[Truncated abstract] The axial performance of piles in sand remains an area of great uncertainty in geotechnical engineering. Over the years, database studies have shown that the existing method for offshore piles (e.g. API 2000) is unreliable. There is therefore a clear need for an improved predictive method, which incorporates the state-ofthe- art understanding of the underlying controlling mechanisms. This Thesis is dedicated to address the factors influencing the end bearing performance of displacement piles in siliceous sand with a view to proposing and justifying an improved design formulation. Firstly, a database of displacement pile load tests in sand with CPT data was compiled in collaboration with James Schneider (Schneider 2007). It features the widest database with also the latest available pile load test data (e.g. Euripides, Ras Tanajib, Drammen etc) in electronic form. Evaluation of the three new CPTbased methods (Fugro-05, ICP-05 & NGI-05) against this database has revealed a broadly similar predictive performance despite their end bearing formulations being remarkably different. This anomaly promoted the author to extend the database to include additional tests with base capacity measurements to form new base capacity databases for driven and jacked piles, which resulted in the UWA- 05 method for end bearing of displacement piles in sand. This method accounts for the pile effective area ratio, differentiates between driven and jacked piles, and employs a rational qc averaging technique. ... Field tests were performed in Shenton Park, Perth to supplement the database study and, in particular, to examine the effect of the incremental filling ratio (IFR). 10 open-ended and 2 closed-ended piles were tested in compression followed by tension. The test results provide strong support for the UWA-05 method for base capacity evaluation employing the CPT qc values and the effective area ratio. A series of jacked pile tests was carried out on the UWA beam centrifuge, to further explore the factors affecting pile base response. In total, four uniform and four layered centrifuge samples were prepared and tested at various stress levels and relative densities using three separate pile diameters. The resistance ratio (qb0.1/qc,avg) is found to be independent of the absolute pile diameter, effective stress and soil relative density. The tests in layered soil enabled quantification of the reduction in penetration resistance when a pile/cone approaches a weak layer and revealed the significant influence on base stiffness of underlying soft clay layers. The stiffness decay curves (G/GIN vs. w/D, where GIN is initial operational shear stiffness) measured in static load tests were found to vary with ratios of GIN/qc, while there was a unique relationship between G/GIN and qb/qc. A detailed parametric study was carried out (using the FE code PLAXIS) by idealising pile penetration using a spherical cavity expansion analogue in layered soil. The numerical predictions compare well with the centrifuge results and their generalization enabled guidelines to be established for end bearing in layered soil.

ABSTRACT A LABORATORY MODEL STUDY ON SETTLEMENT REDUCTION Effect OF STONE COLUMNS IN SOFT CLAY S&uuml / nnetcioglu, Mehmet Emrah M.Sc., Department of Civil Engineering Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Mehmet Ufuk Ergun August 2012, 177 pages An experimental study was conducted in order to examine settlement reduction ratios of footing supported by both floating and end bearing type of stone columns. For the floating types, tests were done with varying column lengths of one and two widths of footing (L=B,2B). Tests were conducted in 200 mm* 200 mm* 200 mm cubic loading tanks. The reinforcement effect was achieved by the installation of four stone columns with 20 mm diameter under 70 mm* 70mm model footing. Parameters such as area replacement ratio (a_s), loading plate dimensions, consolidation and vertical pressures applied, and the relative density (D_R) of the granular column were kept constant, the column length (L) was set as the only variable in the experimental tests conducted. In the tests, footing settlements together with subsurface settlements at depths equal to footing width (B) and two times the footing width (2B) were measured by specially designed telltales. The settlement reduction ratios both at surface and subsurface were evaluated in order to determine the effect of column length on settlement improvement. It has been found out that as the column length increases the settlement reduction ratios decrease for all depth intervals. However, there exists a threshold column length (L=2B), beyond which the composite ground demonstrates little settlement improvement.

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.

