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Development of Prebored Screw Pile Method and Evaluation of Its Bearing

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DOI: 10.1080/1064119X.2014.954682

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 Marine Georesources & Geotechnology

ISSN: 1064-119X (Print) 1521-0618 (Online) Journal homepage: http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/umgt20

Development of Prebored Screw Pile Method and

Evaluation of Its Bearing Characteristics

Chung-Won Lee, Yong-Seong Kim & Sung-Yong Park

To cite this article: Chung-Won Lee, Yong-Seong Kim & Sung-Yong Park (2016) Development
of Prebored Screw Pile Method and Evaluation of Its Bearing Characteristics, Marine
Georesources & Geotechnology, 34:1, 42-56, DOI: 10.1080/1064119X.2014.954682

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 Marine Georesources & Geotechnology, 34: 42–56
Copyright # 2016 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC
ISSN: 1064-119X print/1521-0618 online
DOI: 10.1080/1064119X.2014.954682

Development of Prebored Screw Pile Method and Evaluation

of Its Bearing Characteristics
CHUNG-WON LEE1, YONG-SEONG KIM2, and SUNG-YONG PARK3
1
Professor, National Civil Defense and Disaster Management Training Institute, Ministry of Public Safety and Security,
Cheonan, Chungcheongnam-do, Korea
2
Associate Professor, Department of Regional Infrastructure Engineering, Kangwon National University, Chuncheon,
Downloaded by [Kangwon National University], [Yongseong KIM] at 22:48 18 January 2016

Gangwon-do, Korea
3
Researcher, Institute for Advanced Construction Materials, Kangwon National University, Chuncheon, Gangwon-do, Korea

Received 12 March 2014, Accepted 5 June 2014

The pile-driving method produces considerable noise and vibrations. Hence, an auger-drilled pile method was developed as a
low-noise and -vibration substitute. However, this method does not guarantee the bearing capacity of the pile unless some amount
of pile-driving is performed. Therefore, the noise and vibration problems cannot be completely solved. In this study, a prebored
screw pile method is proposed to solve these problems. In this method, piles are constructed by the rotary penetration of a screw
pile into a prebored hole filled with some cement milk and whose diameter is smaller than that of the screw pile. To determine the
shape of the screw pile, laboratory tests with model screw piles were conducted. Also, field load tests were conducted on an actual
screw pile fabricated based on the laboratory test result and on a smooth-surfaced pile. In addition, the behavior of the screw pile
was estimated by using three-dimensional finite element analysis. The results of the field load test and the numerical simulation
showed that the ultimate bearing capacity and the unit skin friction of the screw pile are very superior to those of the
smooth-surfaced pile and the cement milk is an important factor in the prebored screw pile method.
Keywords: Discontinuous screws, laboratory and field tests, low noise and vibration, numerical analysis, prebored screw pile
method, rotary penetration

Introduction been developed in Japan (Hashimoto et al. 1994; Okamoto

A pile is the most widely used type of foundation in soft
ground (Poulos and Davis 1980; Park et al. 2008) and, there-
fore, pile-driving has emerged as the predominant method for
construction (Bowles 1988). This method involves managing
the energy of the hammer blow and set value (Ha et al.
2003), and it affords very easy construction management
and superior economic efficiency. However, pile-driving pro-
duces considerable noise and vibrations, making its use
increasingly difficult owing to civil appeals against it in many
cities. To solve this problem, the auger-drilled pile method was
developed as a low-noise and -vibration substitute. However,
this method cannot guarantee the bearing capacity of the pile
without some amount of pile-driving. Therefore, the noise and
vibration problems cannot be completely solved (Lee 2000).
To solve the above-mentioned problems, the rotary pen-
etration pile method could be used. This method has mainly
Address correspondence to Yong-Seong Kim Associate Pro-
fessor, Dept. of Regional Infrastructure Engineering, Kangwon
National University, Chuncheon-si, Gangwon-do, Korea 200
701. E-mail: yskim2@kangwon.ac.kr
Color versions of one or more of the figures in the article
can be found online at www.tandfonline.com/umgt.
et al. 2000; Hisatoshi et al. 2002; Mori 2003; Komatsu 2007;
Maejima and Futaki 2008), and requires equipment with a
very high rotatory force and press-in force. However, such
equipment is rarely available in Korea, and this has necessi-
tated the development of a new rotary penetration pile method
that can be used with conventional equipment. Toward this
end, the prebored screw pile method was proposed.
The screw pile used in this method is constructed by rotary
penetration into a prebored hole filled with some cement
milk, whose diameter is smaller than that of the screw pile.
This method involves the following processes (see Figure 1):
(1) prebore a hole that has a smaller diameter than that of
the pile with the auger screw; (2) pull out the auger screw with
insertion of some cement milk; (3) start the rotary penetration
of the screw pile; in this process, the wall of the hole is pushed
toward the radial direction and the ground around the pile
skin is compacted, which enhances skin friction; (4) continue
the construction; in this process, cement milk is infiltrated
into the ground owing to pushing by the screw pile; this
enhances the end-bearing capacity through a soil-improving
effect; (5) complete the construction.
Because this method places a pile by rotary penetration,
it produces low noise and vibrations. In addition, it affords
improved construction efficiency because the ground
 Prebored Screw Pile Method 43
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Fig. 1. Placing process of prebored screw pile method.

