Bored Cast-in-Place Concrete Piling for an Aluminum Smelter Port Facility

This paper presents a bored cast-in-place concrete piling case history for the port facility of an aluminum smelter project in the Middle East. The port facility is coastal with subsurface conditions consisting of reclamation fill, underlying sand, and deeper weathered rock (intermediate geomaterial). A geotechnical investigation of the port facility mainly included borings, cone penetration tests, and laboratory testing of soil and weathered rock samples. Six pre-production piles were load-tested axially using Osterberg load cells and laterally using a reaction system. Two production piles were also axially load (proof) tested using the conventional top load method with a reaction frame and kentledge. Load test results and capacity analyses are discussed. The results of settlement monitoring of completed structures are also presented. In total, 750 production piles in two diameters, 600 mm and 1,000 mm, were installed. Both the smelter facility and the port facility are constructed and operating satisfactorily.