O dimensionamento de fundações apoiadas sobre solos reforçados por colunas representa um desafio devido à natureza composta do mesmo e à grande quantidade de inclusões envolvidas no processo de reforço. Do ponto de vista do cálculo da capacidade de carga, as metodologias de dimensionamento propostas na literatura tratam ou de cálculos empíricos, ou de cálculos analíticos para carregamentos puramente verticais, ou utilizam o método de elementos finitos através de análises elasto-plásticas incrementais. No presente trabalho estuda-se, através da análise limite, a capacidade de carga de fundações superficiais apoiadas sobre solos argilosos reforçados por colunas submetidas a cargas inclinadas. Assim, este trabalho constitui uma primeira referência em analisar o efeito do reforço no diagrama de interação que relaciona às componentes da carga. Inicialmente, realizou-se uma análise em estado plano de deformação para um solo reforçado por uma coluna isolada. Foram construídos campos de tensões lineares por trecho, estaticamente admissíveis e que satisfazem o critério de resistência, determinando limites inferiores da capacidade de carga. Trata-se da abordagem estática da análise limite. Na sequência, através da utilização de mecanismos de ruptura cinematicamente admissíveis, foram encontrados limites superiores da capacidade de carga. Trata-se da abordagem cinemática da análise limite. A construção de ábacos permitiu realizar um estudo paramétrico da melhora da capacidade de carga em função dos parâmetros adimensionais, definidos pela geometria e propriedades de resistência. Finalmente, realizou-se uma generalização à situação de um solo reforçado por um grupo de colunas, em estado plano de deformação, mediante a aplicação da abordagem estática e cinemática da análise limite e posterior estudo paramétrico. Os resultados mostraram que, a medida que aumenta a componente horizontal da força, a componente vertical de ruptura diminui. Este fato constitui um risco na edificação de estruturas submetidas a carregamentos inclinados. Os parâmetros adimensionais que controlam a capacidade de carga são: o ângulo de atrito interno do material de reforço e a relação entre o intercepto coesivo do reforço e do solo. Foi encontrado que, para fins práticos, a carga limite é independente da quantidade de colunas, sempre que o volume de reforço seja mantido. / From a practical engineering viewpoint, design of column-reinforced foundations turns to be a challenging task owing to the strong heterogeneity of the geo-composite resulting from the association of native soft soil and the reinforcing soil columns. The design procedures conceived to estimate bearing capacity improvement from this reinforcement technique have mainly dealt with foundations under vertical loading. The purpose of the present work is to investigate the ultimate bearing capacity problem of column-reinforced foundations under inclined loading, within the framework of limit analysis theory. Special emphasis is given to the effect of reinforcement on the interaction diagram relating the foundation load components. Starting from the situation of an isolated column, a lower bound solution for the bearing capacity is derived, in plain strain analysis, by considering statically admissible piecewise linear stress fields that comply with the failure condition everywhere in the foundation soil. On the other hand, the kinematic approach of limit analysis makes it possible, through the implementation of failure mechanisms on the column-reinforced structure, to derive upper bound estimates of the bearing capacity for each value of the inclination angle of applied load. The semi-analytical expressions of both lower and upper bound estimates allow for a parametric study on the improvement of the bearing capacity as a function of dimensionless parameters, which are defined from geometrical and strength properties. In this context, design charts are presented to provide an insight into the reinforcement mechanism. Finally, the generalization of the approaches to the situation of a soil reinforced by a group of columns is presented, considering plain strain analysis. As soon as the horizontal component of the force increases, the vertical component of the bearing capacity decreases. This fact constitutes a risk for structures submitted to inclined loading. The dimensionless parameters that control the bearing capacity are: the reinforcement material friction angle and the relation between the coesion intercept of the reinforcement and the soil. For practical purposes, the bearing capacity doesn’t depend on the column number, but on the reinforcement volume.

