Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Sixteenth (2007)
(2007)
International
International
Offshore
Offshore
andand
Polar
Polar
Engineering
Engineering
Conference
Conference
Lisbon, Portugal, July 1-6, 2007
Copyright 2007 by The International Society of Offshore and Polar Engineers(ISOPE)
ISBN 978-1-880653-68-5; ISBN 1-880653-68-0(Set); ISSN 1098-6189 (Set)
1458
sold in a powder form under the trade name "fire clay". Specific
100
gravity, Atterberg limits, and grain size analysis were determined in
accordance with ASTM test standards. The average properties of the
clay are shown in Table 1. Based on the Unified Soil Classification 90
System (USCS), the clay is classified as CL. The soil grain-size
distribution curve is presented in Fig.2.
70
60
50
sample 1
sample 2
40
30
0.001 0.01 0.1 1 10
Grain Diameter (mm)
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EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE was place above the top of the second layer. A steel pipe was inserted
to connect the plate with the loading arm to transfer the consolidation
Consolidation of Clay load to the soil without affecting the model piles. After that, the clay
soil was subjected to the same consolidation loads (20 kPa and 40 kPa)
The clay sample was air-dried and an amount of water equal to 30% of in the same manner as done in the first layer. Finally, the third clay
the dry weight of the soil was added. The moist clay was thoroughly layer was consolidated according to the procedure followed for the
mixed and then stored in air-tight plastic bags, sealed in plastic wrap to second layer.
avoid loss in moisture content. It was allowed to cure at room
temperature for about 24 hours to allow uniform distribution of
moisture content.
The soil samples were consolidated in the soil tank. Four drainage holes
were drilled, two in each side, at a distance of 25 mm from the bottom
of the tank. In each drainage hole, a valve was installed to control water
drain during consolidation and testing stages. Before placing the soil
into the test tank, a 50-mm layer of poorly graded sand was placed on
the bottom of the test tank, which serves as a pervious base for reducing
the consolidation time. Above this layer, a geotextile sheet was placed
to separate the clay from the sand layer. Thereafter, the clay was placed
by hand in the test tank in three layers. The weight of clay required for
the first layer to obtain a unit weight of 19 kN/m3 was packed into the
test tank by hand in lifts, with the interface between the lifts being
made uneven, to reduce the bedding effects. A thick rigid steel plate
with a thickness of 6 mm, covering the entire length and width of the
test tank, was placed on the surface of the top layer of the clay. Several
holes with diameters of about 5 mm were punched into the plate to
allow for drainage a long the upper surface of the clay layer. Sheets of
filter paper were placed along the sides of the test tank and between the
clay and the loading plate to speed up the consolidation process.
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The measured load-displacement curves for a single pile are shown in Qg
Fig. 4. Because of space limitations, only the variations in axial = (1)
pile capacity with the pile head displacement for pile groups n1 n2 Qs
(2x2 -9d) are shown in Fig. 5. All other test results showed where = efficiency of the pile group; Qg = axial capacity of
similar behavior. Details about the test results are given pile group; Qs= axial capacity of single pile; n1 = number of rows
elsewhere (Al-Mhaidib 2006). Figures 4 and 5 show that the load- in a pile group; and n2 = number of columns in a pile group.
displacement curves have peak values from which the pile load reduces
with further displacement. The pile head displacement needed to
mobilize the ultimate axial capacity ranges from 2 mm to 3 mm (about
10% of pile diameter) which is in agreement with the values suggested
by Vesic (1977). The pile head displacement at failure is essentially the 1.8
same for the slow and the fast tests, while only the ultimate capacity
changed. It indicates that the loading rate has a negligible influence on 1.6
the magnitude of the pile head displacement at failure. This is in
agreement with the findings of Audibert and Dove (1982); and Al- 1.4
Mhaidib (2001). It is clear from Figs. 4 and 5, that the loading rate
significantly affected the load-displacement response. The faster was 1.2
the rate of loading the higher was the load-displacement curves and,
consequently, the larger the ultimate axial capacity of the piles. A
Load (kN)
1
possible explanation of this behavior is that if the rate of loading is
smaller, more time is allowed for the soil to creep and relax, allowing 0.8
the development of larger deformations at a given load increment and
smaller strength at a given deformation increment. The final result is Loading Rate
0.6
load-displacement curve that plots lower.