resistance is reduced by preboring. Furthermore, high skin this pile is 12 mm. This design should afford improved con-
friction is achieved owing to the reduction in stress relief with struction efficiency and satisfactory bearing capacity with
penetration as the wall of the hole is pushed toward the radial the compaction of displaced soil when penetration of one
direction, and an end-bearing effect occurs at screws. Finally, pitch per revolution is not achieved when placing the pile.
the end-bearing capacity is enhanced through the soil- 4. A pile, with two screws removed after one pitch, was
improving effect due to cement milk infiltrating into the fabricated in the same manner as that mentioned in (3).
ground with the rotary penetration of the screw pile. As a 5. Two piles with a pitch of 12 mm and pile diameters of 30
result, a pile constructed by this method shows very high and 24 mm are fabricated together.
ultimate-bearing capacity. The reduced penetration depth Table 1 and Figure 2 show the specifications of the model
and number of piles are expected to lead to a decrease in screw piles, and Figure 3 shows the real shape of model
the cost and time required for pile construction. screw piles. In addition, to investigate the variation of
In this study, to determine the shape of the screw pile, bearing capacity with different prebored diameters, drill rods
laboratory tests were conducted using model screw piles with having diameters of 32, 21.5, and 16.5 mm were used.
different pile diameters, prebored diameters, and screw
conditions. Then, field load tests on an actual screw pile
fabricated based on laboratory test results and a smooth- Calibration Chamber
surfaced pile were conducted, and the bearing characteristics To construct the model screw piles, a calibration chamber
of these piles were examined. Finally, the behavior of the that simulates the stress conditions of the model ground is
screw pile was estimated by using three-dimensional finite used. Figures 4 and 5 show a schematic diagram and the
element analysis simulating an in-situ pile load test. actual shape of this equipment, respectively. In this study,
a stress-controlled boundary condition in the calibration
Laboratory Test
Table 1. Specification of model screw piles
Model Screw Piles
A pull-out test is performed in the laboratory on model No. of Screw Pile
screw piles to determine the optimized specification of an model diameter, diameter, Pitch,
actual screw pile in consideration of the construction screw D D0 H
efficiency and bearing capacity. Seven model screw piles with pile (mm) (mm) (mm) Remark
the following specifications are fabricated:
1 52 40 0.3D0 (¼12) –
1. The screw diameter (D) is fixed at 52 mm, which is 1.3 2 One screw removed
times the pile diameter (D0) of 40 mm. after one pitch
2. Three piles with a pitch (distance from one screw to the 3 Two screws removed
next) of 0.3D0, 0.6D0, and 0.9D0 were fabricated. In other after one pitch
words, the pitches of the piles were 12, 24, and 36 mm. 4 0.6D0 (¼24) –
3. A pile, with one screw removed after one pitch, was fabri- 5 0.9D0 (¼36) –
cated together. The specification of this pile is based on a pile 6 30 0.4D0 (¼12) –
of 0.3D0 (D0 ¼ 40 mm) pitch; in other words, the pitch of 7 24 0.5D0 (¼12) –
 44
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Fig. 2. Schematic diagram of model screw piles (see Table 1).
chamber was used (Baldi et al. 1981; Holden 1971). This
stress condition was applied considering that it would hardly
affect the determination of optimized specification for
an actual screw pile. For the laboratory test, stress of
100 kPa corresponding to the vertical stress at around 5 m
depth without groundwater was applied in the vertical
direction.
Characteristics of Sample Soil
A weathered granite soil sample from Anam-dong, Seoul, is
used as the model ground. This soil sample is classified as
SP in a unified soil classification system, and its specific
gravity is 2.62. Figure 6 shows its particle size distribution
curve. For simplicity, ‘‘unified soil classification system’’ is
abbreviated as ‘‘USCS’’ hereinafter.
To determine the quantity of water to be poured into the
soil sample, the standard compaction test specified in ASTM
D698-91 was conducted. As a result, the maximum dry
density (qdmax) was found to be 2.02 g=cm3, and the optimal
water content (wopt) was 10.4%. Figure 7 shows the result of
the compaction test.
C.-W. Lee et al.
Test Procedure
Model Ground Formation
The procedure of model ground formation is as follows:
1. Dry soil sample in an oven at 105 C for 24 h;
2. After drying, sieve the soil sample using a No. 4 sieve;
3. Mix soil sample with water to optimal water content;
4. Put water-mixed sample into plastic container;
5. Compact soil sample;
6. After compaction, set the plastic container into a
calibration chamber and fill it with standard sand using
the air pluviation method;
7. Close a cap (upper plate) of the chamber and bolt it.
Apply pressure to the membrane for 24 h using a
compressor.
Placing and Performing Pull-Out Test on Model Screw Piles
The procedure of this test is as follows:
1. After 24 h, install a rotary penetrating machine with 2HP
motor (Figure 8) on the cap (upper plate) of the chamber;
2. Attach a drill rod to this equipment and prebore a hole in
the model ground;
 Prebored Screw Pile Method
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Fig. 3. Photograph of model screw piles (see Table 1).
3. After preboring, remove this rod and attach a model
screw pile to this equipment, then penetrate it via rotation
into the prebored hole (see Figure 9);
Fig. 4. Schematic diagram of calibration chamber.
45
Fig. 5. Actual shape of calibration chamber.
4. After completion of construction, remove this equipment
from the chamber;
5. Apply pressure to the membrane for 24 h;
6. After 24 h, perform a pull-out test using the test instrument
shown in Figure 10.
This test is performed based on a quick maintained load
test in which loading is increased in intervals of 200 N and
unloading is one-third of the given load when the ultimate
loading state is reached (for 5 min in each loading step).
Fig. 6. Particle size distribution curve on soil sample.
 46 C.-W. Lee et al.
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Fig. 7. Compaction curve of soil sample.