Orientador: Miriam Gonçalves Miguel / Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Faculdade de Engenharia Civil, Arquitetura e Urbanismo / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-17T14:10:40Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Scallet_MarcellaMaschietto_M.pdf: 1855400 bytes, checksum: 6ec58c53afe478625fb1fa36239f671c (MD5) Previous issue date: 2011 / Resumo: Este trabalho tem como objetivo estudar o comportamento de estacas escavadas de pequeno diâmetro, submetidas a carregamentos axiais de compressão através de provas de carga estática realizadas no Campo Experimental de Mecânica dos Solos e Fundações 2 da Unicamp. O CEMSF2 apresenta um perfil geológico cuja primeira camada é constituída de argila siltosa, coluvionar, laterítica e colapsível. Pretendeu-se avaliar as capacidades de carga e os recalques dessas estacas nas condições: a) sem pré-inundação e sem melhoria de ponta; b) sem pré-inundação e com melhoria de 1 ponta, com o lançamento de um volume de 18 litros de brita 1 no fundo da estaca antes da concretagem; c) com pré-inundação e sem melhoria de ponta e d) com préinundação e com melhoria de ponta. Todas as estacas foram submetidas a dois carregamentos (ensaios e reensaios), sob uma mesma condição acima descrita. Foram instalados tensiômetros convencionais para a leitura das sucções matriciais do solo durante a realização das provas de carga. Através das curvas carga versus recalque foram definidas as capacidades de carga e as resistências ao atrito lateral e de ponta, por meio de métodos de interpretação dessas curvas com o solo sem inundação e préinundado por 48horas, considerando as reduções dos valores da sucção matricial do solo, devido às duas condições de umidade. A capacidade de carga das estacas nos ensaios foi menor do que nos reensaios, para as estacas sem pré-inundação, devido ao aumento da resistência de ponta nos reensaios. Nas provas de carga com préinundação, em geral, não houve aumento de resistência de ponta dos ensaios para os reensa ios. A resistência ao atrito lateral foi maior que a resistência de ponta em todas as provas de carga. O lançamento de brita 1 não trouxe melhorias na capacidade de carga. Reduções consideráveis na capacidade de carga foram observadas em função da pré-inundação do solo, sendo essas reduções mais expressivas para as estacas com melhoria de ponta / Abstract: This paper aims to study the behavior of bored piles of small diameters, subjected to axial compression loads by static load tests carried out at the Field of Experimental Soil Mechanics and Foundation 2 at Unicamp. The CEMSF2 has a geological profile whose first layer is composed of silty clay, with coluvionar, lateritic, and collapsible features.This study intended to evaluate the load capacities and the settlements of these foundations in such conditions: a) without any pre- wetting nor improvement in the tip; b) without any pre-wetting but with a tip improvement, placing a volume of 18 liters of stones 1 in the base of the pile before concreting c) with pre- wetting but without tip improvement and d) with pre-wetting and tip improvement. All these piles were subjected to two loading (tests and retests), under the same test condition described above. Conventional tensiometers were installed to read the matric suctions of the soil during the performance of the load tests. Throughout the load versus settlement curves the load capacities and the strength to lateral friction and tip were defined using methods of interpretation of these curves with the soil without any pre-wetting and 48-hour-pre wetting, considering the reductions of the values of the soil matric suction due to two moisture conditions. The load capacity of piles in the tests was smaller than the one in the retests for the piles without any pre-flooding, due to the increase of the tip strength in the retests. In the load tests with pre-flooding, in general, there was not any increase of strength in the tip of the tests for the retests. The strength to the lateral friction was greater than the tip strength in all loading tests. The placing stones 1did not result any improvement to the bearing capacity. Considerable reductions in bearing capacity were observed because of the pre-wetting soil, such reductions are more significant for the piles with improved tip / Mestrado / Geotecnia / Mestre em Engenharia Civil

Several studies were undertaken by various investigators during the last five decades to better understand the engineering behaviour of unsaturated soils. These studies are justified as more than 33% of soils worldwide are found in either arid or semi-arid regions with evaporation losses exceeding water infiltration. Due to this reason, the natural ground water table in these regions is typically at a greater depth and the soil above it is in a state of unsaturated conditions. Foundations of structures such as the housing subdivisions, multi-storey buildings, bridges, retaining walls, silos, and other infrastructure constructed in these regions in sandy soils are usually built within the unsaturated zone (i.e., vadose zone). Limited studies are reported in the literature to understand the influence of capillary stresses (i.e., matric suction) on the bearing capacity, settlement and liquefaction potential of unsaturated sands. The influence of matric suction in the unsaturated zone of the sandy soils is ignored while estimating or evaluating bearing capacity, settlement and liquefaction resistance in conventional engineering practice. The focus of the research presented in the thesis has