An investigation into the load-settlement behavior of two drilled shafts, founded in shale, is presented. The motivation for this research is to advance the understanding on how drilled shafts react under loading in stiff clays and shales. The objectives of the study are to measure the strengths within the subsurface material at the test site, estimate the unit side shear and unit end bearing of the shale-shaft interaction by running two axial load tests, and compare the results to the current design methods that are used to predict the axial capacity of drilled shafts. A comprehensive field investigation, performed by Fugro Consultants, provided strength profiles of the subsurface material at the test site. Through the cooperation of the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT), the Association of Drilled Shaft Contractors, and McKinney Drilling Company, two drilled shafts were installed at a highway construction site in Austin, Texas. The load tests were performed by Loadtest, Inc.; using the patented Osterberg-Cell™ loading technique to axially displace the shafts. Ensoft, Inc. installed strain gauges at multiple levels within the shafts, making it possible to analyze the shaft mobilization during loading. Ultimate end bearing values of about 100- and 120-ksf were measured for Test Shafts #1 and #2, respectively. The current methods for estimating unit end bearing, developed by TxDOT and the Federal Highway Administration, provide fairly accurate predictions when compared to the measured information. The ultimate side resistance obtained near the O-Cell™ in each test was about 20-ksf, however, the measured ultimate side resistance steadily decreased nearing the tip of the shaft. For the zones where the side resistance was believed to be fully mobilized, the TxDOT design method accurately predicts the side resistance. A limited amount of information is currently available for load tests performed in soils with TCP values harder than 2-in per 100 blows. Additional load test information should allow for a stronger correlation between TCP tests and unit resistances for very hard clay-shales, as well as, allowing for further evaluation of the shale-shaft interaction near the shaft tip. The results presented herein demonstrate the effectiveness of the current design methods for drilled shafts and the non-uniformity of side resistance within one- to two-diameters of the shaft tip. / text

La tête de bielle n'est pas un solide mono-corps mais un solide multi-corps. Le serrage non-adapté des vis d'assemblage et les discontinuités des solides peuvent produire des phénomènes indésirables comme le glissement du coussinet dans son logement. Malgré des logiciels de calculs performants permettant de prédire le comportement des paliers il existe encore de nombreuses avaries notamment liées aux contacts entre le coussinet et son logement. La difficulté de la modélisation du contact coussinet/logement réside principalement dans l'interaction entre les différents solides et les conditions de fonctionnement. Cette étude propose une solution pour analyser ce problème par couplage entre un logiciel de calcul élatohydrodynamique (ACCEL) et un logiciel permettant le calcul du contact avec frottement entre les coussinets et le corps de bielle (ABAQUS). Après une étude bibliographique des études antérieures dédiées à la modélisation numérique et expérimentale des paliers de tête de bielle, la première partie est dédiée à une description des modèles numériques utilisés pour prédire le comportement élastohydrodynamique de paliers lubrifiés ainsi que les techniques employées pour étudier le contact sec avec frottement en mécanique. La deuxième partie présente la solution adoptée pour réaliser le couplage entre le logiciel ACCEL et le logiciel ABAQUS. Le modèle a été premièrement validée dans le cas d'un palier soumis une charge tournante. Par la suite, plusieurs calculs paramétriques, réalisés sur un cas type de palier de tête de bielle, nous ont permis de montrer l'influence des conditions de fonctionnement (diagramme de charge, vitesse de rotation, etc.) ainsi que d'autres caractéristiques de la bielle (coefficient de frottement, épaisseur du coussinet, etc) sur le comportement du palier et plus précisément sur le glissement relatif entre les coussinets et le corps de bielle. / The connecting rod is not a single body but a multi-body solid. A non-appropriate screw tightening, coupled with the solid discontinuities, can lead to undesirable phenomena such as the rotation of the shell in its housing. Despite modern numerical tools, capable to predict the bearing EHD behaviour, there are still many damages related to cumulative microslip between the bearing shell and the conrod body. The difficulty of modelling the shell/conrod contact is mainly due to the interaction between the solids and the operating conditions. This study presents a solution to analyse this problem, by coupling an elastohydrodynamic (EHD) software (ACCEL) with a commercial software (ABAQUS) able to predict the frictional contact between the shell and the conrod. After a literature review of previous studies dedicated to the numerical and experimental modelling of connecting rod bearings, the first part is dedicated to a description of the numerical models used to predict the EHD behaviour of lubricated bearings. Follows the presentation of the techniques used to study the dry frictional contact mechanics. The next part presents the adopted solution used to couple the two software. The model was first validated in the case of a bearing submitted to a rotating load. Subsequently, several parametric calculations are presented. We were able to show the influence of the operating conditions (load diagram, velocity,...) as well as other characteristics of the conrod (friction coefficient, thickness of the shell, etc.) on the performances of the bearing and more exactly on the microslip between the shells and the conrod body.