Test Results
Pull-Out Load-Displacement Curves and Unit Skin Friction of
Model Screw Piles
Figure 11 shows the pull-out load-displacement curves for
each model screw pile. In this test, because of the difference
in the penetration diameter of the model screw piles, the unit
skin friction has to be calculated for a comparison of the
bearing capacity. Table 3 expresses the unit skin friction
for each model screw pile. The skin area of the pile was
calculated for a screw diameter of D ¼ 52 mm. A failure
surface is considered to occur along the edge of the screws
attached on the model pile. Furthermore, a model pile
that faces difficulties in rotary penetration, as listed in
Table 3, is specified as penetration impossible (PI). In this
test, the prebored hole made in the model ground did not
collapse.
Fig. 9. Rotary penetration of model screw pile.
Variation of Unit Skin Friction According to Each Condition
To analyze the laboratory test results, the variation of the
unit skin friction was plotted according to the pitch, screw
diameter ratio (D=D0, D: screw diameter; D0: pile diameter),
prebored diameter (Dpreb), and number of removed screws in
Figures 12–15, respectively.
The unit skin friction decreases when the pitch of the
model screw pile increases (see Figure 12). Conceptually, a
screw pile is flawlessly constructed when it penetrates one
pitch per revolution. However, it is difficult to satisfy this
condition using a screw pile with a very large pitch because

Fig. 8. Rotary penetrating machine used in laboratory test. Fig. 10. Pull-out test instrument.
 Prebored Screw Pile Method 47

estimated pull-out resistance for a prebored diameter of

16.5 mm is also plotted by extrapolation. However, more
powerful equipment is required for successful construction
of the same at this time. Because Dpreb=D0 was calculated
as 54% when the penetration succeeded (Dpreb ¼ 21.5 mm;
D0 ¼ 40 mm), in this study, the lower bound of the prebored
diameter is proposed as 60% of pile diameter.
Figure 15 shows that the piles with one and two screws
removed after one pitch express higher bearing capacity than
the pile with continuous screw. Construction of the continu-
ous-spiral screw pile is realized when the penetration of one
pitch per revolution is possible. However, a discontinuous-
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spiral screw pile provides good bearing capacity, although

the above-mentioned condition is not satisfied. This is poss-
ibly because of the increase in skin friction with the compac-
tion of discharged soil at the screw-removed parts.