been directed towards better understanding of these aspects and providing rational and yet simple tools for the design of shallow foundations (i.e., footings) in sands under both static and dynamic loading conditions. Terzaghi (1943) or Meyerhof (1951) equations for bearing capacity and Schmertmann et al. (1978) equation for settlement are routinely used by practicing engineers for sandy soils based on saturated soil properties. The assumption of saturated conditions leads to conservative estimates for bearing capacity; however, neglecting the influence of capillary stresses contributes to unreliable estimates of settlement or differential settlement of footings in unsaturated sands. There are no studies reported in the literature on how capillary stresses influence liquefaction, bearing capacity and settlement behavior in earthquake prone regions under dynamic loading conditions. An extensive experimental program has been undertaken to study these parameters using several specially designed and constructed equipment at the University of Ottawa. The influence of matric suction, confinement and dilation on the bearing capacity of model footings in unsaturated sand was determined using the University of Ottawa Bearing Capacity Equipment (UOBCE-2011). Several series of plate load tests (PLTs) were carried out on a sandy soil both under saturated and unsaturated conditions. Based on these studies, a semi-empirical equation has been proposed for estimating the variation of bearing capacity with respect to matric suction. The saturated shear strength parameters and the soil water characteristic curve (SWCC) are required for using the proposed equation. This equation is consistent with the bearing capacity equation originally proposed by Terzaghi (1943) and later extended by Meyerhof (1951) for saturated soils. Chapter 2 provides the details of these studies. The cone penetration test (CPT) is conventionally used for estimating the bearing capacity of foundations because it is simple and quick, while providing continuous records with depth. In this research program, a cone penetrometer was specially designed to investigate the influence of matric suction on the cone resistance in a controlled laboratory environment. Several series of CPTs were conducted in sand under both saturated and unsaturated conditions. Simple correlations were proposed from CPTs data to relate the bearing capacity of shallow foundations to cone resistance in saturated and unsaturated sands. The details of these studies are presented and summarized in Chapter 3. Standard penetration tests (SPTs) and PLTs were conducted in-situ sand deposit at Carp region in Ottawa under both saturated and unsaturated conditions. The test results from the SPTs and PLTs at Carp were used along with other data from the literature for developing correlations for estimating the bearing capacity of both saturated and unsaturated sands. The proposed SPT-CPT-based technique is simple and reliable for estimation of the bearing capacity of footings in sands. Chapter 4 summarizes the details of these investigations. Empirical relationships were proposed using the CPTs data to estimate the modulus of elasticity of sands for settlement estimation of footings in both saturated and unsaturated sands. This was achieved by modifying the Schmertmann et al. (1978) equation, which is conventionally used for settlement estimations in practice. Comparisons are provided between the three CPT-based methods that are commonly used for settlement estimations in practice and the proposed method for seven large scale footings in sandy soils. The results of the comparisons show that the proposed method provides better estimations for both saturated and unsaturated sands. Chapter 5 summarizes the details of these studies. A Flexible Laminar Shear Box (FLSB of 800-mm3 in size) was specially designed and constructed to simulate and better understand the behaviour of model surface footing under seismic loads taking account of the influence of matric suction in an unsaturated sandy soil. The main purpose of using the FLSB is to simulate realistic in-situ soils behaviour during earthquake ground shaking. The FLSB test setup with model footing was placed on unidirectional 1-g shake table (aluminum platform of 1000-mm2 in size) during testing. The resistance of unsaturated sand to deformations and liquefaction under seismic loads was investigated. The results of the study show that matric suction offers significant resistance to liquefaction and settlement of footings in sand. Details of the equipment setup, test procedure and results of this study are presented in Chapter 6. Simple techniques are provided in this thesis for estimating the bearing capacity and settlement behaviour of sandy soils taking account of the influence of capillary stresses (i.e., matric suction). These techniques are consistent with the methods used in conventional geotechnical engineering practice. The studies show that even low values of capillary stresses (i.e., 0 to 5 kPa) increases the bearing capacity by two to four folds, and the settlement of footings not only decreases significantly but also offers resistance to liquefaction in sands. These studies are promising and encouraging to use ground improvement techniques; such as capillary barrier techniques to maintain capillary stresses within the zone of influence below shallow foundations. Such techniques, not only contribute to the increase of bearing capacity, they reduce settlement and alleviate problems associated with earthquake effects in sandy soils.

