A series of lateral load tests were performed on a full-scale pile cap with three different backfill conditions, namely: with no backfill present, with densely compacted clean sand in place, and with loosely compacted clean sand in place. In addition to being displaced under a static loading, the pile cap was subjected to low frequency, small displacement loading cycles from load actuators and higher frequency, small displacement, dynamic loading cycles from an eccentric mass shaker. The passive earth pressure from the backfill was found to significantly increase the load capacity of the pile cap. At a displacement of about 46 mm, the loosely and densely compacted backfills increased the total resistance of the pile cap otherwise without backfill by 50% and 245%, respectively. The maximum passive earth pressure for the densely compacted backfill occurred at a displacement of approximately 50 mm, which corresponds to a displacement to pile cap height ratio of 0.03. Contrastingly passive earth pressure for the loosely compacted backfill occurred at a displacement of approximately 40 mm. Under low and high frequency cyclic loadings, the stiffness of the pile cap system increased with the presence of the backfill material. The loosely compacted backfill generally provided double the stiffness of the no backfill case. The densely compacted backfill generally provided double the stiffness of the loosely compacted sand, thus quadrupling the stiffness of the pile cap relative to the case with no backfill present. Under low frequency cyclic loadings, the damping ratio of the pile cap system decreased with cap displacement and with increasing stiffness of backfill material. After about 20 mm of pile cap displacement, the average damping ratio was about 18% with the looser backfill and about 24% for the denser backfill. Under higher frequency cyclic loadings, the damping ratio of the pile cap system was quite variable and appeared to vary with frequency. Damping ratios appear to peak in the vicinity of the natural frequency of the pile cap system for each backfill condition. On the whole, damping ratios tend to range between 10 and 30%, with an average of about 20% for the range of frequencies and displacement amplitudes occurring during the tests. The similar amount of damping for different ranges of frequency suggests that dynamic loadings do not appreciably increase the apparent resistance of the pile cap relative to slowly applied cyclic loadings.

Passive force-deflection behavior for densely compacted backfills must be considered in bridge design to ensure adequate resistance to both seismic and thermally induced forces. Current codes and practices do not distinguish between skewed and non-skewed bridge abutment geometries; however, in recent years, numerical models and small-scale, plane-strain laboratory tests have suggested a significant reduction in passive force for skewed bridge abutments. Also, various case studies have suggested higher soil stresses might be experienced on the acute side of the skew angle. For these reasons, three large-scale tests were performed with abutment skew angles of 0, 15 and 30 degrees using an existing pile cap [11-ft (3.35-m) wide by 15-ft (4.57-m) long by 5.5-ft (1.68-m) high] and densely compacted sand backfill confined by MSE wingwalls. These tests showed a significant reduction in passive force (approximately 38% as a result of the 15 degree skew angle and 51% as a result of the 30° skew angle. The maximum passive force was achieved at a deflection of approximately 5% of the backwall height; however, a substantial loss in the rate of strength gain was observed at a deflection of approximately 3% of the backwall height for the 15° and 30° skew tests. Additionally, the soil stiffness appears to be largely unaffected by skew angle for small displacements. These results correlate very well with data available from numerical modeling and small-scale lab tests. Maximum vertical backfill displacement and maximum soil pressure measured normal to the skewed backwall face were located on the acute side of the skew for the 15° and 30° skew test. This observation appears to be consistent with observations made in various case studies for skewed bridge abutments. Also, the maximum outward displacement of the MSE wingwalls was located on the obtuse side of the skew. These findings suggest that changes should be made to current codes and practices to properly account for skew angle in bridge design.