Laboratory Test Results

Fig. 11. Pull-out load-displacement curve for each model screw
pile.
of the ground resistance and reduced construction efficiency
and bearing capacity.
The unit skin friction varies only slightly with a screw diam-
eter ratio of 130% (D0 ¼ 40 mm) and 173% (D0 ¼ 30 mm), but
it decreases rapidly with a ratio of 217% (D0 ¼ 24 mm) (see
Figure 13). This is possibly because of the decrease of confin-
ing effect due to the smaller pile diameter. Namely, it is
difficult to obtain sufficient friction at the pile skin except
for the resistance at the screws attached on the model pile
when the pile diameter is not sufficiently larger than the
prebored diameter.
The pull-out resistance increases when the prebored diam-
eter decreases (see Figure 14). Therefore, a higher confining
effect is possibly obtained when the prebored diameter is
small. However, in this test, rotary penetration failed when
the prebored diameter was 16.5 mm due to the penetration
resistance of ground. Therefore, the determination of the
optimal prebored diameter ensuring high skin friction and
good construction efficiency is significantly important. The
Table 2. Cases of laboratory test
A pull-out test of the model screw piles showed that a
pile with 40 mm diameter (D0) and 0.3D0 (12 mm) pitch in
which two screws were removed after one pitch had the
largest bearing capacity. Figure 16 shows the shape of the
actual discontinuous-spiral screw pile recommended based
on the laboratory test results. However, in order to determine
the attached length and screw spacing along the overall pile
length, the ground condition and economical aspects for
fabricating the pile should be considered.
Field Test
The laboratory test results showed that, for achieving satis-
factory construction efficiency and high bearing capacity,
the attached screws should be discontinuous, and that it is
crucial to determine a suitable prebored diameter and pitch.
This section discusses pile load field tests conducted using the
screw pile fabricated based on the laboratory test results and
the smooth-surfaced pile after the construction of each pile
for comparing the ultimate bearing capacity and investigat-
ing the characteristics of the bearing capacity of the screw
pile. The field test was performed at the ‘‘P’’ apartment site
in Yong-in, Gyeonggi Province. Figure 17 shows the ground
condition of this field.

Pile Prebored Actual Screw Pile

diameter, Pitch diameter, Number of The actual screw pile used in the field test was fabricated
Case D0 (mm) (mm) Dpreb (mm) removed screws
based on the laboratory test results, ground condition, and
1 40 12 32 – economical aspects for pile fabrication. The screw pile was
2 40 24 32 – made of a steel pipe with 406 mm diameter, 12 m length,
3 40 36 32 – and 9 mm thickness. From the laboratory test results, the
4 40 12 21.5 – screw pile pitch is set as 125 mm, and this is used as the
5 30 12 21.5 – divisor for screw spacing. To achieve higher driving force,
6 24 12 21.5 – the screw height is increased to 80 mm. Therefore, the screw
7 40 12 16.5 – diameter becomes 566 mm. The screw spacing is 500 mm and
8 40 24 21.5 – 1.5 m from the pile tip to 2 m and from 2 m to 5 m, respect-
9 40 12 32 1 ively, and it serves to prevent a decrease in skin friction with
10 40 12 32 2 ground disturbances. Here, the spacing is a multiple of the
11 40 12 21.5 1 pitch, and therefore the continuity of the screws is main-
12 40 12 21.5 2 tained. Screws were attached only up to the middle of the
 48 C.-W. Lee et al.

Table 3. Unit skin friction for each model screw pile with different conditions

Pull-out Embedded Unit skin

D0 Pitch Dpreb resistance depth friction fs
Fixed condition Case (mm) (mm) (mm) Fs (N) (mm) (kPa) Variable

D0 ¼ 40mm 1 40 12 32 1,100 245 27.5 Pitch

Dpreb ¼ 32 mm 2 40 24 32 910 250 22.3
3 40 36 32 760 240 19.4
Pitch ¼ 12mm 4 40 12 21.5 1,200 245 30.0 D0
Dpreb ¼ 21.5 mm 5 30 12 21.5 1,320 270 29.9
6 24 12 21.5 710 240 18.1
D0 ¼ 40mm 1 40 12 32 1,100 245 27.5 Dpreb
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Pitch ¼ 12 mm 4 40 12 21.5 1,200 245 30.0

