Performance of composite foundations with different load transfer platforms and substratum stiffness over silty clay

The semi-rigid pile-supported composite foundation is widely used in highway projects due to its effectiveness in increasing the bearing capacity and stability of foundations.It is crucial to understand the stress distribution across the embankment width and the behaviour of unreinforced foundations.Thus,five centrifuge tests were conducted to examine the bearing and deformation behaviours of NPRS(Non-Connected Piled Raft Systems)and GRPS(GeosyntheticReinforced Pile-Supported systems)with varying substratum stiffness,then a comparative analysis was conducted on embankment settlement,pressures underneath the embankments,and axial forces along the piles.The results indicated that greater substratum stiffness correlates with reduced settlement and deformation at various depths.Deformation occurring 5 meters from the embankment toe includes settlement in NPRS and upward movement in GRPS.The potential sliding surface is primarily located within the embankment in NPRS,whereas it may extend through both the embankment and foundation in GRPS.The pile-soil stress ratio and efficiency in NPRS are higher than in GRPS across the embankment.The axial force borne by end-bearing piles is significantly greater than that by floating piles.As the buried depth increases,the axial force in GRPS initially rises then declines,whereas in NPRS,it remains relatively constant within a certain range before decreasing.This study aids in assessing the applicability of composite foundations in complex railway environments and provides a reference for procedural measures under similar conditions.

Analytical solutions for consolidation of stone column composite foundations considering time-dependent boundary and loading

In response to the existing consolidation theory for stone column composite foundations which cannot consider the time-dependent loading and the well resistance effect of stone columns under time-dependent boundaries,a consolidation model that can reflect these characteristics is developed in this study,and the corresponding analytical solutions are obtained under permeable top surface with permeable bottom surface(PTPB)and permeable top surface with impermeable bottom surface(PTIB),respectively.In addition,the reliability of the proposed solutions is verified by comparing them with existing analytical solutions.Extensive calculations are then performed by the proposed solutions to analyze the consolidation behaviors of stone column composite foundations under time-dependent boundaries,the results show that the interface parameters have a large effect on the distribution of excess pore water pressure(EPWP)along the depth;for projects with longer construction time,the permeability of the top and bottom surfaces of the composite foundation has a smaller effect on the average consolidation rate.Finally,the proposed solution is applied to the settlement calculation in an actual engineering project,and the theoretical results show a general agreement with the measured data by considering the influence of the interface parameters.

Experimental and numerical interpretation on composite foundation consisting of soil-cement column within warm and ice-rich frozen soil

Affected by climate warming and anthropogenic disturbances, the thermo-mechanical stability of warm and ice-rich frozen ground along the Qinghai-Tibet engineering corridor(QTEC) is continuously decreased, which may delay the construction of major projects in the future. In this study, based on chemical stabilization of warm and icerich frozen ground, the soil-cement column(SCC) for ground improvement was recommended to reinforce the foundations in warm and ice-rich permafrost regions. To explore the validity of countermeasures mentioned above, both the original foundation and the composite foundation consisting of SCC with soil temperature of -1.0℃ were prepared in the laboratory, and then the plate loading tests were carried out. The laboratory investigations indicated that the bearing capacity of composite foundation consisting of SCC was higher than that of original foundation, and the total deformation of original foundation was greater than that of composite foundation, meaning that overall stability of foundation with warm and ice-rich frozen soil can be improved by SCC installation. Meanwhile, a numerical model considering the interface interaction between frozen soil and SCC was established for interpretating the bearing mechanism of composite foundation. The numerical investigations revealed that the SCC within composite foundation was responsible for the more applied load, and the applied load can be delivered to deeper zone in depth due to the SCC installation, which was favorable for improving the bearing characteristic of composite foundation. The investigations provide the valuable guideline for the choice of engineering supporting techniques to major projects within the QTEC.