A nonlinear finite element analysis was performed for an existing road bridge in order to see if that could show a higher load bearing capacity, as an alternative to repairing or replacing. The regular linear analysis had shown that the bridge could not take any traffic load due to the effects from large and uneven support settlements. It is a five-span reinforced concrete bridge with a continuous slab on supports made out of rows of columns. The width-to-span ratio was around 1 and the supports were angled up to about 30°, giving rise to a complex three-dimensional behaviour, which was seen and studied in the nonlinear results. Since the bending moment was the limiting factor, the nonlinear analysis focused on that. The direct result was that the load bearing capacity was 730 kN for the traffic vehicle boogie load, B, in the ultimate limit state. This was however only for the load case tested, and several more disadvantageous vehicle positions may exist. Other aspects also became limiting, as the maximum allowed vertical deflection in the serviceability limit state was reached at 457 kN. The most restraining though, was the shear capacity from the linear analysis; 78 kN, since it was not possible to simulate that type of failure with the shell elements used in the nonlinear finite element analysis. The main aim of the thesis was nonetheless reached, since the nonlinear analysis was able to show a significant increase in load bearing capacity.  A comparison was made with the settlements for the nonlinear case, to see how much influence they had on the load bearing capacity for traffic load. This was performed for both the bridge and a simple two-span beam. Both showed that there was no effect on the load bearing capacity in the ultimate limit. One thing to note was that the full settlements were applied, and with no relaxation due to creep.  Another aim of the thesis was to make comments on the practical usability of the nonlinear finite element method in load bearing capacity assessments. A linear analysis was performed before the nonlinear in order to be able to determine the load case to be used in the latter. This worked well, as the strengths of the two methods could then be utilized. Convergence problems were however encountered for the nonlinear when using the regular static solver. Due to this, the dynamic explicit calculation scheme was used instead, treating the case as quasi-static. This managed to produce enough usable results. It was concluded that the nonlinear finite element method is useable for assessment calculations, but that its strengths and weaknesses must be known in order to make it an efficient method.

