Base Capacity of Open-Ended Steel Pipe Piles in Sand
Publication: Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering
Volume 138, Issue 9
Abstract
This paper presents a new method for estimating the base capacity of open-ended steel pipe piles in sand, a difficult problem involving great uncertainty in pile foundation design. The method, referred to as the Hong Kong University (HKU) method, is based on the cone penetration test (CPT), and takes into consideration the mechanisms of annulus and plug resistance mobilization. In this method the annulus resistance is properly linked to the ratio of the pile length to the diameter—a key factor reflecting the influence of pile embedment—whereas the plug resistance is related to the plug length ratio, which reflects the degree of soil plugging in a practical yet rational way. The cone tip resistance is averaged over a zone in the vicinity of the pile base by taking into account the failure mechanism of the piles in sand, the condition of pile embedment (i.e., full or partial embedment), and the effect of soil compressibility. The predictive performance of the new method is assessed against a number of well-documented field tests including two fully instrumented large-diameter offshore piles, and through comparisons with major CPT-based methods in current engineering practice. The assessment indicates that the HKU method has attractive capabilities and advantages that render it a promising option.
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Acknowledgments
The work presented in this paper was supported by grants from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (41102179) and from the University of Hong Kong (10208227). This support is gratefully acknowledged.
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Published In
Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering
Volume 138 • Issue 9 • September 2012
Pages: 1116 - 1128
Copyright
© 2012 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Dec 2, 2010
Accepted: Nov 15, 2011
Published online: Nov 17, 2011
Published in print: Sep 1, 2012
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