Thermal performance of cast-in-place piles with artificial ground freezing in permafrost regions

During the construction of cast-in-place piles in warm permafrost,the heat carried by concrete and the cement hydration reaction can cause strong thermal disturbance to the surrounding permafrost.Since the bearing capacity of the pile is quite small before the full freeze-back,the quick refreezing of the native soils surrounding the cast-in-place pile has become the focus of the infrastructure construction in permafrost.To solve this problem,this paper innovatively puts forward the application of the artificial ground freezing(AGF)method at the end of the curing period of cast-in-place piles in permafrost.A field test on the AGF was conducted at the Beiluhe Observation and Research Station of Frozen Soil Engineering and Environment(34°51.2'N,92°56.4'E)in the Qinghai Tibet Plateau(QTP),and then a 3-D numerical model was established to investigate the thermal performance of piles using AGF under different engineering conditions.Additionally,the long-term thermal performance of piles after the completion of AGF under different conditions was estimated.Field experiment results demonstrate that AGF is an effective method to reduce the refreezing time of the soil surrounding the piles constructed in permafrost terrain,with the ability to reduce the pile-soil interface temperatures to below the natural ground temperature within 3 days.Numerical results further prove that AGF still has a good cooling effect even under unfavorable engineering conditions such as high pouring temperature,large pile diameter,and large pile length.Consequently,the application of this method is meaningful to save the subsequent latency time and solve the problem of thermal disturbance in pile construction in permafrost.The research results are highly relevant for the spread of AGF technology and the rapid building of pile foundations in permafrost.

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.

Bearing Behavior of Cast-in-Place Expansive Concrete Pile in Coral Sand Under Vertical Loading

The low side friction of piles in coral sand results in the low bearing capacity of foundations.In this paper,expansive concrete pile is utilized to improve the bearing capacity of pile foundations in coral sand.Both model tests and numerical simulation are performed to reveal the bearing mechanism of expansive concrete pile in coral sand.Results showed that the lateral earth pressure near pile increases obviously and the side friction of piles is improved,after adding expansion agent to the concrete.The horizontal linear expansion is 1.11%and the bearing capacity increased 41%for the pile,when 25%expansion agent is added.Results in finite element numerical simulation also show that ultimate bearing capacity increases with the increase of the linear expansion ratio.Besides,the area for obvious increase in side friction is below the surface of soil about three times the pile diameter,and the expansion leads to a high side friction sharing of the pile.Therefore,the cast-in-place expansive concrete pile is effective in improving the bearing capacity of piles in coral sand.

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.

Applications of Ultrasonic Detection Technology in Bridge Concrete Pile Foundation Detection

In this paper,the application strategy of ultrasonic detection technology in the detection of concrete foundation piles is analyzed using a construction project as an example.It includes a basic overview of the project,an overview of ultrasonic testing technology in bridge concrete pile foundation testing,and an analysis of its practical application in the concrete pile foundation testing of this project.The objective of this analysis is to provide some reference for the application of ultrasonic testing technology and the improvement of the quality of bridge concrete pile foundation testing.

Refreezing of cast-in-place piles under various engineering conditions

In the construction of the Qinghai-Tibet Power Transmission Line （QTPTL）, cast-in-place piles （CIPPs） are widely applied in areas with unfavorable geological conditions. The thermal regime around piles in permafrost regions greatly affects the stability of the towers as well as the operation of the QTPTL. The casting of piles will markedly affect the thermal regime of the surrounding permafrost because of the casting temperature and the hydration heat of cement. Based on the typical geological and engineering conditions along the QTPTL, thermal disturbance ofa CIPP to surrounding permafrost under different casting seasons, pile depths, and casting temperatures were simulated. The results show that the casting season （summer versus winter） can influence the refreezing process of CIPPs, within the first 6 m of pile depth. Sixty days after being cast, CIPPs greater than 6 m in depth can be frozen regardless of which season they were cast, and the foundation could be reffozen after a cold season. Comparing the refreezing characteristics of CIPPs cast in different seasons also showed that, without considering the ground surface conditions, warm seasons are more suitable for casting piles. With the increase of pile depth, the thermal effect of a CIPP on the surrounding soil mainly expands vertically, while the lateral heat disturbance changes little. Deeper, longer CIPPs have better stability. The casting temperature clearly affects the thermal disturbance, and the radius of the melting circle increases with rising casting temperature. The optimal casting temperature is between 2 ℃ and 9 ℃.