7 40 12 16.5 – PI –
D0 ¼ 40mm 2 40 24 32 910 250 22.3 Dpreb
Pitch ¼ 24 mm 8 40 24 21.5 1,000 235 26.0
7 40 24 16.5 – PI –
D0 ¼ 40mm 1 40 12 32 1,100 245 27.5 Number of removed screws
Dpreb ¼ 32mm 9 40 12 32 1,560 327 29.2
Pitch ¼ 12 mm (one screw removed
after one pitch)
10 40 12 32 1,890 315 36.7
(two screws removed
after one pitch)
D0 ¼ 40mm 4 40 12 21.5 1,200 245 30.0 Number of removed screws
Dpreb ¼ 21.5mm 11 40 12 21.5 1,590 290 33.6
Pitch ¼ 12 mm (one screw removed
after one pitch)
12 40 12 21.5 2,000 305 40.1
(two screws removed
after one pitch)

PI: penetration impossible.

pile, assuming that most skin friction would occur below this
point; this decision leads to a reduction in the production cost
of the screw pile. In addition, a conical shoe and excavating
blade were welded to the screw pile tip and screws were
attached there; this served to improve the penetration
efficiency of the screw pile. The smooth-surfaced pile was also
made using the same steel pipe, and a circular plate of the
same diameter and thickness as the pile was welded to the pile
tip. This circular plate had a 10-cm-diameter hole to prevent
the flotation of the pile by groundwater. Furthermore, to
analyze the load transfer characteristics of the piles, strain
gauges were installed symmetrically with a protective steel
plate on the internal face of the pile at 0.3, 1.0, 2.0, 3.5, 5.0,
7.0, and 9.0 m from the pile tip. Figure 18 shows a schematic
diagram of these piles.

Fig. 13. Variation of unit skin friction with screw diameter ratio
Fig. 12. Variation of unit skin friction with pitch. (D=D0) (pitch ¼ 12 mm).
 Prebored Screw Pile Method
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Fig. 14. Variation of unit skin friction with prebored diameter
(Dpreb).
Construction Procedure
The prebored screw pile is constructed as follows:
1. Fabricate a screw pile by using a steel pipe with 12 m
length and 406 mm diameter;
2. Install the motor (5 ton, 120 HP) in the auger equipment;
3. Install the connector for connecting both the auger and
the screw pile, which is specially fabricated for the motor;
4. Connect the auger to the motor using the connector;
prebore a hole of 390-mm-diameter (Dpreb=D0 ¼ 96%);
5. Insert cement milk by pulling out the auger from the
bored hole;
6. Place and connect the screw pile to the motor using the
connector (Figure 19(a));
7. Check the verticality of the auger equipment;
8. Construct the screw pile by rotary penetration into the
bored hole (Figure 19(b)).
Meanwhile, the smooth-surfaced pile is constructed as
follows:
1. Prepare a steel pipe with 12 m length and 406 mm
diameter;
Fig. 15. Variation of unit skin friction with number of removed
screws.
49
Fig. 16. Specification of actual screw pile recommended based
on the result of laboratory test.
2. Connect the auger to the motor using the connector;
prebore a hole of 450 mm diameter;
3. Insert cement milk by pulling out the auger from the
bored hole;
4. Place and install the steel pipe into the bored hole in
which cement milk was inserted; perform the necessary
final pile-driving.
In this test, ordinary Portland cement (OPC) was used,
and the water-cement ratio of the cement milk for construc-
tion of each pile was determined to be 0.6.
Test Results
The standard penetration test (SPT) at this site had an
N-value of 8 to 15 (see Figure 17). The wall of the prebored
hole did not collapse and the screw pile was well-constructed
by rotary penetration. In this study, the pile load test speci-
fied in ASTM D1143-81 was conducted at one week after the
pile construction. For the pile load test, eight reaction
anchors were installed near the constructed piles at intervals
of 2.5 m.
Ultimate Bearing Capacity of Each Pile
Fellenius (1980) proposed the use of several methods for
determining the ultimate bearing capacity of the pile. In this
study, Chin’s analytical method (1970) and Davisson’s
method (1972) were used for determining the ultimate load
and yielding load, respectively. According to the Design Cri-
teria for Structure Foundation (Korean Geotechnical Society
 50
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Fig. 17. Ground condition of field.
2009), the ultimate load, unless evaluated, can be considered
as 1.5 times the yielding load. Hence, the average ultimate
load was calculated from the value obtained by Chin’s method
and 1.5 times the value obtained by Davisson’s method.
Table 4 shows a comparison between the ultimate bearing
capacity of the screw pile and the smooth-surfaced pile.
To examine the superiority of a screw pile based on the
above-mentioned results, the ultimate bearing capacity ratio
of the screw pile to the smooth-surfaced pile is calculated, as
shown in Table 4. This ratio confirms that the screw pile has
1.85 times the bearing capacity of the smooth-surfaced pile.
Hence, if the screw pile is applied as a structural foundation,
economical construction could be achieved by using a
reduced number of piles with high bearing capacity.
Bearing Characteristics of Each Pile
Figure 20 shows the load transfer distributions obtained
from the pile load test for each pile. These distributions reveal
the differences between the load transfer characteristics of the
screw pile and the smooth-surfaced pile. The screw pile sup-
ports the majority of the load by skin friction until 900 kN,
C.-W. Lee et al.
Fig. 18. Detail of piles.
and the resistances of the pile tip and skin continuously
increase under the condition that more than 50% of the total
load is assigned to the pile skin after this. On the other hand,
the smooth-surfaced pile supports the majority of the load by
skin friction until 600 kN, but the resistance of the skin then
generally remains constant under the condition that more
than 50% of the total load is assigned to the pile tip after this.
Generally, the skin friction of the pile reaches the ultimate
state more quickly than does the end-bearing capacity, and
this occurs when the settlement becomes 1% of the pile diam-
eter. In this test, the skin friction of the smooth-surfaced
pile reaches the ultimate state when the settlement becomes
0.64% of the pile diameter. However, contrary to the results
for a general pile or the smooth-surfaced pile constructed
in this test, the skin friction of the screw pile reaches the
ultimate state when the settlement becomes 5.91% of the pile
diameter. This is possibly because its resistance is similar to
that of the pile tip at each screw and it increases, as does the
end-bearing capacity with the settlement of the pile.
Figure 21 shows load-displacement curves for the
end-bearing capacity and skin friction obtained from the
load transfer distribution for each pile. These results confirm
that the screw pile supports the majority of the load at the
pile skin, whereas the smooth-surfaced pile does the same
at the pile tip. This means that the screw pile has high skin
friction owing to the attached screws.
To compare the unit skin friction of a screw pile, the
majority of its total load is assigned to the pile skin, and the
average unit skin friction for each pile is calculated, the results
of which are shown in Table 5. To calculate the pile skin area,
the diameter of the pile itself is used for the smooth-surfaced
pile, but that of the screw is used for the screw pile because it
 Prebored Screw Pile Method 51
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Fig. 20. Load transfer distribution for each pile.