Experimental Study on Towing Characteristics of Composite Bucket Wellhead Platform

With the rapid development of large-scale development of marginal oilfields in China,simple wellhead platforms that are simple in structure and easy to install have become an inevitable choice in the process of oilfield development.However,traditional simple wellhead platforms are often discarded after a single use.In pursuit of a more costeffective approach to developing marginal oilfields,this paper proposes a new offshore oil field development facility—an integrated bucket foundation for wellhead platform.To verify the safety of its towing behavior and obtain the dynamic response characteristics of the structure,this paper takes a bucket integrated bucket foundation for wellhead platform with a diameter of 40 m as the research object.By combining physical model tests and numerical simulations,it analyzes the static stability and dynamic response characteristics of the structure during towing,complete with the effects of the draft,wave height,wave period,and towing point height,which produce the dynamic responses of the structure under different influence factors,such as roll angle,pitch angle,heave acceleration and towing force as well as the sensibility to transport variables.The results show that the integrated bucket foundation for wellhead platform is capable of self-floating towing,and its movement is affected by the local environment,which will provide a reference for actual projects.

Evaluation of the effects of EPS composite soil replacement on the dynamic performance of caisson structure using shaking table tests

The seismic performance of a caisson structure under two types of models with a saturated sandy foundation(CSS)and an expanded polystyrene(EPS)composite soil foundation(CES)are studied using shaking table tests.The macro phenomena of the two different foundation models are described and analyzed.The effects of the replacement of EPS composite soil on seismic-induced liquefaction of backfill and the dynamic performance of a caisson structure are evaluated in detail.The results show that the excess pore water pressure generation in the CES is significantly slower than that in the CSS during the shaking.The dynamic earth pressure acting on the caisson has a triangular shape.The response of horizontal acceleration,displacement,settlement,and rotation angle of the caisson in the CES is smaller than that in the CSS,which means the caisson in the CES has a better seismic performance.Furthermore,the out-of-phase phenomenon between dynamic earth thrust and inertial force in the CES is more obvious than that in the CSS,which is beneficial to reduce the lateral force and improve the stability of the caisson structure.

Towing characteristics of large-scale composite bucket foundation for offshore wind turbines

In order to study the towing dynamic properties of the large-scale composite bucket foundation the hydrodynamic software MOSES is used to simulate the dynamic motion of the foundation towed to the construction site.The MOSES model with the prototype size is established as the water draft of 5 and 6 m under the environmental conditions on site.The related factors such as towing force displacement towing accelerations in six degrees of freedom of the bucket foundation and air pressures inside the bucket are analyzed in detail.In addition the towing point and wave conditions are set as the critical factors to simulate the limit conditions of the stable dynamic characteristics.The results show that the large-scale composite bucket foundation with reasonable subdivisions inside the bucket has the satisfying floating stability.During the towing process the air pressures inside the bucket obviously change little and it is found that the towing point at the waterline is the most optimal choice.The characteristics of the foundation with the self-floating towing technique are competitive for saving lots of cost with few of the expensive types of equipment required during the towing transportation.

Consolidation behavior of cement—and lime／cement—mixed column foundations

The consolidation behavior of mixed in place cement and lime/cement mixed column was studied. Consolidation of the composite foundation was modeled as a three dimensional axi symmetric problem. The authors used the finite difference method to obtain the pore pressure variation with time at any location below the surface. A computer program developed by the authors was used to draw some interesting conclusions about the consolidation behaviors of cement and lime/cement mixed pile foundation. Finally, a combined model including the permeability coefficients of cement mixed piles and soil, was studied and its feasibility was evaluated.

