Driven Piles in Fine-Grained Soil-Based Intermediate Geomaterials
Publication: Journal of Bridge Engineering
Volume 27, Issue 6
Abstract
Piles driven in Intermediate GeoMaterials (IGM) have possessed many design and construction challenges due to high uncertainty in the engineering properties of IGM, absence of geomaterial classification and static analysis (SA) methods, inadequate Load and Resistance Factor Design (LRFD) recommendations, and lacking knowledge on the change in pile resistances with time. This paper presents our recent development and recommendations for piles driven in fine-grained soil-based IGM (FG-IGM) based on 51 test piles from 25 bridge projects completed in four US states. FG-IGM is categorized into clay-IGM and silt-IGM based on grain size and plasticity. A classification boundary between fine-grained soil and FG-IGM is established at undrained shear strength (su) of 0.129 MPa (2.7 ksf). SA methods for unit shaft resistance (qs) are recommended based on su while SA methods for unit end bearing (qb) are established using the combination of su, pile size (D), and total pile penetration (DB). The proposed SA methods are compared against the existing α-methods developed for soil and validated using 33 independent test pile data. Our statistical assessment concludes that the proposed SA methods provide a more accurate estimation of qs and qb than the α-method. Higher LRFD resistance factors and efficiency factors are determined for the proposed SA methods than for those developed for fine-grained soils. For 1 day after the end of driving (EOD), an average 77% and 44% increase in qs can be considered for steel H-piles in clay-IGM and silt-IGM, respectively, while a higher average 132% increase in qs can be considered for 360-mm close-ended pipe piles in clay-IGM. However, pile setup should be neglected in the qb prediction as H-piles experienced both pile setup and relaxation with the percent change in qb varying from −23% to 345% in clay-IGM and −33%–22% in silt-IGM, and 360-mm close-ended pipe piles experienced −51%–202% change in qb.
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Acknowledgments
The authors express their gratitude to the research supports from the Wyoming Department of Transportation as the lead agency, Colorado Department of Transportation, Iowa Department of Transportation, Kansas Department of Transportation, North Dakota Department of Transportation, Idaho Transportation Department, and Montana Department of Transportation under the Grant No. RS05219 as well as additional supports from Mountain-Plains Consortium.
Notation
The following symbols are used in this paper:
- A
- pile setup factor.
- D
- pile dimension or diameter;
- DB
- total pile penetration length;
- Ei
- nonlinear model errors for observation i;
- f
- nonlinear function;
- i
- observation index;
- (N1)60 or N60
- corrected SPT N-value;
- n
- number of observations;
- qb
- unit shaft resistance;
- qs
- unit shaft resistance;
- qu
- unconfined compressive strength;
- Pa
- atmospheric pressure;
- p
- number of predictors;
- initial unit shaft resistance;
- qs−t
- unit shaft resistance at an elapsed time t after the EOD;
- su
- undrained shear strength;
- t
- duration after end of driving;
- to
- initial time;
- mean resistance bias;
- Yi
- response value for observation;
- yi
- observed response for observation i;
- predicted response for observation i;
- φ
- resistance factor;
- β
- vector of regression coefficient values;
- vector of estimated regression coefficient values;
- βT
- target reliability index;
- estimated variance;
- λR, λD, and λL
- mean biases for resistance, dead load, and live load; and
- γD and γL
- load factors for dead and live.
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Published In
Journal of Bridge Engineering
Volume 27 • Issue 6 • June 2022
Copyright
© 2022 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Jun 14, 2021
Accepted: Mar 2, 2022
Published online: Apr 11, 2022
Published in print: Jun 1, 2022
Discussion open until: Sep 11, 2022
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