Fig. 19. Construction of screw pile.

is estimated that the failure surface of the screw pile is along
the edge of screws. Table 5 shows that the unit skin friction
of the screw pile is around 2.25 times that of the smooth-
surfaced pile in this test. Park et al. (2003) analyzed the results
of pile load tests on 103 smooth-surfaced piles and calculated
the average unit skin friction to be 70.2 kPa. When this value
is compared with that of the screw pile constructed in this test,
it is considered that the unit skin friction of the screw pile is
very superior to that of the smooth-surfaced pile. Because
of this characteristic of the screw pile, it is possible to use it
as a friction pile when the bearing layer is deep.

Table 4. Comparison of ultimate bearing capacity between screw pile and smooth-surfaced pile

Dimensions of pile Ultimate bearing capacity

Diameter Diameter of Chin’s Davisson’s Average

Length Prebored method method value Ratio
Pile type (m) Pile (mm) Screw (mm) hole (mm) (kN) (kN) (kN) (¼ QScr=QSSP)

Screw pile 12.0 406 566 390 3,704 3,615 3,660 1.85
Smooth-surfaced pile 12.0 406 – 450 1,847 2,109 1,978

QScr and QSSP mean the ultimate bearing capacities of screw pile and smooth-surfaced pile, respectively.
 52 C.-W. Lee et al.

Analytical Range and Boundary Condition

For considering asymmetricity of the screw pile, three-
dimensional numerical simulation based on the field load
test was conducted. In this study, Pentagon-3D is used as
the analytical tool (Emerald Soft Consulting Co. Ltd.
1998). Pentagon-3D is a finite element (FE) analysis pro-
gram for solving three-dimensional continuum problems
such as tunnels, earth-retaining structures, structural mech-
anics, and seepage flow. Figure 22 shows the numerical
analysis model and boundary condition. Generally, the pile
reaching the ultimate state affects the range of 2D0 to 4D0
from the center of the pile on the ground, where D0 is the
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diameter of the pile itself. In this analysis, to consider the

above-mentioned influential area and the boundary effect,
the analytical range is considered as 10D from the center
of the screw pile, where D is the screw diameter. All bound-
aries are supported by a roller to simulate the infinite
expanse of the ground. Figure 23 shows the shape of the
modeled screw pile.