Centrifuge modeling of a large-scale surcharge on adjacent foundation

This study investigates the ground and structural response of adjacent raft foundations induced by largescale surcharge by ore in soft soil areas through a 130g centrifuge modeling test with an innovative layered loading device.The prototype of the test is a coastal iron ore yard with a natural foundation of deep soft soil.Therefore,it is necessary to adopt some measures to reduce the influence of the large-scale surcharge on the adjacent raft foundation,such as installing stone columns for foundation treatment.Under an acceleration of 130 g,the model conducts similar simulations of iron ore,stone columns,and raft foundation structures.The tested soil mass has dimensions of 900 mm×700 mm×300 mm(lengthwidthdepth),which is remodeled from the soil extracted from the drilling holes.The test conditions are consistent with the actual engineering conditions and the effects of four-level loading conditions on the composite foundation of stone columns,unreinforced zone,and raft foundations are studied.An automatic layer-by-layer loading device was innovatively developed to simulate the loading process of actual engineering more realistically.The composite foundation of stone columns had a large settlement after the loading,forming an obvious settlement trough and causing the surface of the unreinforced zone to rise.The 12 m surcharge loading causes a horizontal displacement of 13.19 cm and a vertical settlement of 1.37 m in the raft foundation.The stone columns located on both sides of the unreinforced zone suffered significant shear damage at the sand-mud interface.Due to the reinforcement effect of stone columns,the sand layer below the top of the stone columns moves less.Meanwhile,the horizontal earth pressure in the raft foundation zone increases slowly.The stone columns will form new drainage channels and accelerate the dissipation of excess pore pressure.

Bearing Capacity and Technical Advantages of Composite Bucket Foundation of Offshore Wind Turbines

Based on mechanical characteristics such as large vertical load, large horizontal load, large bending moment and complex geological conditions, a large scale composite bucket foundation （CBF） is put forward. Both the theoretical analysis and numerical simulation are employed to study the bearing capacity of CBF and the relationship between loads and ground deformation. Furthermore, monopile, high-rise pile cap, tripod and CBF designs are compared to analyze the bearing capacity and ground deformation, with a 3-MW wind generator as an example. The resuits indicate that CBF can effectively bear horizontal load and large bending moment resulting from upper structures and environmental load.

Working mechanism of two-direction reinforced composite foundation

Based on the discussion about working mechanism of horizontal reinforcement and that of vertical reinforcement,respectively,the working mechanism of two-direction reinforced composite foundation was studied.The enhancing effect of horizontal reinforcement on vertical reinforced composite foundation was analyzed.A simplified calculation method for such two-direction reinforced working system was presented.A model experiment was carried out to validate the proposed method.In the experiment,geocell reinforcement worked as the horizontal reinforcement,while gravel pile composite foundation worked as the vertical reinforcement.The results show that the calculated curve is close to the measured one.The installation of geosynthetic reinforcement can increase the bearing capacity of composite foundation by nearly 68% at normal foundation settlement,which suggests that the enhancing effect by geosynthetic reinforcement should be taken into account in current design/analysis methods.

Effect of cantilever soldier pile foundation excavation closing to an existing composite foundation

Adjacent high-rise building with CFG pile composite foundation was studied using model test method to investigate stress and displacement of the foundation pile retaining structure, the subsidence and transmogrification law of the composite foundation. Two different project cases with and without high-rise building adjacent to pile foundation were compared. The relationships of slope pile bending moment, earth pressure, pile top displacement and complex settlement with respect to time were obtained. 1) When there is no adjacent building, the displacement of supporting system caused by excavation is mainly in the horizontal direction; while when the adjacent building exists, the displacement of supporting system will be vertical. 2) When the excavation depth is less than or equal to the adjacent building's composite foundation depth, the force of supporting structure is uniform and has small value, at the same time, the pile strength is in fully use and the foundation is stable; while when the excavation depth is greater than the depth of adjacent building's composite foundation, the results will be opposite. 3) During the excavation process, the adjustment of the composite ground loads on the supporting structure is carried out downward and the force of the supporting structure is reduced through the deformation of the bearing layer.