Quantitative analysis of magnetic anomaly of reinforcements in bored in-situ concrete piles

We quantitatively study magnetic anomalies of reinforcement rods in bored insitu concrete piles for the first time and summarized their magnetic anomaly character. Key factors such as measuring borehole orientation, borehole-reinforcement distance, and multiple-section reinforcement rods are discussed which contributes valid and quantitative reference for using the magnetic method to detect reinforcement rods. Through tests with model piles, we confirm the accuracy of theoretical computations and then utilize the law discovered in theoretical computations to explain the characteristics of the actual testing curves. The results show that the Za curves of the reinforcement rod reflect important factors regarding the reinforcement rods, such as rod length, change of reinforcement ratio, length of overlap, and etc. This research perfects the magnetic method for detecting reinforcement rods in bored in-situ concrete piles and the method has great importance for preventing building contractor fraud.

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.

Uplift behavior and load transfer mechanism of prestressed high-strength concrete piles

Prestressed high-strength-concrete (PHC) tube-shaped pile is one of the recently used foundations for soft soil. The research on uplift resistance of PHC pile is helpful to the design of pile foundations. A field-scale test program was conducted to study the uplift behavior and load transfer mechanism of PHC piles in soft soil. The pullout load tests were divided into two groups with different diameters, and there were three piles in each group. A detailed discussion of the axial load transfer and pile skin resistance distribution was also included. It is found from the tests that the uplift capacity increases with increasing the diameter of pile. When the diameter of piles increases from 500 to 600 mm, the uplift load is increased by 51.2%. According to the load-displacement (Q-S) curves, all the piles do not reach the ultimate state at the maximum load. The experimental results show that the piles still have uplift bearing capacity.

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.

Design and construction of high and large span cast-in-place reinforced concrete cantilever flowering frame beam

The high and large span cast-in-place reinforced concrete cantilever structure of the office building of some court, which is located I-steel at the cantilever and used steel pipe scaffold as the support, has guaranteed the frame body and structure security by the frame body calculating, on-site test and reasonable construction order.

Key technology for construction of connection between steel pylonand concrete pile cap of middle pylon of Taizhou Bridge

Taizhou Bridge is a suspension bridge with three pylons and two 1 080 m main spans. The middle pylon is a steel frame with longitudinal herringbone shape and lateral gate shape. The connection between steel pylon and concrete pile cap is a key part to transfer the huge inner force from the pylon to the foundation. Its construction quality is a critical factor to the overall structural loading of the whole bridge ; therefore the contact ratio between the bearing steel plate of pylon and concrete pile cap is required to be over 75 %. The inclined joint surface in two directions, longitudinally at 39/1 920 and laterally at 1/4, posted a challenge to the construction work. A procedure test was carried out to find an optimal construction method by comparison, and finally the post-injection method was selected as it can meet the requirement of concrete strength and contact ratio at the connection. The successful application of the post-injection method in Taizhou Bridge can nrovide an examnle and reference for similar nroiects in the future.

Viscoelastic behavior of concrete pile

Based on constitutive theory of viscoelasticity,the viscoelastic behaviour of concrete pile was investigated.The influence of viscosity coefficient on the stress,displacement and velocity response was discussed.With the increase of viscosity coefficient,the amplitude of stress wave decreases,and the maximum value of the stress wave shifts to deeper position of the pile.In other words,the viscosity coefficient behaves as lag effect to stress wave.

Study on Interface mechanical behavior of steel tube reinforced concrete composite pile

Currently for the steel tube reinforced concrete composite pile research, although predecessors make a comprehensive research on the composite pile beating performance, design technology, but there are still many problems have not been solved, such as the steel tube reinforced concrete pile composite interracial force learn performance research is still in the initial stage. In this paper, we mainly discuss the research methods of several interface mechanical properties and propose the possibility of studying the mechanical properties of the steel tube reinforced concrete composite pile by using the principle of ultrasonic speckle.

