Proceedings of the 7th BGA Young Geotechnical Engineers Symposium, 2002, Dundee, UK.

THE USE OF PRESSED-IN H-PILES FOR LARGE FOUNDATION STRUCTURES DAVID WHITE University of Cambridge Summary The press-in method of pile installation is a modern technique by which pre-formed piles can be hydraulically jacked into the ground with minimal noise or vibration compared to conventional dynamic methods. The maximum size of pile that can be installed is limited by the force capacity of the press-in piler. This paper presents an analysis of the shaft capacity of piles based on vertical arching theory. This analysis predicts that the capacity of each pile in an H-pile wall is greater than the force required to install each pile. This hypothesis is confirmed by field load testing, demonstrating the efficiency of this foundation system. The prediction of shaft friction by vertical arching theory By considering the vertical equilibrium of a horizontal slice of soil within the enclosed section of a tubular pile or a wall of H-piles, vertical arching theory predicts the vertical stress, v, to vary with depth, z, according to an exponential relationship of the general form shown in Equation 1. By combining Equation 1 with Coulombs Law for interface friction (Equation 2), the increase in vertical stress, and local shaft friction, s, with depth can be determined. d ' v = A 'v + ' dz Equation 1

s = K 'v tan

Equation 2

This analysis can be extended by deriving values of the exponential factor, A, for open pile sections (White, 2002). This approach predicts external shaft friction to be a weak exponential function of depth, which matches with field observations (Randolph et al., 1994). Figure 1 shows soil elements, each of height dz, for different pile sections, from which the exponential factor A is deduced. The corresponding profiles of shaft friction are qualitatively compared. In the case of shaft friction within enclosed pile sections ( & ), A depends on K, and D or B. In the case of open sections ( & ) A is lower, and depends on the soil-soil friction acting on the outside face of the soil element, denoted s. The shaft friction mobilised within an enclosed pile section is far greater than on an open section, for equal values of K and .

Figure 1. The influence of vertical arching on the distribution of local shaft friction with depth

Figure 2. Comparison of the installation force and working capacity of an H-pile wall A foundation system consisting of a wall of adjacent pressed-in H-piles allows arching to be activated following installation (Figure 2a). The shaft resistance encountered by the relatively weak press-in piler during installation is governed by mode vertical arching. When the completed row of piles is loaded in unison under working conditions, stronger vertical arching occurs (mode ) and increased capacity is mobilised. Field testing of pressed-in H-pile walls A series of load tests were conducted at Shinagawa, Tokyo to examine this construction process (White, 2002). The ground conditions at the site consist of loose fill and silt (SPT Nvalue < 10) to a depth of 14.35m overlying sand and gravel (N> 50) to a depth of 19.1m, below which is mudstone (N> 50). Compression load tests were conducted on a single H-pile, and walls of 2 and 3 piles (Figure 2b), between 14 and 20 days after the piles were installed by the press-in method, using a Giken HP150 press-in piler (http://www.giken-smp.com). If failure is defined by a criterion of B/20 or B/10 settlement, comparison of the single pile load test with the jacking force at the end of installation reveals an increase in capacity of 20% due to set-up. Comparison of the capacity (per pile) of the walls and the single pile reveals a positive group effect due to vertical arching, with the capacity of each pile increased by 50% (group efficiency = 1.5). In the case of these load tests, the internal shaft friction predicted by mode arching far exceeds the base capacity of the plug of enclosed soil bearing onto the underlying mudstone. Therefore the base resistance of the soil plug governs the wall capacity under working conditions, and the pile wall fails in a plugged manner. This foundation system utilises the strength of the deep bearing layer, and can be installed using an unobtrusive and relatively weak press-in piler. Conclusions An analysis of the shaft capacity of piles based on vertical arching theory is presented, which demonstrates the influence of section geometry on pile capacity. A construction process that allows vertical arching to be activated after pile installation has been proven to create an increase in capacity. These results demonstrate the feasibility of installing large foundation structures with high axial capacity using walls of pressed-in H-piles. References
Randolph, M.F., Dolwin, J., & Beck, R., (1994) Design of driven piles in sand. Gotechnique 44(3):427-448. White, D.J., (2002) An investigation into the behaviour of pressed-in piles. PhD dissertation, University of Cambridge.