TECHNICAL PAPERS
May 1, 2007

Design Charts for Piles Supporting Embankments on Soft Clay

Publication: Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering
Volume 133, Issue 5

Abstract

This paper describes the development and application of design charts for piled embankment designs. It outlines the computational approach adopted, the geotechnical profiles used, and the application of the design procedure using the charts. The soil profile used for the charts is representative of a Malaysian soft clay profile, involving a more or less normally consolidated soil, with a strength and stiffness that varies linearly with depth. Such a profile is typical of the ground conditions in a variety of countries in the Southeast Asian region. The design charts address the issues of pile capacity, settlement due to embankment load, settlement due to a temporary piling construction platform, and lateral response of piles near the edge of the embankment. The charts consider variations in ground conditions, embankment height, pile length, and pile spacing. An illustrative example is given to demonstrate the use of the charts.

Get full access to this article

View all available purchase options and get full access to this article.

Acknowledgments

The work described in this paper was carried out on behalf of Pengurusan Lebuhraya Berhad, Malaysia. The writer acknowledges the encouragement of C. W. Lee and M. Kartsounis. The constructive comments of the reviewers are also appreciated, as is the assistance of Maria Domadenik in preparing the final manuscript and Annette Wilson in redrafting the figures.

References

British Standards Institution. (1995). “British standards code of practice for improved/reinforced soil.” BS 8006.
Han, J., and Gabr, M. A. (2002). “Numerical analysis of geosynthetic-reinforced and pile-supported earth platforms on soft soil.” J. Geotech. Geoenviron. Eng., 128(1), 44–53.
Hewlett, W. J., and Randolph, M. F. (1988). “Analysis of piled embankments.” Ground Eng., 21(3), 12–18.
Hsi, J. (2001). “Timber piled embankments over soft ground.” Proc., 15th Int. Conf. Soil Mechs. Geot. Eng., Istanbul, 3, 2085–2088.
Kempton, G., Russell, D., Pierpoint, N. D., and Jones, C. J. F. P. (1998). “Two- and three-dimensional numerical analyses of the performance of geosynthetics carrying embankment loads over piles.” Proc., 6th Int. Conf. on Geosynthetics, Atlanta, 767–772.
Low, B. K., Tang, S. K., and Choa, V. (1994). “Arching in piled embankments.” J. Geotech. Engrg., 120(11), 1917–1938.
Poulos, H. G. (1972). “Difficulties in prediction of horizontal deformations of foundations.” J. Soil Mech. and Found. Div., 98(8), 843–848.
Poulos, H. G. (1989). “Pile behaviour—Theory and application 29th Rankine lecture.”, Geotechnique, 39(3), 365–415.
Poulos, H. G. (1998). “A method for analyzing piled embankments.” Proc., 13th South East Asian Geot. Conf., Taipei, 1, 551–556.
Poulos, H. G. (1991). “Analysis of piled strip foundations.” Computer methods and advances in geomechanics, G. Beer, J. R. Booker, and J. P. Carter, eds., Balkema, The Netherlands, Vol. 1, 183–191.
Poulos, H. G., and Davis, E. H. (1980). Pile foundation analysis and design, Wiley, New York.
Ramli, M., Chin, C. H., Ismael, M. P., and Zaini, M. Z. (1994). “The engineering geology and geotechnics of soft deposits in peninsular Malaysia.” Geotropika 94, Kuala Lumpur.
Russell, D., and Pierpoint, N. (1997). “An assessment of design methods for piled embankments.” Ground Eng., November, 39–44.
Sagae, T., and Goh, A. H. (1997). “Comparison of engineering properties of marine clays in Port Klang and Prai.” Larren ’97, Malaysia.
Tan, Y. C., Chow, C. M., and Gue, S. S. (2004). “A design approach for piled raft with short friction piles for low rise buildings on very soft clay.” Proc. 15th S.E. Asian Geot. Conf., Bangkok, Millpress, 171–176.
Ting, W. H., and Toh, C. T. (1983). “Pile supported fill.” Recent developments in field tests and analysis of geotechnical problems, AIT, Bangkok, 95–100.
Tomlinson, M. J. (1986). Foundation design and construction, 5th Ed., Pitman, Boston.
Wong, S. C. (2000). “Application of piles to pavement and embankment construction.” Ph.D. thesis, Univ. of Sydney, Australia.

Information & Authors

Information

Published In

Go to Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering
Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering
Volume 133Issue 5May 2007
Pages: 493 - 501

History

Received: Sep 2, 2005
Accepted: Jun 28, 2006
Published online: May 1, 2007
Published in print: May 2007

Permissions

Request permissions for this article.

Authors

Affiliations

H. G. Poulos, F.ASCE
Senior Principal, Coffey Geotechnics; and, Professor Emeritus, Univ. of Sydney, 8/12 Mars Rd., Lane Cove West, NSW, Australia 2066. E-mail: [email protected]

Metrics & Citations

Metrics

Citations

Download citation

If you have the appropriate software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice. Simply select your manager software from the list below and click Download.

Cited by

View Options

Get Access

Access content

Please select your options to get access

Log in/Register Log in via your institution (Shibboleth)
ASCE Members: Please log in to see member pricing

Purchase

Save for later Information on ASCE Library Cards
ASCE Library Cards let you download journal articles, proceedings papers, and available book chapters across the entire ASCE Library platform. ASCE Library Cards remain active for 24 months or until all downloads are used. Note: This content will be debited as one download at time of checkout.

Terms of Use: ASCE Library Cards are for individual, personal use only. Reselling, republishing, or forwarding the materials to libraries or reading rooms is prohibited.
ASCE Library Card (5 downloads)
$105.00
Add to cart
ASCE Library Card (20 downloads)
$280.00
Add to cart
Buy Single Article
$35.00
Add to cart

Get Access

Access content

Please select your options to get access

Log in/Register Log in via your institution (Shibboleth)
ASCE Members: Please log in to see member pricing

Purchase

Save for later Information on ASCE Library Cards
ASCE Library Cards let you download journal articles, proceedings papers, and available book chapters across the entire ASCE Library platform. ASCE Library Cards remain active for 24 months or until all downloads are used. Note: This content will be debited as one download at time of checkout.

Terms of Use: ASCE Library Cards are for individual, personal use only. Reselling, republishing, or forwarding the materials to libraries or reading rooms is prohibited.
ASCE Library Card (5 downloads)
$105.00
Add to cart
ASCE Library Card (20 downloads)
$280.00
Add to cart
Buy Single Article
$35.00
Add to cart

Media

Figures

Other

Tables

Share

Share

Copy the content Link

Share with email

Email a colleague

Share