Bridge abutments are designed to withstand lateral pressures from thermal expansion and seismic forces. Current design curves have been seen to dangerously over- and under-estimate the peak passive resistance and corresponding deflection of abutment backfills. Similar studies on passive pressure have shown that passive resistance changes with different types of constructed backfills. The effects of changing the length to width ratio, or including MSE wingwalls determine passive force-deflection relationships. The purpose of this study is to determine the effects of the wall heights and of the MSE support on passive pressure and backfill failure, and to compare the field results with various predictive methods. To compare the effects of backfill geometries, three large-scale tests with dense compact sand were performed with abutment backfill heights of 3 ft (0.91 m), 5.5 ft (1.68 m), and 5.5 ft (1.68 m) confined with MSE wingwalls. Using an existing pile cap 11 ft (3.35 m) wide and 5.5 ft (1.68 m) high, width to height ratios for the abutment backfills were 3.7 for the 3ft test, and 2.0 for the 5.5ft and MSE tests. The failure surface for the unconfined backfills exhibited a 3D geometry with failure surfaces extending beyond the edge of the cap, increasing the "effective width", and producing a failure "bulb". In contrast, the constraint provided by the MSE wingwalls produced a more 2D failure geometry. The "effective width" of the failure surface increased as the width to height ratio decreased. In terms of total passive force, the unconfined 5.5ft wall provided about 6% more resistance than the 5.5ft MSE wall. However, in terms of passive force/width the MSE wall provided about 70% more resistance than the unconfined wall, which is more consistent with a plane strain, or 2D, failure geometry. In comparison with predicted forces, the MSE curve never seemed to fit, while the 3ft and 5.5ft curves were better represented with different methods. Even with optimizing between both the unconfined curves, the predicted Log Spiral peak passive forces were most accurate, within 12% of the measured peak resistances. The components of passive force between the unconfined tests suggest the passive force is influenced more by frictional resistance and less by the cohesion as the height of the backwall increases.

The present thesis evaluates numerically and experimentally if the axial capacity of Auger Cast Piles (ACPs) constructed in interbedded layers of granular soil and Limestone should be reduced as a function of pile spacing. The numerical component of this thesis includes a series of parametric studies that consider different sets of normalized spacings, stiffness ratios, relative densities, unconfined compressive strengths, and installation effects for multiple subsurface conditions. The experimental program designed herein involves the construction of multiple components for a laboratory testing program of small-scale physical models that will validate the results of the numerical models in terms of capacities, efficiency ratios and normalized spacings.

[pt] O comportamento de grupos de estacas sob carregamento vertical estático, cêntrico, com bloco rígido ou flexível, em maciços estratificados, é investigado neste trabalho. O método de análise é baseado em versão simplificada do Método dos Elementos de Contorno, sugerida por POULOS (1968) para meios elásticos homogêneos. Estimativas dos valores de recalque são obtidas por meio de um programa computacional, implementado nesta pesquisa, avaliando-se a influência da estratificação do maciço de solo nos efeitos de grupo e nos valores dos recalques do topo das estacas componentes. Grupos com diferentes configurações, usuais na prática da Engenharia de Fundações, foram considerados em perfis estratigráficos básicos, homogêneo e formado por duas camadas distintas. Os resultados numéricos obtidos para o caso de bloco flexível, indicam que a estratigrafia do maciço, a rigidez relativa das estacas e seus comprimentos relativos não influenciam significativamente os valores dos fatores de interação para cálculo dos recalques do topo. Assim, um método aproximado simples, direto e eficiente, é proposto para determinação dos recalques do topo em grupos com número qualquer de estacas, com base na superposição dos valores do fator de interação entre apenas duas estacas sob diferentes espaçamentos relativos. No caso de bloco rígido, os resultados obtidos indicaram que, sob o ponto de vista prático, os fatores de redução de grupo também não são significativamente influenciados pela estratigrafia, rigidez e comprimentos relativos das estacas. Dessa forma, os fatores de redução de grupo obtidos para o perfil de solo homogêneo podem ser aproximadamente utilizados para outros casos de estratigrafia. / [en] The behaviour of vertically loaded pile groups with a rigid or flexible cap, in layered soils, is investigated in this research. The analysis is based on a simplified version of the Boundary Element Method, as suggested by POULOS (1968), for the case of an homogeneous and linearly elastic half-space. The estimation of settlements is obtained using a computational program, developed in this work, which evaluates the influence of the soil layering on the group effects as well as on the settlement of individual piles in the same group. Groups with usual geometrical configuration are considered, resting on some basic soil profiles (single and double layered systems). Numerical results thus calculated for the case of flexible cap indicate that soil layering, pile-stiffness factors and length-to- diameter ratios do not significantly affect the interaction factors for the top of piles. Hence, a simple, direct and efficient method of evaluation is proposed for the estimation of settlements in groups with any number of piles based on the superposition of the interaction factors determined for the case of just two piles at different spacing. For groups with a rigid cap, under the pratical point of view, the results also indicated that, the respective reduction factors are not significantly influenced by the soil layering, pile-stiffness factors and length-to- diameter ratios. So, reduction factors obtained for homogeneous soil profile can be used for others cases of soil profiling. / [es] Este trabajo investiga el comportamiento de grupos de estacas bajo sobrepeso vertical estático, céntrico, con bloque rígido o flexible, en macizos estratificados. El método de análisis se basa en una versión simplificada del Método de los Elementos de Contorno, sugerida por POULOS (1968) para medios elásticos homogéneos. Estimativas de los valores de recalque se obtienen por medio de un programa, implementado en esta investigación, que evalúa la influencia de la estratificación del macizo de suelo en los efectos de grupo y en los valores de los recalques de la parte superior de las estacas. Grupos con diferentes configuraciones, usuales en la prática de Ingeniería de Fundaciones, fueron considerados en perfiles estratigráficos básicos, homogéneo y formado por dos capas distintas. Los resultados numéricos obtenidos para el caso de bloque flexible, indican que la estratigrafía del macizo, la rígidez relativa de las estacas y sus dimensiones relativas no influyen significativamente en los valores de los factores de interación para el cálculo de los recalques. De esta forma, se propone un método aproximado, simple, directo y eficiente para la determinación de los recalques en grupos con cualquier número de estacas, con base en la superposición de los valores del factor de interacción entre apenas dos estacas bajo diferentes espaciamientos relativos. En el caso de bloque rígido, los resultados obtenidos indicaron que, desde el punto de vista práctico, los factores de reducción de grupo también no recibenuna influencia significativa por parte de la estratigrafía, rígidez y dimensiones relativas de las estacas. De esa forma, los factores de reducción de grupo obtenidos para el perfil de suelo homogéneo pueden ser aproximadamente utilizados para otros casos de estratigrafía.