Study on Seepage Characteristics of Composite Bucket Foundation Under Eccentric Load

Under the effect of eccentric loads,when the suction pressure of the composite bucket foundation is leveled,the seepage failure is very easy to occur.The seepage failure occurrence causes the foundation to settle unevenly and impairs the bearing performance.This study uses ABAQUS finite element software to establish a composite bucket foundation model for finite element analysis.The model simulates the seepage of the foundation penetrating process under eccentric load to reveal the induced seepage characteristics of the bucket foundation.The most vulnerable position of seepage failure under the eccentric loading is elucidated.Critical suction formulas for different offset eccentric moment strategies are derived and compared with existing literature formulas.Then the derived formula is supplemented and corrected according to the pressure difference between adjacent cabins.Conclusions can be drawn:(1)Under eccentric loads,the critical suction decreases about 7%−10%.(2)The pressure difference between adjacent cabins impacts significantly on the seepage field,and the critical suction,at most,can be reduced by 17.56%.(3)the offset strategies have little effect on the seepage field.Efficient and appropriate strategies can be selected to meet the requirement of leveling in engineering project.

Experimental Investigation of Wave Load and Run-up on the Composite Bucket Foundation Influenced by Regular Waves

In the design of wind turbine foundations for offshore wind farms, the wave load and run-up slamming on the supporting structure are the quantities that need to be considered. Because of a special arc transition, the interaction between the wave field and the composite bucket foundation(CBF) becomes complicated. In this study, the hydrodynamic characteristics, including wave pressure, load, upwelling, and run-up, around the arc transition of a CBF influenced by regular waves are investigated through physical tests at Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Ocean Engineering, Ocean University of China. The distributions of the wave pressures and upwelling ratios around the CBF are described, and the relationship between the wave load and the wave parameters is discussed. New formulae based on the velocity stagnation head theory with linear wave theory and the second-order Stokes wave theory for wave kinematics are proposed to estimate the wave run-up. Moreover, the multiple regression method with nonlinear technology is employed to deduce an empirical formula for predicting run-up heights. Results show that the non-dimensional wave load increases with the increase in the values of the wave scattering parameter and relative wave height. The wave upwelling height is high in front of the CBF and has the lowest value at an angle of 135? with the incoming wave direction. The performance of the new formulae proposed in this study is compared using statistical indices to demonstrate that a good fit is obtained by the multiple regression method and the analytical model based on the velocity stagnation head theory is underdeveloped.

Integrated Towing Transportation Technique for Offshore Wind Turbine with Composite Bucket Foundation

Composite bucket foundation and one-step installation technology for offshore wind turbine are the integration of foundation construction,transportation and whole installation at sea.The cost of offshore wind turbine construction and installation has been largely reduced.Foundation stability is the key technology in the process of towing transportation.Field observation data can reflect the real state of the foundation.In this paper,the influence of water depth and towing speed on liquid level,the compartment pressure,and the pitch angles during towing of composite bucket foundation are studied.These data are analyzed based on the field measurements data from a 3.3 MW offshore wind power project in China.The results show that with varied water depths and towing speeds,the compartment pressure changes are small during the bucket foundation towing process.The offshore wind turbine composite bucket foundation is stable while being towed in the ocean.

Settlement calculation for long-short composite piled raft foundation

The mechanism of long-short composite piled raft foundation was discussed. Assuming the relationship between shear stress and shear strain of the surrounding soil was elasto-plastic, shear displacement method was employed to establish the different explicit relational equations between the load and the displacement at the top of pile in either elastic or elasto-plastic period. Then Mylonakis ＆ Gazetas model was introduced to simulate the interaction between two piles or between piles and soil. Considering the effect of cushion, the flexible coefficients of interaction were provided, With the addition of a relevant program, the settlement calculation for long-short composite piled raft foundation was developed which could be used to account for the interaction of piles, soil and cushion. Finally, the calculation method was used to analyze an engineering example. The calculated value of settlement is 10.2 ram, which is close to the observed value 8.8 mm.