Soil Model and Material Properties Used

In this analysis, the modeled ground comprises four layers
(see Figure 22). As shown in Figure 17, because the weath-
ered soil layer between the deposited layer and the weathered
rock in the field ground was very thin, in consideration of the
N-value of SPT, it was included in the deposited layer. In this
study, the filled layer (SM in USCS) and deposited layer (SP
in USCS) were considered Duncan-Chang materials, whereas
weathered rock, soft rock, and cement milk were considered
Mohr-Coulomb materials. Equations (3) to (5) give the
constitutive equations of the Duncan-Chang model. The
screw pile is considered a linear elastic material. The material
properties of cement milk are considered to be the same as
those of weathered rock, and its strength is reduced from that
Fig. 21. Comparison of load-displacement curves of end-bearing of concrete for a conservative analysis. Each material para-
capacity and skin friction for each pile. meter used in this analysis is determined based on the results
of the triaxial test (Seo et al. 2009), general soil test on sam-
Numerical Analysis ples from the field, and Duncan’s research on the relationship
between soil description, including particle size distribution,
This section describes the numerical analysis of the screw and material properties (Duncan 1980) (see Table 6).
pile used in the field test, which was conducted by the finite    n
element method (FEM). This analysis aims to predict the Rf ð1  sin /Þðr1  r3 Þ 2 r3
Et ¼ 1  K  Pa ð3Þ
load-displacement behavior of the screw pile and to propose 2c cos / þ 2r3 sin / Pa
the infiltration area of cement milk that is inserted into the
2c cos / þ 2r3 sin /
prebored hole for future numerical analysis. ðr1  r3 Þf ¼ ð4Þ
1  sin /
 m
r3
B ¼ Kb ð5Þ
Table 5. Comparison of average unit skin friction between screw Pa
pile and smooth-surfaced pile
where Et is the tangent modulus; B, the bulk modulus; c,
Embedded Average unit the cohesion; /, the friction angle; Rf, the failure ratio; and
depth skin Ratio Pa, the atmospheric pressure. K, n, Kb, and m are moduli
Pile type (m) friction (kPa) (¼ fScr=fSSP) determined by a triaxial test.

Screw pile 7.7 147.3 2.25

Modeling Technique
Smooth-surfaced pile 8.1 65.5

fScr and fSSP mean the average unit skin frictions of screw pile and smooth- The load-displacement behaviors of prebored screw piles
surfaced pile, respectively. with three different infiltration radii (0.6D0, 1.0D0, and
 Prebored Screw Pile Method
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Fig. 22. Numerical analysis model and boundary condition.
1.5D0 from the center of the pile; where D0 is the diameter of
the pile itself) and two heights (full and half length of the
attached screws around the pile tip) of cement milk were
examined numerically. Because the diameters of the prebored
hole and screw pile are 390 and 406 mm, respectively, when
the screw pile is constructed by rotary penetration, radial
displacement of 16 mm toward the ground occurs in the wall
of the prebored hole. The modeling technique is as follows
(see Figure 24):
Model #1 (Submodel)
1. Initialize ground;
2. Form prebored hole and reset the displacement;
3. Determine the stress required for radial displacement of
16 mm to occur along the geological strata.
53
Fig. 23. Shape of modeled screw pile.
Model #2 (Main Model)
1. Initialize ground;
2. Excavate soil element where screw pile would be
constructed, then construct the screw pile;
3. Simulate infiltration of cement milk by changing
material;
4. Apply the stress determined in model #1 to the screw
pile;
5. Simulate the pile load test based on the field condition.
In model #2, calculation of unequivalent stress is performed
in a lump before simulating pile load test. Through this
technique, changes in model ground during the screw-pile
construction can be considered.
Results of Numerical Analysis
Figure 25 shows the results of the numerical analysis. When
the infiltration height is the full length of the attached screws
around the pile tip, the displacement is slightly smaller than
that for the half length, but the difference is negligible. This
is possibly because the screw pile tip is located near the
weathered rock layer, and the screw pile becomes connected
with the rock layer via the infiltrated cement milk. However,
under different ground conditions, the infiltration height is
 54 C.-W. Lee et al.

