Jawad H Gull

Flexible Pile Head in Jointless Bridges: Design Provisions for H-Piles in Cohesive Soils

AbstractSeveral methods are used to increase the lateral displacement capacity of the piles supporting jointless bridges, the most effective of which are predrilled holes and a flexible pile-cap connection. Depending on soil type and required displacement capacity, these two methods can be combined. This paper discusses a simple study carried out to demonstrate the efficiency of the flexible-head condition, and a finite-element analysis conducted on a prestressed pile. The model was first calibrated with the test results, and then a flexible detail was applied to the model. The results of this part of the study show that a flexible connection can increase the displacement capacity of embedded piles. Finally, nonlinear analyses were conducted using simulation software for compact HP piles. The results of these analyses revealed that strong axis bending results in larger displacement capacity compared to weak axis bending, although the stiffness is smaller in the latter case. Provisions are also developed t...

Experimental Evaluation of Repair Options for Timber Piles

An experimental investigation compared repair methods that could be used to repair timber piles in timber pile bridges. Five full-scale timber pile specimens with different levels of damages were prepared. The damage in each specimen was repaired with fiberglass-reinforced plastic wrap to encapsulate the damaged region, which was filled either with resin or grout or with resin and gravel. Ultimate load tests were carried out on the specimens to evaluate the effectiveness of the repair methods. Test results showed that grout was more effective than resin in repairing large cavity-type damage. Resin appeared to be more effective in repairing cracks and small cavities in timber piles. The failure load of the repaired pile specimens was at least five times greater than the design load capacity of the timber piles and indicated that the repair methods effectively restored the capacity of the damaged timber piles.