Barry Lehane

Friction Coefficients for Piles in Sands and Silts

The results from a series of direct shear interface tests on a range of cohesionless soils are presented. The tests used steel interfaces with properties comparable to those of industrial piles and investigated the influence on the shearing resistance of relative density, mean particle size and stress level. These results are compared (and seen to be in good agreement) with measurements obtained using a heavily instrumented displacement pile installed in a medium dense sand. Some of the more important factors affecting the friction coefficients developed by piles in cohesionless soils are identified and their implications for design are discussed.

Improved Performance of Monopiles When Combined with Footings for Tower Foundations in Sand

AbstractThis paper presents the results from a series of centrifuge tests and three-dimensional finite-element (FE) analyses, which examined the benefits of combining a footing with a monopile as a solution for foundations that are subjected to large moment loading, such as those used for towers and wind turbines. The experiments were carried out in silica sand and involved monotonic application of lateral loads at an equivalent prototype height of 26 m above the foundations. Tests were conducted on piled footings, monopiles, and unpiled footings. These experimental results together with the findings from the FE analyses show that the footing interacts positively with the piled foundation and that both the rotational stiffness and capacity of the combined piled footing system are greater than the sum of the individual contributions. Increased capacity arises as the footing causes a significant reduction in moment loading on the pile (hence facilitating the application of larger loads), primarily owing to ...

Role of Linear Elasticity in Pile Group Analysis and Load Test Interpretation

This paper compares linear-elastic and nonlinear pile group analysis methods through settlement analyses of hypothetical scenarios and real case studies, and elaborates on the implications for interpretation of pile load test data. Comparisons between linear-elastic and nonlinear methods justify the proposition that pile-to-pile interaction is dominated by linear elasticity, characterized by the small-strain soil stiffness. As the size of a pile group increases, nonlinearity in individual pile behavior becomes overwhelmed by the interaction effects. In such cases, similar estimates will be achieved by both linear and nonlinear methods if the soil modulus is derived from the initial tangent, rather than some secant stiffness, assessed from the load test data. The study clarifies the capabilities and limitations of linear elasticity in pile group analysis and provides guidance on pile test interpretation for analysis of pile group response.

Shaft Capacity of Displacement Piles in Clay Using the Cone Penetration Test

AbstractThe prediction of the shaft capacity of displacement piles in clay still relies wholly on empirical or semiempirical approaches. This paper examines the predictive abilities of five well-known methods against an extended version of an existing database of pile tests. It is seen that coefficients of variation (COVs) of the ratio of calculated to measured capacities (Qc/Qm) are significantly higher than expected. The paper then uses the database of shaft capacities to examine potential relationships between local shaft friction and the cone penetration test end resistance (qt). Predictions are subsequently compared with capacities measured in a series of centrifuge tests and with the distributions of peak frictions observed in two well-documented field tests. Widely different formulations adopted by each of the existing empirical methods give broadly similar COV values for Qc/Qm ratios, and it is concluded that the database of high-quality pile tests needs to be expanded significantly if the reliabi...

Shaft Friction from Instrumented Displacement Piles in an Uncemented Calcareous Sand

AbstractThe behavior of displacement piles in uncemented calcareous sand is investigated using field piles instrumented with a sensor that simultaneously records the radial stress and shear stress at specific locations on the pile shafts. These tests are interpreted with the assistance of data from adjacent self-boring pressuremeter tests and from monotonic and cyclic direct shear interface tests performed on reconstituted samples. The existence of extremely low radial stresses on the pile shafts is verified. Although dilation during shear is seen to compensate for such low radial stresses, short-term shaft capacities are much lower than capacities of equivalent piles in siliceous sands. The development of a bonded or welded crust to the pile shaft was seen to be the primary contributor to the setup observed at the test site; this crust forced failure to take place at a sand-sand rather than a sand-steel interface and also gave rise to higher levels of dilation during monotonic loading. The welded sand cr...

Effects of drained pre-loading on the performance of shallow foundations on overconsolidated clay

This paper presents results from a programme of centrifuge experiments which examined the effects of drained preloading on the stiffness and load carrying capacity of shallow square footings founded on an overconsolidated clay. The increases in stiffness and bearing capacity induced by various levels of preloading are quantified and compared with standard design guidelines and previously published numerical predictions.Copyright

Development of the UWA-05 Design Method for Open and Closed Ended Driven Piles in Siliceous Sand

This paper draws upon recent research findings to propose a new CPT qc based design method for predicting axial capacity of open and closed ended driven piles in siliceous sands. The method incorporates various factors that are acknowledged to have a controlling influence on pile capacity including (i) the effects of soil displacement during installation, (ii) friction fatigue, (iii) sand-pile interface friction angle, (iv) changes in radial stress during loading, and (v) the influence of loading direction.

Modelling the installation of stiffened caissons in overconsolidated clay

Design of suction caissons for installation in overconsolidated clay presents several geotechnical engineering challenges. These include (i) predicting the installation resistance and required ‘suction’ pressure, (ii) ensuring adequate skirt length to account for vertical plug heave, and (iii) accommodating the structural engineering stiffening requirements and their effects on the penetration resistance and plug heave. A suite of centrifuge tests in overconsolidated kaolin clay was carried out to investigate the effects of stiffener geometry on penetration resistance during direct jacking and suction installation. Three caisson geometries were compared: caissons with (i) no stiffeners, (ii) horizontal stiffeners only and (iii) both vertical and horizontal stiffeners. Results show negligible differences in penetration resistance between jacked and suction installation for each caisson type. The magnitude of soil heave within the caisson is seen to be highly dependent on the level of applied suction as well as on the volume of the stiffeners. Observations during and following testing indicated that minimal flow-round of the overconsolidated clay occurred for skirts with horizontal stiffeners. These included (i) linear penetration resistance profiles following penetration of the lowest horizontal stiffener, (ii) a wedge of clay observed only below the lowest horizontal stiffener following extraction, and (iii) unsupported plug heave heights following penetration. A comparison of measured data with back-calculated resistance factors suggests that current design methods adequately predict the measured penetration resistance assuming zero flow-round conditions, implying additional end bearing of the upper horizontal stiffener during penetration was negligible.© 2009 ASME

Centrifuge modelling of the pushover failure of an electricity transmission tower

Centrifuge model tests were conducted to examine foundation failure mechanisms during rapid horizontal pushover of an electricity transmission line support tower, simulating a broken transmission line response or wind gust loading. A model transmission tower supported on four pad foundations in clay and backfilled with sand was loaded horizontally and the loads at each foundation were measured during fast and slow pushover. The tests examined the influence of tensile resistance mobilized at the underside of the footings, which is difficult to reliably incorporate within design practice due to a lack of accepted quantitative design methods. The measured performance of the tower footings was compared with results from a series of tests where a single footing is subjected to purely vertical loading in compression and tension and was found to be in good agreement. The tower response was back-analysed as a simple push–pull model and the calculated uplift capacity of the footing backfill provided a close match ...