Over the past 50 years, several advancements have been made in the research area of the mechanics of unsaturated soils. These advancements can be categorized into two groups; (i) development (or improvement) of testing techniques (or apparatus) to determine the mechanical properties of unsaturated soils and (ii) development of (numerical, empirical or semi-empirical) models to estimate the variation of mechanical properties of unsaturated soils with respect to suction based on the experimental results. Implementation of the mechanics of unsaturated soils in conventional geotechnical engineering practice, however, has been rather limited. The key reasons for the limited practical applications may be attributed to the lack of simple and reliable methods for (i) measuring soil suction in the field quickly and reliably and (ii) estimating the variation of mechanical properties of unsaturated soils with respect to suction. The main objective of this thesis research is to develop simple and reliable techniques, models or approaches that can be used in geotechnical engineering practice to estimate sol suction and the mechanical properties of unsaturated soils. This research can be categorized into three parts. In the First Part, simple techniques are proposed to estimate the suction values of as-compacted unsaturated fine-grained soils using a pocket penetrometer and a conventional tensiometer. The suction values less than 300 kPa can be estimated using a strong relationship between the compressive strength measured using a pocket penetrometer and matric suction value. The high suction values in the range of 1,200 kPa to 60,000 kPa can be estimated using the unique relationship between the initial tangent of conventional tensiometer response versus time behavior and suction value. In the Second Part, approaches or semi-empirical models are proposed to estimate the variation of mechanical properties of unsaturated soils with respect to suction, which include: - Bearing capacity of unsaturated fine-grained soils - Variation of bearing capacity of unsaturated fine-grained soils with respect to matric suction - Variation of initial tangent elastic modulus of unsaturated soils below shallow foundations with respect to matric suction - Variation of maximum shear modulus with respect to matric suction for unsaturated non-plastic sandy soils (i.e. plasticity index, Ip = 0 %) In the Third Part, approaches (or methodologies) are suggested to simulate the vertically applied stress versus surface settlement behavior of shallow foundations in unsaturated coarse-grained soils assuming elastic-perfectly plastic behavior. These methodologies are extended to simulate the stress versus settlement behavior of both model footings and in-situ plates in unsaturated coarse-grained soils. The results show that there is a reasonably good comparison between the measured values (i.e. soil suction, bearing capacity, elastic and shear modulus) and those estimated using the techniques or models proposed in this thesis research. The models (or methodologies) proposed in this thesis research are promising and encouraging for modeling studies and practicing engineers to estimate the variation of mechanical behavior of unsaturated soils with respect to matric suction.

[pt] O interesse por análises de confiabilidade em geotecnia tem aumentado muito nos últimos anos. Métodos probabilísticos tem sido utilizados com o objetivo de racionalizar a quantificação das incertezas existentes na geotecnia. Neste âmbito, o presente trabalho apresenta um resumo com os conceitos básicos de probabilidade necessários para a compreensão do assunto. Desenvolve-se o Método do Segundo Momento de Primeira Ordem para quantificação da confiabilidade inerente ao desempenho de fundações. Metodologias são propostas para racionalizar a adoção de fatores de segurança quanto à ruptura de fundações superficiais e quantificar o risco associado à probabilidade do recalque estimado ser superior ao recalque admissível. Os exemplos de cálculo são apresentados com base no desempenho de fundações protótipo submetidas a provas de carga superficiais executadas no campo experimental 1 da PUC-Rio. / [en] The interest for reliability analysis in geotechnical engineering has been growing up in the last two decades. Probabilistic methods are generally used as a way of rationalizing the analysis of the uncertainties presents in the geotechnical properties. The First Order Second Moment method (FOSM) was applied in order to quantify the reliability of foundations. A methodology is proposed for quantifying the probability of faylure of shallow foundations and also the probability of settlements larger than the allowable design value. Example calculations are presented with basis on the results of prototype footings tested in the experimental research site at PUC-Rio. / [es] EL interés por análisis de confiabilidad en geotecnia ha aumentado mucho en los últimos años. Métodos probabilísticos han sido utilizados con el objetivo de racionalizar la cuantificación de las incertezas que existen en la geotecnia. En este ámbito, el presente trabajo presenta un resumen de los conceptos básicos de las probabilidades, necesarios para la comprensión del asunto. Se desarrolla el Método del Segundo Momento de Primer Orden para cuantificar la confiabilidad inherente al desempeño de fundaciones. Se proponen metodologías para racionalizar la adopción de factores de seguridad y cuantificar el riesgo asociado a la probabilidad de que el recalco estimado sea superior al recalco admisible. Los ejemplos de cálculo presentados tienen como base el desempeño de fundaciones prototipos, sometidas a pruebas de carga superficiales, ejecutadas en el campo experimental 1 de la PUC-Rio.

