Numerical Analysis of Effect of Waveform Micropile on Foundation Underpinning During Building Vertical Extension Remodeling

Abstract

Micropiles are widely used for foundation underpinning to enhance bearing capacity and reduce settlement of existing foundation. In this study, the main objective is to evaluate underpinning performance of a newly developed micropile called waveform micropile for foundation underpinning during vertical extension. Finite element method (FEM) was used to evaluate the underpinning performance of waveform micropile in terms of load-settlement response of underpinned foundation and load sharing behavior. For comparison, underpinning effects of three conventional micropiles with different lengths were also discussed in this study. Numerical results of load-settlement response for single pile demonstrated that bearing capacity and axial stiffness of waveform micropiles were higher than those of conventional micropiles because of the effect of shear keys of waveform micropiles. When additional loads 20 %, which is according to design loads of the vertical extension, were applied to the underpinned foundation, load sharing capacity of waveform micropile was 40 % higher than conventional micropile at the same size. The waveform micropile also showed better underpinning performance than the conventional micropile of length 1~1.5 times of waveform micropile.