Deformation and failure modes of composite foundation with sub-embankment plain concrete piles

With the development of high-speed railway in China, composite foundation with rigid piles has become a stamdard solution of meeting the high requirements of stability and post-construction settlement of embankment on soft subgrade. Among several im- provement pattems, plain concrete piles have been extensively used to treat soft ground supported embankment. To investigate the deformation and failure modes of unimproved soft ground and soft ground reinforced by sub-embankment plain concrete piles, and to learn the influences of track and vehicle load, the effect of pile spacing, as well as the compression moduli of soil layers and upper load condition on the failure modes, a series of centrifuge model tests were performed. Test results indicate that the dis- placement of unimproved soft ground under the embankment increases continuously as embankment, track and train loading, and slip circle failure takes place. The deformation law of soft ground reinforced by sub-embankment plain concrete piles depends on pile spacing, compression modulus of the soft ground, and loading conditions. It was also found that plain concrete piles show displacement and failure patterns depending on its location, compression modulus of soft soil around the pile, and loading condi- tions. Furthermore, the evaluation of improved ground stability as well as the model test procedure is also presented.

Spring constitutive model of rigid pile composite foundation and application in design of raft foundation

The simplified analysis method based on the static equilibrium is generally adopted for raft design. The secondary stress of superstructure due to the differential settlement of the foundation is neglected, which leads to larger support moments and longitudinal bending of raft compared with real values. The spring constitutive relation of composite foundation is obtained by the flat plate loading tests in Karst region. The interaction between the spring and the raft is equivalent to the interaction between the composite foundation and the raft. The model for superstructure-raft-composite foundation interaction analysis is thus established and the raft is designed. This method not only considers the nonlinear properties of composite foundation but also analyzes the influence of superstructure on bending moment and deformation of raft. Compared with the inverted floor method, the calculated values of moment become more reasonable and uneven settlements are considered. This can be references to the design of raft foundation in similar regions.

Numerical Analysis of the Settlement of Composite Foundation Reinforced with Crushed Stone Grouting Pile and Rigid Bearing Plate

This paper deals with a new type of crushed stone grouting pile with a rigid bearing plate. The load transfer characteristics were analyzed, and a settlement model of the composite foundation reinforced with crushed stone grouting pile and rigid bearing plate was built by FEM program. The effects of replacement ratio of capping plate, replacement ratio of pile, replacement ratio of grout diffusion zone, pile-soil modulus ratio, and serous-soil modulus ratio, on the composite foundation settlement were discussed. It is concluded that the proposed crushed stone grouting pile with a rigid bearing plate is effective in decreasing the settlement of composite foundation.

Penetration Resistance of Composite Bucket Foundation with Eccentric Load for Offshore Wind Turbines

The penetration of the composite bucket foundation(CBF)is crucial in its construction process.In actual projects,the foundation is inevitably subjected to eccentric load caused by towers and turbines,as well as wind,wave,and flow,during the one-step installation.Moreover,the eccentric load is bound to affect the penetration method and penetration resistance of the foundation.To examine the above-mentioned issues,the penetration resistance of CBF with eccentric load was calculated and analyzed based on model tests,and the seepage field of the CBF under eccentric load was analyzed using ABAQUS.The influence of different magnitudes of eccentric load and various offset strategies on penetration resistance was analyzed,and the theoretical and measured values were compared.The result indicated that the negative pressure of the offset room was found to be smaller than that of other rooms when the CBF penetrated the soil under eccentric load.The penetration resistance of CBF under eccentric load was larger than that without eccentricity,and the larger the eccentric load is,the greater the penetration resistance.The influence of different eccentric load offset strategies on penetration resistance was found to be negligible.The calculated penetration resistance under eccentric load was in good agreement with the measured value.

Simulation Studies on the Settlement of Composite Foundation with Contact Element of Zero Thickness

The various factors influencing the settlement of composite foundation have been more completely studied through numerical simulation. The influence on the settlement of composite foundation of the geometry and mechanical properties of the pile, soil, cushion, and the interface between pile and soil have been investigated through computer simulation, in which the contact elements with zero thickness are used. Some valuable conclusions for the settlement of composite foundation have been obtained: (1) The method using the contact element of zero thickness is successful when used in the simulation of the settlement of composite foundation; (2) Among the factors influencing the settlement of composite foundation, the compression modulus of the soil is the largest, and the cohesion of the soil is the second largest; (3) The effects on settlement of the internal friction angle of the soil, the elastic modulus, the radius, and the length of the pile, and the elestic modulus of the cushion are also more obvious.