A nonlinear finite element analysis was performed for an existing road bridge in order to see if that could show a higher load bearing capacity, as an alternative to repairing or replacing. The regular linear analysis had shown that the bridge could not take any traffic load due to the effects from large and uneven support settlements. It is a five-span reinforced concrete bridge with a continuous slab on supports made out of rows of columns. The width-to-span ratio was around 1 and the supports were angled up to about 30°, giving rise to a complex three-dimensional behaviour, which was seen and studied in the nonlinear results. Since the bending moment was the limiting factor, the nonlinear analysis focused on that. The direct result was that the load bearing capacity was 730 kN for the traffic vehicle boogie load, B, in the ultimate limit state. This was however only for the load case tested, and several more disadvantageous vehicle positions may exist. Other aspects also became limiting, as the maximum allowed vertical deflection in the serviceability limit state was reached at 457 kN. The most restraining though, was the shear capacity from the linear analysis; 78 kN, since it was not possible to simulate that type of failure with the shell elements used in the nonlinear finite element analysis. The main aim of the thesis was nonetheless reached, since the nonlinear analysis was able to show a significant increase in load bearing capacity. A comparison was made with the settlements for the nonlinear case, to see how much influence they had on the load bearing capacity for traffic load. This was performed for both the bridge and a simple two-span beam. Both showed that there was no effect on the load bearing capacity in the ultimate limit. One thing to note was that the full settlements were applied, and with no relaxation due to creep. Another aim of the thesis was to make comments on the practical usability of the nonlinear finite element method in load bearing capacity assessments. A linear analysis was performed before the nonlinear in order to be able to determine the load case to be used in the latter. This worked well, as the strengths of the two methods could then be utilized. Convergence problems were however encountered for the nonlinear when using the regular static solver. Due to this, the dynamic explicit calculation scheme was used instead, treating the case as quasi-static. This managed to produce enough usable results. It was concluded that the nonlinear finite element method is useable for assessment calculations, but that its strengths and weaknesses must be known in order to make it an efficient method.

Рассмотрены конструктивные и технологические решения по усилению изгибаемых железобетонных конструкций композитными материалами на основе углеродного волокна. Выявлены используемые системы для усиления железобетонных конструкций. Проведен сравнительный анализ существующих систем усиления на основе углеродных волокон. Определена экономическая эффективность такого способа усиления для изгибаемых железобетонных элементов. Приведена методика расчета усиления изгибаемых железобетонных элементов композитными материалами. Произведен расчет усиления различными композитными материалами на примере железобетонных элементов: балка, монолитная плита перекрытия. Выполнено сравнение различных вариантов усилений и предложен коэффициент условной полезности, позволяющий экономически обосновать выбор способа усиления и прогнозировать стоимость усиления конструкции. / Design and technological solutions for reinforcing of bending concrete structures with composite materials based on carbon fiber are considered. The used systems for strengthening reinforced concrete structures are re-vealed. A comparative analysis of existing reinforcement systems based on carbon fibers is carried out. The economic efficiency of this reinforcement method for bending concrete elements is determined. The calculation technique for bending concrete elements reinforced by composite materi-als is given. The calculation of reinforcement by various composite materials is made on the example of reinforced concrete elements: a beam and a monolithic floor slab. The comparison of various amplification variants is made and the conditional utility coefficient is proposed, which makes it possible to economically justify the choice of the gain method and to predict the cost of strengthening the structure.

No description available.