Table 6. Material properties used in numerical analysis (Seo et al. 2009; Duncan 1980)

(a) Duncan-Chang materials

Material USCS c (kN=m3) c(kPa) u (deg) K n Kb m Rf

Filled layer SM 19.0 0 36 800 0.20 600 0 0.67
Deposited layer SP 20.0 0 37 1,400 0.74 1,080 0.15 0.90

(b) Mohr-Coulomb materials

Material c (kN=m3) C (kPa) u (deg) E (kPa) n

Weathered rock 22.0 30 38 2.0  105 0.35
Soft rock 25.0 60 40 4.0  105 0.35
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Cement milk 22.0 30 38 2.0  105 0.35

(c) Linear elastic material

Material c (kN=m3) E (kPa) n

Screw pile 78.5 2.0  108 0.35

recommended as the half length of the attached screws

around the pile tip for a conservative design. Furthermore,
for an infiltration radius of 1.0D0, the load-displacement
curve shows very good agreement with that of the pile load
field test. Therefore, it is considered that the screw pile
behavior can be estimated by numerical analysis, and the
infiltration radius of cement milk is recommended as 1.0D0
from the center of the pile. However, this infiltration area
was proposed only based on numerical simulation, and
verifications through more field tests are required.
In addition, when cement milk is not considered, the pile
displacement is much larger than when cement milk is
considered. In this analysis, at the final step of the pile load
test (2,850 kN), the pile displacements in the cases with and

Fig. 24. Modeling technique on prebored screw pile method. Fig. 25. Load-displacement curve for each condition.
 Prebored Screw Pile Method 55
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Fig. 26. Vertical displacement distribution around screw pile tip (infiltration radius and height: 1.0D0, half-length of screws around
pile tip).

Fig. 27. Plane figure of vertical displacement distribution (infiltration radius and height: 1.0D0, half-length of screws around pile
tip).

without cement milk were 25.5 and 105.3 mm, respectively.
This clarifies that cement milk is an important factor in
the prebored screw pile method.
The influential range of the screw pile on the ground
was around 5.5D (D: screw diameter attached on pile skin)
in the final step of the pile load test, which is wider than
that for a driven pile (Figures 26 and 27). Generally, the
influential range of the driven pile is 2D0 to 4D0 (D0: pile
diameter).
Conclusion
In this study, the bearing characteristics of a prebored screw
pile were investigated through laboratory and field tests and
numerical analysis. The following conclusions were drawn
from this study.
1. The laboratory test results verify that, for achieving satis-
factory construction efficiency and high bearing capacity,
the attached screws should be discontinuous, and that the
 56
determination of a suitable prebored diameter and pitch
is significantly important. An actual screw pile was
fabricated based on this concept.
2. A pile load field test showed that more than 50% of the
total load is assigned to the pile skin in the screw pile and
to the pile tip in the smooth-surfaced pile. Therefore, the
screw pile could be used as a friction pile when the bearing
layer is deep.
3. The skin friction of the screw pile reaches the ultimate
state when the pile displacement becomes around 6%
of the pile diameter; this is a distinctive characteristic of
the screw pile relative to the smooth-surfaced pile. It
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seems to occur owing to the similar resistance of the pile
tip at each screw.
4. The field test result confirmed that the ultimate bearing
capacity and the unit skin friction of the screw pile were
1.85 times and 2.25 times those of the smooth-surfaced
pile, respectively. Therefore, if the screw pile is applied
as a structural foundation, economical construction
could be achieved by the use of a reduced number of piles
with high bearing capacity.
5. For an infiltration radius of 1.0D0 from the center of the
pile, the load-displacement curve obtained by numerical
analysis shows very good agreement with that of the pile
load field test. Therefore, it is considered that the screw
pile behavior could be estimated by numerical analysis,
and the infiltration height and radius of cement milk
are recommended as the half length of the attached
screws around the pile tip and 1.0D0 (D0: diameter of
the pile itself), respectively. However, this infiltration area
was proposed only based on numerical simulation, and
verifications through more field tests are required.
6. The difference between the displacement of the screw
piles with and without cement milk clarifies that cement
milk is an important factor in the prebored screw pile
method. In addition, the influential range of the screw
pile on the ground was around 5.5D (D: screw diameter
attached on pile skin) in the final step of the pile load test,
which is wider than that of the driven pile.
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