Drivability Analyses for Pipe-Ramming Installations
Publication: Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering
Volume 141, Issue 3
Abstract
The evaluation of the drivability of a proposed pipe is a critical task in the planning and execution of pipe-ramming installations, because it results in increased efficiency, safe installations, and significant cost savings. The analysis of drivability provides a means for optimizing the hammer energy required for a given pipe-ramming installation, and it minimizes potential damage to the pipe due to overstressing the pipe material. Four full-scale pipes with diameters ranging from 610 to 3,660 mm installed using pipe-ramming hammers were instrumented to observe the measurement of hammer-pipe energy transfer, driving stresses, and total (static and dynamic) soil resistance to penetration and formed the basis for evaluating drivability. First, the hammer-pipe energy transfer calculated from the observed force and velocity time histories was characterized, indicating the quantity of energy that actually results in the penetration of the pipe through soil. Then, the dynamic model parameters known as the soil quake and damping were back-calculated using common signal-matching analyses and presented as a function of normalized soil resistance. Wave-equation analyses used routinely to assess the constructability of pile foundations were adapted to estimate the observed force time histories and driving curves or the variation of penetration resistance with static soil resistance. Wave-equation analyses were also used to estimate the observed compressive and tensile driving stresses and the accuracy of the estimates characterized. The results of this study and those used to develop equations for static soil resistance to ramming can be used as the basis for the evaluation of the drivability of rammed pipes.
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Acknowledgments
The authors gratefully acknowledge support from the Oregon DOT (ODOT) and the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) through Research Contract SPR 710. This study was carried out with significant help obtained from the Oregon and Southwest Washington Chapter of the National Utility Contractors Association (NUCA). The authors gratefully acknowledge the cooperation from the Wildish Sand and Gravel Company, the Ontario Ministry of Transportation (MTO), Golder Associates, and Jim Robinson Contracting. The authors are also grateful for the support and donations provided by Gonzales Boring and Tunneling, J. W. Fowler Construction, Armadillo Underground, Emery & Sons, Wyo-Ben, RDO Equipment, Moore Excavation, and Peterson Machinery. The authors are also grateful for the comments by the anonymous reviewers that served to improve the quality of this paper.
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Published In
Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering
Volume 141 • Issue 3 • March 2015
Copyright
© 2014 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Dec 16, 2013
Accepted: Sep 30, 2014
Published online: Nov 3, 2014
Published in print: Mar 1, 2015
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