Environmental sustainability is becoming more popular in the building industry. Sustainable thinking needs to be present during the whole construction process, from the idea phase to the final stages. The aim of this master thesis is to investigate how end-bearing concrete and steel pipes as well as composite concrete-filled steel tube piles can be designed with greater consideration to climate impact. The purpose of this study is primarily to encourage awareness during the material choice phase in early stages of project planning. A Matlab code was programmed to perform a parametric study and analyze different parameters effect on pile bearing capacity. The structural bearing capacity of a number of different piles with various prerequisites were compiled in tables. The climate impact of the piles was expressed as global warming potential (GWP). In order to compare different pile types a functional unit was created as the ratio of the piles' bearing capacity and the corresponding climate impact. The ratio was calculated for all the piles and resulted in a number of figures with bearing capacity as a function of climate impact. These figures are supposed to be used as a basis to choose which pile type is most useful in a given situation. The usability of the results was verified with a calculation example. In the example, the figures were used to chose one pile out of several options as the most climate-efficient with the highest usage ratio. Finally, a number of general conclusions could be drawn regarding pile types. When the corrosion is small (<2 mm), it can be ascertained that steel pipes are to prefer over composite pipes. With larger corrosion (>2 mm), it can be ascertained that composite piles are preferable, specifically in cases were the soil is looser. However, in firmer soil, with undrained shear strength between 10-25 kPa, composite concrete-filled steel pipes are the better option. The results show that the contribution of the concrete to the bearing capacity of the composity files is minimal compared to the contribution of the decreased inner corrosion. This implies that it is more important to have the pipes filled with to prevent inner corrosion, rather than use a strong material that contributes to the bearing capacity. With that said, composite piles are not sustainable and different filling materials can be examined to further investigate whether there is another material with smaller climate impact that makes for piles with larger ratio of bearing capacity to climate impact. The main conclusion of the master thesis is that there needs to be a standardised approach to calculating climate impact from foundation construction and it should be included in a building's life cycle analysis (LCA). / Miljövänlighet och hållbarhet är begrepp som förekommer allt oftare i byggbranschen.Hållbarhetstänket behöver finnas med under hela byggprocessen, från idéfas till slutskede. Syftet med det här examensarbetet är att undersöka hur dimensionering av spetsburna betong- och stålrörspålar samt samverkanspålar kan utföras med större hänsyn till klimatpåverkan. Målet är framför allt att med hjälp av enklare klimatkalkyler främja klimatmedvetna materialval i tidig projektering. En parameterstudie som undersökte olika parametrars påverkan på pålens bärförmåga och klimatpåverkan utfördes i Matlab. Den strukturella bärförmågan hos ett antal olika pålar med olika förutsättningar som indata sammanställdes. Pålarnas klimatpåverkan uttrycktes i deras globala uppvärmningpotential (GWP) och för att kunna jämföra olika pålar med varandra skapades en gemensam funktionell enhet. Kvoten mellan pålarnas bärförmåga och motsvarande klimatpåverkan utgjorde den funktionella enheten. Kvoten beräknades för samtliga undersökta pålar och resulterade i ett antal figurer med bärförmåga som funktion av klimatpåverkan. Dessa figurer ska fungera som underlag vid bestämning av påltyp och användbarheten verifierades med ett beräkningsexempel. Med hjälp av de framtagna graferna gick det i beräkningsexemplet att välja ut pålen som var mest effektiv med hänsyn till klimatpåverkan och utnyttjandegrad av flera möjliga alternativ. Ett antal generella slutsatser gällande påltyp kunde dras. Vid små rostmåner (<2 mm) kan det konstateras att stålrörspålar är mer fördelaktiga än samverkanspålar. För resterande rostmåner (>2 mm) är samverkanspålar lämpligare i de fall där jorden är lösare. I fastare jordar med odränerad skjuvhållfasthet mellan 10-25 kPa är betongfyllda stålrörspålar utan samverkan ett bättre alternativ. Resultaten visar att det som ger störst effekt inte är betongens bidrag till bärförmågan utan det är minskningen av den inre rostmånen som har störst påverkan. Det innebär att det är viktigare att pålen är fylld än att den är fylld med något starkt som kan bidra med bärförmåga. Alltså är det inte hållbart att använda samverkanspålar och man kan vidare undersöka om det räcker att fylla med något klimatvänligare material som exempelvis cementbruk med lägre cementinnehåll och cementkvalité. Arbetets viktigaste slutsats är att det behövs en standardiserad beräkningsmetod för klimatpåverkan från grundläggning och att det bör ingå i byggnaders livscykelanalyser (LCA) eller klimatdeklarationer.