Mestrado Integrado. Engenharia Civil - Especialização em Construções. Faculdade de Engenharia. Universidade do Porto. 2011

Tese de mestrado integrado. Engenharia Civil (Especialização em Geotecnia). Faculdade de Engenharia. Universidade do Porto. 2009

Tese de mestrado integrado. Engenharia Civil (Especialização em Construções). Faculdade de Engenharia. Universidade do Porto. 2009

Tese de mestrado integrado. Engenharia Civil (Construções). Faculdade de Engenharia. Universidade do Porto. 2013

Tese de mestrado integrado. Engenharia Civil. Faculdade de Engenharia. Universidade do Porto. 2012

This master thesis has investigated the performance of a deep excavation with a jet grout bottom plug used to prevent bottom heave and hydraulic uplift failure. The concept of a jet grout plug as a structural and sealing component in a specific case was studied, namely one of the tunnel sections of The West Link tunnel project in Gothenburg. The section was to be built as a cut-and-cover tunnel with the excavation shaft consisting of secant pile walls, struts and a jet grout bottom plug. It is to be established where there are a lot of sensitive buildings and constructions close to the excavation site. This makes it important not to disturb the surroundings during construction with, for example, settlements.The study was carried out by doing a literature study, analytical calculations and numerical simulations in the finite element software PLAXIS 2D. More specifically, the checks evaluated were uplift equilibrium of the jet grout plug and of the whole structure, structural performance of the jet grouted plug and hydraulic conductivity of the jet grouted mass.The results show a design of a jet grout plug that together with the additional structures works sufficiently enough to make a secure construction for a deep excavation below the ground water table. The structural performance of the jet grouted plug to function as a strut level is fulfilled even if the jet grout is not perfectly performed. To work as a sealing component the jet grout column pattern and the centre-to-centre distance between the columns are important factors together with the alignment and diameter of the jet grout columns. To make a completely watertight construction is however almost impossible in this case since the jet grout plug is located at a large depth (around 20 m). To work properly against failure by uplift it does not need to be completely watertight. Instead, the use of relief wells makes sure that the pore water pressure is not larger than the vertical stress from the soil, otherwise failure by uplift is a real danger. Furthermore, to work properly against settlements it is not only the water tightness of the jet grout plug that decides whether it will work properly. Instead, it is also the pumping and infiltration system together with the, in this case, sensitivity of the lower aquifer that decides the risk of settlements.

Jet grouting was used to strengthen the soft soil surrounding the piles and the pile cap of two full-scale driven pile foundations. Soilcrete columns, created by jet grouting, were placed underneath the pile cap and surrounding the piles of the first foundation. Two rows of soilcrete columns were placed around the perimeter of one-side of the second. All of the jet grouting took place after construction of the pile caps. Laboratory testing of the soilcrete slurry showed the columns as having a design unconfined compressive strength of 550-650 psi, compared with the native soil strength of only 6-8 psi (850-1150 psf). Lateral loading of the pile foundation was then performed on these foundations. The results of this test were compared with a similar test performed on the same foundations under native soil conditions. The total lateral capacity of the pile foundation treated underneath the pile cap was increased by 500 kips, which equals an increase of 175%. The total lateral capacity of the pile foundation treated adjacent to the pile cap was 150%. Results of testing suggest that each of the jet-grout treated zones displaced as a rigid block. A majority of the increased lateral resistance came from the passive soil resistance acting on the face of the blocks and the adhesive soil resistance acting on the sides and bottom of the block as it displaced through the native soil. The remaining soil resistance, not accounted for by the passive and adhesive soil resistance, can potentially be attributed to increased soil pile interaction, which is predicted from the decrease in pile head rotation during loading following soil treatment.