confining pressure on the
side resistance. Therefore, the 3/N value is to some extent representative
of a ‘reference’ capacity of the maximum unit side resistance mobilized
under similar soil density and confining pressure conditions, The higher
the 3/N value, the greater the mobilization capacity of the maximum
unit side resistance. Ideally, the duration of excavation or the rate of
excavation in granitic saprolites should be used for this purpose. However,
due to the absence of these data, only the duration of excavation for the
entire barrette, as presented in Table 1.22, was used.
lol