Ground movements due to pile driving in an excavation in soft soil

Abstract

An excavation in soft clay for the construction of a deep basement frequently is accompanied by large ground movements that may damage piles preinstalled at the base of the excavation. In a recent project involving the construction of a 10 m wide, 3.7 m deep drain, the construction method adopted entailed excavating the site soils and then driving precast concrete piles. The excavation was supported by steel sheet piles braced by one level of struts. Large settlements and horizontal movements of the ground were observed during pile driving. These movements exceeded those occurring during the excavation phase. Concrete aprons outside a one-story building adjacent to the excavation were badly damaged during excavation and pile driving. However, the building supported on steel piles was undamaged.Résumé : Une fouille dans l'argile molle en vue de la construction d'un soubassement profond s'accompagne souvent de forts mouvements du sol qui peuvent endommager des pieux installés antérieurement au fond de la fouille. Dans un récent projet impliquant la construction d'un drain de 10 m de largeur et 3,7 m de profondeur, la méthode comportait l'excavation des sols du site suivie du battage de pieux en béton préfabriqués. L'excavation était supportée par des palplanches d'acier retenues par un niveau d'étais. De forts tassements et mouvements horizontaux du sol ont été observés durant le battage des pieux. Ces mouvements dépassaient ceux qui s'étaient produits durant la phase d'excavation. Des tabliers de béton à l'extérieur du bâtiment adjacent d'un étage ont été sévèrement endommagés durant l'excavation et le battage des pieux. Cependant, le bâtiment reposant sur des pieux d'acier n'a pas été endommagé.

Stabilization of dredged clay slurry with carbide sludge (CS)-ground granulated blastfurnace slag (GGBS) for land reclamation

“…Unstabilized clay had an effective friction angle of 26.4°, which was within the reported friction angle range of Singapore marine clay, e.g., 22.5°-27.5° (Bo et al, 2003) and 23°-27° (Wong and Chua, 1999).…”

The Effect of Pile Driving Process on Stress and Strain of Neighboring Building’s Foundations: An Application in Vietnam

“…Chong M. K. (2013) studied the displacement of the soil due to the pile driving process in adjacent structure and the adverse effects on the piles that have previously been pressed [1]. Antonios V. et al ( 2018) also did a field study in East Baton Rouge, Louisiana on the horizontal displacement of the ground soil when driving piles into soft clay gound [2].…”