1.0 mm/min
0.4 0.1 mm/min
0.05 mm/min
0.2 0.01 mm/min
0.5
0
0.45 0 3 6 9 12 15
Pile displacement (mm)
0.4
Fig. 5. Load-displacement curves for pile groups (2x2-9d)
0.35
0.3
The group efficiencies obtained using equation (1) are computed for all
Load (kN)
0.25 pile group configurations tested and listed in Table 3. It can be seen
from this table that the effect of loading rate on the efficiency , within
0.2 Loading Rate a group configuration, for the different pile group configurations is
1.0 mm/min insignificant. The efficiency does not change much within a pile
0.15 0.1 mm/min group configuration when the loading rate is changed. For example, the
0.05 mm/min efficiency for 3x1 pile group changed from 0.85 to 0.88 and from 0.90
0.1 0.01 mm/min to 0.94 for 3d spacing and 9d spacing, respectively. The efficiency also
changed from 0.78 to 0.80 for 3d spacing for 3x3 pile group. There is a
0.05 good agreement between the group efficiencies obtained in this study
for piles with 3d spacing (ranging from 0.79 to 0.89 on average) and
0 group efficiencies for pile groups in clay with 2d to 4d spacing reported
0 3 6 9 12 15 by Zhang et. al (2001) ranging from 0.83 to 0.88 based on a compiled
Pile displacement (mm) database of pile group load tests.
Fig. 4. Load-displacement curves for single pile
The average values of group efficiency , from Table 3, are plotted
versus number of piles in a group in Fig. 6. This figure shows that, for
the same center-to-center spacing between piles in a group, the
efficiency decreases with an increase in the number of piles in a
GROUP EFFICIENCY group. This is in agreement of results of O'Neill (1983) for piles tested
under axial loads, Gandhi and Selvam (1997) and Patra and Pise (2001)
The overall behavior of a pile group is given by the efficiency of the for piles tested under lateral loads. This can be attributed to the
group, and it is estimated using the formula: increased area of overlapping zones between piles. The average values
of group efficiency are also plotted versus spacing/diameter (s/d)
ratio in Fig. 7 to show the effect of spacing on group efficiency. As seen
in Fig. 7, the efficiency increases with increase in spacing between piles
in a group. A possible explanation of this behavior is that as the spacing
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between piles in a group is increased, the overlapping area is reduced, Fig. 6. Group efficiency versus number of piles in a group
and hence the efficiency increases.
3X1
Pile group Loading rate Spacing between piles
0.9
2X2
configuration (mm/min) 3d 9d
G roup efficiency
2X3
1 0.91 0.97
0.1 0.87 0.93
2x1 0.8
0.05 0.90 0.94
0.01 0.89 0.96
Average 0.89 0.95
1 0.88 0.94
0.1 0.85 0.90 0.7
3x1
0.05 0.87 0.92
0.01 0.86 0.92
Average 0.86 0.92
1 0.87 0.91
0.6
0.1 0.81 0.88
2x2 0 3 6 9 12
0.05 0.83 0.87
Spacing / diameter (s/d)
0.01 0.84 0.86
Average 0.84 0.88 Fig. 7. Group efficiency versus (spacing/diameter) ratio
1 0.83 0.87
0.1 0.80 0.82
2x3
0.05 0.82 0.83
0.01 0.80 0.82 The average values of group efficiency are compared with those
Average 0.81 0.84 calculated from Convese-Labarre equation (Bolin 1941) and listed in
1 0.80 Table 4. According to Convese-Labarre equation, which is considered
0.1 0.79 as one of the most acceptable equations for calculating group efficiency
3x3
0.05 0.80 - in clay, the efficiency of group piles is expressed as:
0.01 0.78
Average 0.79 (n1 1)n 2 + (n 2 1)n1
=1 (2)
90 n1 n 2
0.6
2x1 0.89 0.90 0.95 0.96
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 3x1 0.86 0.86 0.92 0.95
No. of piles in a group 2x2 0.84 0.80 0.88 0.93
2x3 0.81 0.76 0.84 0.92
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3x3 0.79 0.73 - - Gandhi, S. R. and Selvam, S., 1997. Group Effect on Driven Piles
Under Lateral Load. Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenviromental
Engineering, ASCE, Vol.123, No. 8, pp.702-709.
SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS Horvath, R. G. , 1995. Influence of loading rate on the capacity of a
model pile in clay. Canadian Geotechnical Journal, Vol. 32, pp.