In the built environment, human activities such as railway and road traffic, constructionworks or industrial manufacturing can give rise to ground borne vibrations. Such vibrations become a concern in urban areas as they can cause human discomfort or disruption of vibration sensitive equipment in buildings. In Sweden, geological formations of soft clay soils overlying till and a high quality bedrock are encountered in densely populated areas, which are soil conditions that are prone to high levels of ground borne vibrations. Under such soil conditions, end-bearing piles are often used in the design of building foundations. The dynamic response of a building is governed by the interaction between the soil and the foundation. It is therefore essential that models used for vibration predictions are able to capture the dynamic soil-structure interaction of pile foundations. The purpose of this thesis is to experimentally and numerically investigate dynamic soil-structure interaction of an end-bearing pile group in clay by constructing a test foundation of realistic dimensions. The small-strain properties in a shallow clay deposit are estimated using different site investigation and laboratory methods. The results are synthesised into a representative soil model to compute the free-field surface response, which is validated with vibration measurements performed at the site. It is found that detailed information regarding material damping in the clay and the topmost soil layer both have a profound influence on the predicted surface response, especially with an increasing distance from the source. Dynamic impedances of four end-bearing concrete piles driven at the site are measured. Pile-soil-pile interaction is investigated by measuring the response of the neighbour piles when one of the piles in the group is excited. The square pile group is subsequently joined in a concrete cap and measurements of the impedances of the pilegroup and acceleration measurements within the piles at depth are performed. A numerical model based on the identified soil properties is implemented and validated by the measurements. A good agreement between the predicted and measured responses and impedances of the pile group foundation is found, establishing confidence in the ability to predict the dynamic characteristics of end-bearing pile foundations under the studied soil conditions. / Mänsklig verksamhet i urbana miljöer så som väg- och järnvägstrafik, byggnation eller maskindrift inom industri kan ge upphov till vibrationer som sprider sig via marken i närområdet. Dessa vibrationer kan ge upphov till kännbara vibrationer eller påverka vibrationskänslig utrustning i byggnader. I Sverige förekommer ofta mjuka lerjordar ovanpå berg, och inte sällan i tätbebyggda områden. Under sådana jordförhållanden används ofta spetsbärande pålar för grundläggning av byggnader. Det dynamiska verkningssättet för byggnader är beroende av interaktionen mellan jorden och byggnadens grund. Det är därför viktigt att modeller som används för vibrationsanalys i byggnader kan beskriva denna interaktion mellan jord och byggnadsfundament. Syftet med denna avhandling är att experimentellt och via numeriska modeller studera dynamisk jord-struktur-interaktion av ett spetsbärande pålfundament i lera. Jordensmekaniska egenskaper vid små töjningar utvärderas för en lerjord som är avsatt på morän och berg genom både fältförsök och laboratorieanalyser av prover. Informationen kombineras för att konstruera en lagerförd jordmodell av platsen för att beräkna jordens dynamiska respons till följd av en punktlast. Modellen valideras med vibrationsmätningar som utförts på platsen. Studien visar att detaljerad information angående lerans materialdämpning och de mekaniska egenskaperna av jordens översta lager har en stor inverkan på förutsägelser av jordens dynamiska respons vid ytan, speciellt vid stora avstånd från vibrationskällan. Experimentella tester utförs för att mäta dynamiska impedanser av fyra slagna spetsbärande betongpålar. Interaktionen mellan pålarna utvärderas genom att utföra mätningarav de omgivande pålarnas respons till följd av excitering av en påle. Pålgruppen sammanfogas därefter i ett betongfundament och impedanserna samt accelerationer inuti pålarna uppmäts. En numerisk modell baserad på de identifierade mekaniska egenskaperna av jorden upprättas och valideras genom mätningarna. De numeriska resultaten är i god överensstämmelse med de uppmätta vilket styrker användningen av numeriska modeller för att förutsäga interaktionen mellan jord och spetsbärandepålar under de studerade jordförhållandena. / <p>QC 20210302</p>