Physical modeling of behaviors of cast-in-place concrete piled raft compared to free-standing pile group in sand

Similar to free-standing pile groups, piled raft foundations are conventionally designed in which the piles carry the total load of structure and the raft bearing capacity is not taken into account. Numerous studies indicated that this method is too conservative. Only when the pile cap is elevated from the ground level,the raft bearing contribution can be neglected. In a piled raft foundation, pileesoileraft interaction is complicated. Although several numerical studies have been carried out to analyze the behaviors of piled raft foundations, very few experimental studies are reported in the literature. The available laboratory studies mainly focused on steel piles. The present study aims to compare the behaviors of piled raft foundations with free-standing pile groups in sand, using laboratory physical models. Cast-in-place concrete piles and concrete raft are used for the tests. The tests are conducted on single pile, single pile in pile group, unpiled raft, free-standing pile group and piled raft foundation. We examine the effects of the number of piles, the pile installation method and the interaction between different components of foundation. The results indicate that the ultimate bearing capacity of the piled raft foundation is considerably higher than that of the free-standing pile group with the same number of piles. With installation of the single pile in the group, the pile bearing capacity and stiffness increase. Installation of the piles beneath the raft decreases the bearing capacity of the raft. When the raft bearing capacity is not included in the design process, the allowable bearing capacity of the piled raft is underestimated by more than 200%. This deviation intensifies with increasing spacing of the piles.

Field study of plastic tube cast-in-place concrete pile

The compositions, technical principles and construction equipments of a new piling method used for ground improvement plastic tube cast-in-place concrete pile were introduced. The results from static load tests on single piles with different forms of pile shoes and on their composite foundations were analyzed. The distribution patterns of axial force, shaft friction and toe resistance were studied based on the measurements taken from buried strain gauges. From the point of engineering application, the pile has merits in convenient quality control, high bearing capacity and reliable quality, showing higher reasonability, advancement and suitability than other ground improvement methods. The pile can be adopted properly to take place of ordinary ground improvement method, achieving greater economical and social benefits.

High-frequency interference waves in low strain dynamic testing of X-section concrete piles

Stress waves propagate along vertical,radial and circumferential directions when a non-uniformly distributed load is applied at one end of a three-dimensional shaft.As a result,the receiving signals are usually mixed with undesired interference components,often featuring as high-frequency fluctuations.Previous studies have revealed that sectional geometry(shape and size)greatly affects the high-frequency interference.In this study,low strain dynamic testing on full-scale X-section concrete is conducted in order to investigate the influences of high-frequency interference on velocity responses at the pile head.Emphasis is placed on the frequency and peak value of interference waves at various receiving points.Additionally,the effects of the geometrical,and mechanical properties of the pile shaft on high-frequency interference are elaborated on through the three-dimensional finite element method.The results show that the measured wave is obscured by interference waves superposed by two types of high-frequency components.The modulus and cross-sectional area are contributing factors to the frequency and peak value of the interference waves.On the other hand,the position with the least interference is determined,to some extent,by the accurate shape of the X-section.

Influence of the penetration of adjacent X-section cast-in-place concrete(XCC)pile on the existing XCC pile in sand

A series of small-scale 1g X-section cast-in-place concrete(XCC)pile-penetration model tests were conducted to study the effects of soil density and pile geometry on the lateral responses of an existing pile and the variations in surrounding soil stress.The results showed that the bending patterns of existing XCC piles varied with penetration depth.The lateral response of the existing pile was sensitive to the change in relative density and pile geometry.For example,the bending moment of the existing pile increased along with these parameters.The development of the radial stressσ′r/σ′v0 of the soil around an existing pile showed different trends at various depths during the penetration of the adjacent pile.Moreover,the change in radial stress during the penetration of the XCC pile did not exhibit the“h/R effect”that was observed in the free-field soil,due to the shielding effect of the existing piles.The peak value of radial stressσ′r_max/σ′v0 decreased exponentially as the radial distance r/R increased.The attenuation ofσ′r_max/σ′v0 with r/R in the loose sand was faster than in the medium-dense or dense sands.Theσ′r_max/σ′v0 at the same soil location increased with the cross-section geometry parameter.

Field observation of the thermal disturbance and freezeback processes of cast-in-place pile foundations in warm permafrost regions

The bearing capacity of pile foundations is affected by the temperature of the frozen soil around pile foundations.The construction process and the hydration heat of cast-in-place(CIP)pile foundations affect the thermal stability of permafrost.In this paper,temperature data from inside multiple CIP piles,borehole observations of ground thermal status adjacent to the foundations and local weather stations were monitored in warm permafrost regions to study the thermal influence process of CIP pile foundations.The following conclusions are drawn from the field observation data.(1)The early temperature change process of different CIP piles is different,and the differences gradually diminish over time.(2)The initial concrete temperature is linearly related with the air temperature,net radiation and wind speed within 1 h before the completion of concrete pouring;the contributions of the air temperature,net radiation,and wind speed to the initial concrete temperature are 51.9%,20.3%and 27.9%,respectively.(3)The outer boundary of the thermal disturbance annulus is approximately 2 m away from the pile center.It took more than 224 days for the soil around the CIP piles to return to the natural permafrost temperature at the study site.

Complex variable solution for boundary value problem with X-shaped cavity in plane elasticity and its application*

A new type of displacement pile, the X-section cast-in-place concrete （XCC） pile, has recently been developed in China. Extensive field tests and laboratory experi- ments are undertaken to evaluate its performance and quantify the non-uniform deforma- tion effect （NUDE） of the X-shaped cross section during installation. This paper develops a simplified theoretical model that attempts to capture the NUDE. Based on the theory of complex variable plane elasticity, closed-form solutions of the stress and displacement for the X-shaped cavity boundary value problem are given. Subsequently, the analytical solution is used to evaluate the NUDE, the concrete filling index （CFI）, and the perimeter reduction coefficient of the XCC pile cross section. The computed results are compared with field test results, showing reasonable agreement. The present simplified theoretical model reveals the deformation mechanism of the X-shaped cavity and facilitates applica- tion of the newly developed XCC pile technique in geotechnical engineering.