In this paper, the behavior of pile groups under different loading rates 364-368.
was studied by conducting tests on model pile groups. The tests were Kimura, T. and Saitoh, K. , 1983. The Influence of Strain Rate on Pore
conducted in a clayey soil bed prepared in a test tank. The model pile Pressures in Consolidated Undrained Triaxial Tests on Cohesive
groups were subjected to axial compressive loads at four loading rates of Soils. Soils and Foundations, Vol. 23, No. 1, pp. 80-90.
0.01 mm/min, 0.05 mm/min, 0.1 mm/min and 1 mm/min. At each Kraft, L.M., Cox, W. R., and Verner, E. A. , 1981. Pile Load Tests:
loading rate, five different pile group configurations (from line pile Cyclic Loads and Varying Load Rates. Journal of Geotechnical
groups to square and rectangular pile groups) were tested. The center-to- Engineering, ASCE, Vol.107, pp.1-19.
center spacing of piles in a group was three or nine times the pile Kulhawy, F.H., and Mayne, P. W. , 1990. Manual of estimating soil
diameter. Along with the pile groups, a single pile was also tested. The properties for foundation design. Geotechnical Engineering Group,
efficiency of pile group was determined from the model tests and Cornell University, Ithaca.
compared to those reported in the literature. Lacasse, S. , 1995. Stress-Strain Behaviour: Importance of Mode and
Rate of Load Application for Engineering Problems, In Proceedings
Based on the results of present experimental investigation, the following of the 1st International Conference on Pre-failure Deformation
conclusions are drawn with respect to the group efficiency: Characteristics of Geomaterials, Edited by Shibuya, S., Matachi, T.,
and Miura, S., Vol. 2, Sapporo, Japan, pp. 887-907.
The effect of loading rate on the efficiency of pile group, Matesic, L. and Vucetic, M. , 2003. Strain-Rate Effect on Secant Shear
within a group configuration, for the different pile group Modulus at Small Cyclic Strains. Journal of Geotechnical and
configurations is insignificant. Geoenviromental Engineering, ASCE, Vol.129, No.6, pp. 536-549.
Nakase, A. and Kamei, T. , 1986. Influence of Strain Rate on
For the same center-to-center spacing between piles in a Undrained Shear Characteristics of k -Consolidated Cohesive Soils.
o
group, the group efficiency decreases with an increase in the Soils and Foundations, Vol. 26, No.1, pp. 85-95.
number of piles in a group. The efficiency increases with O'Neill, M. W. , 1983. Group Action in Offshore Piles, In Proceedings
increase in spacing between piles in a group. of the Conference on Geotechnical Practice in Offshore Engineering,
pp.25-64.
The values of group obtained in this study are in good Patra, N. R. and Pise, P. J. , 2001. Ultimate Lateral Resistance of Pile
agreement with those reported in the literature and with those Groups in Sand. Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenviromental
calculated from Convese-Labarre equation. Engineering, ASCE, Vol.127, No. 6, pp. 481-487.
Richardson, A. M. and Whitman, R.V. , 1963. Effect of Strain Rate
Further experimental work that covers wide variations in Upon Undrained Shear Resistance of a Saturated Remolded Fat
loading rate, pile characteristics, and soil properties is needed to Clay. Geotechnique, Vol.13, No.3, pp. 310-324.
get conclusive conclusions about the effects of loading rate on Sheahan, T. C., Ladd, C. C., and Germaine, J. T. , 1996. Rate
the efficiency of pile groups. The results of this study is hoped Dependent Undrained Shear Behavior of Saturated Clay. Journal of
to simulate further research in this direction. Geotechnical Engineering, ASCE, Vol. 122, No. 2, pp. 99-108.
Vaid, Y.P., Robertson, P.K., and Campanella, R. G. , 1979. Strain Rate
Behaviour of Saint-Jean-Vianney Clay. Canadian Geotechnical
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT Journal, Vol.16, No.1, pp.34-42.
Vesic, A.S., 1977. Design of Pile Foundation. National Cooperative
The author would like to acknowledge the funding provided by the Highway Research Program. Synthesis of Highway Practice No. 42,
Deanship of Scientific Research at King Saud University, through Transportation Research Board, Washington, D.C.
Research Center at College of Engineering, Research No. 6/425, Zhang, L., Tang, W. H. and Ng, C.W.W. , 2001. Reliability of Axially
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Loaded Driven Pile Groups. Journal of Geotechnical and
Geoenviromental Engineering, ASCE, Vol. 127, No.12, pp. 1051-
1060.
REFERENCES
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