Numerical modelling for predicting corrosion initiation life of reinforced concrete square piles under reverse-seepage pressure

Square piles of reinforced concrete(RC)in marine environments are susceptible to chloride-inducedcorrosion.A novel reverse-seepage technique(RST)is applied to square piles to block the intrusion of chlorides.Thisresearch introduces a computational model designed to predict the lifespan of corrosion initiation in reinforced concretesquare piles when applied reverse-seepage pressure.The model considers the impacts of chloride binding and the tripletime-dependence property among the permeability,the corrected surface chloride concentration,and the diffusioncoefficient.The proposed numerical model is solved using the alternating direction implicit(ADI)approach,and itsaccuracy and reliability are evaluated by contrasting the computational outcomes with the analytical solution andexperimental results.Furthermore,the primary factors contributing to the corrosion of reinforced concrete square pilesare analyzed.The results indicate that applying RST can decrease the chloride penetration depth and prolong the lifespanof corrosion initiation in square piles.The water-cement ratio and reverse seepage pressure are the most influentialfactors.A water pressure of 0.4 MPa can double the life of concrete,and the durable life of concrete with a water-cementratio of 0.3 can reach 100 years.

Application of a concrete thermal pile in cooling the warming permafrost under climate change

Permafrost degradation caused by climate warming is posing a serious threat to the stability of cast-in-place pile foundations in warm permafrost regions.Ambient cold energy can be effectively utilized by two-phase closed thermosyphons(TPCTs)to cool the permafrost.Therefore,we installed TPCTs in a cast-in-place pile foundation to create a unique structure called a thermal pile,which effectively utilizes the TPCTs to regulate ground temperature.And we conducted a case study and numerical simulation to exhibit the cooling performance,and optimize the structure of the thermal pile.The purpose of this study is to promote the application of thermal piles in unstable permafrost regions.Based on the findings,the thermal pile operated for approximately 53%of the entire year and effectively reduced the deep ground temperature at a rate of at least-0.1℃per year.Additionally,it successfully raised the permafrost table that is 0.35 m shallower than the natural ground level.These characteristics prove highly beneficial in mitigating the adverse effects of permafrost degradation and enhancing infrastructure safety.Expanding the length of the condenser section and the diameter of the TPCT in a suitable manner can effectively enhance the cooling capability of the thermal pile and ensure the long-term mechanical stability of the pile foundation even under climate warming.

High-Rise Residential Reinforced Concrete Building Optimisation

In the last few decades structure optimisation has become a main task in a civil engineering project. As a matter of fact, due to the complexity and particularity of every structure, the great amount of variables and design criteria to considerate and many other factors, a general optimisation’s method is not simple to formulate. As a result, this paper focuses on how to provide a successful optimisation method for a particular building type, high-rise reinforced concrete buildings. The optimization method is based on decomposition of the main structure into substructures: floor system, vertical load resisting system, lateral load resisting system and foundation system;then each of the subsystems using the design criteria established at the building codes is improved. Due to the effect of the superstructure optimisation on the foundation system, vertical and lateral load resisting system is the last to be considered after the improvement of floor. Finally, as a case example, using the method explained in the paper, a 30-story-high high-rise residential building complex is analysed and optimised, achieving good results in terms of structural behaviour and diminishing the overall cost of the structure.

温度与荷载共同作用下钢筋混凝土桩的细观损伤

为探究港口码头不同环境因素对码头桩身材料特性的劣化影响而降低桩身承载能力,通过颗粒流分析程序(particle flow code 3D,PFC3D)建立三维颗粒流离散元钢筋混凝土桩模型开展研究。对温度-应力模型进行建立,选取热学参数,构建了温度热管模型,通过分级加热,得到了钢筋混凝土桩的横向拉伸应变、纵向压缩应变以及微裂缝生长数量随温度变化曲线;调整模型混凝土粗骨料占比与强度等级,研究其对钢筋混凝土桩受热损伤的影响;通过施加温度场的模型进行水平加荷载后,得到的应力应变曲线;基于模型微裂隙数量的损伤变量,并构建了损伤变量-轴向应变曲线,进一步分析了温度-荷载共同作用的损伤规律。结果表明:混凝土轴向压缩应变和横向拉伸应变会随温度的增加而逐渐升高,细观微裂隙数量会随温度的升高而增长;粗骨料占比升高会使受热初始损伤增加;温度的升高,材料的宏观力学性能出现了不同程度的降低。