Over the last two decades, there has been widespread international interest in the development of the molten salt reactor concept due to its passive safety, high coolant boiling temperature, low operational pressure, high thermal efficiency, and ease of breeding. Terrestrial Energy Incorporated (TEI) is developing a thermal-spectrum converter type molten salt reactor, called the Integral Molten Salt Reactor (IMSR-400) to be built by 2030. A physics experiment is needed in order to validate the theoretical predictions of the temperature reactivity coefficients of the IMSR-400. This thesis will determine the feasibility of conducting a subcritical experiment, utilizing a Deuterium-Deuterium Fusion Neutron Source (DD). / Thesis / Master of Science (MSc)

[pt] O crescimento populacional descontrolado e o desenvolvimento urbano desordenado têm testemunhado danos severos em assentamentos humanos no mundo. Fenômenos naturais extremos, como consequência de uma mudança climática abrupta, como o intenso aumento do índice pluviométrico, provocaram incidentes de deslizamentos de taludes que dificilmente seriam ignorados desde as últimas décadas. Pilhas feitas de materiais convencionais como a madeira, aço e concreto têm sido tradicionalmente utilizados para a estabilização de taludes, com a finalidade de evitar incidentes de desabamentos de aterros. O presente trabalho estuda o uso de um material não convencional, o bambu da espécie Dendrocalamus Giganteus (DG) para estabilidade de taludes, como uma alternativa de material para pilha mais amigável ao ambiente graças a sua disponibilidade geográfica e capacidade de absorção de gases de efeito estufa. Suas dimensões e mais importantes suas propriedades mecânicas, são totalmente compatíveis com as de um elemento de estaca estabilizadora de taludes. Uma análise do Método dos Elementos Finitos (FEM) foi desenvolvida no software PLAXIS para testes em 2 e 3 dimensões. Usando um modelo de encosta instável reforçada com estacas de bambu para observar a interação do solo-estaca e avaliar o fator de segurança (FS). Os resultados mostraram que as capacidades das pilhas de bambu são uma alternativa promissora para a estabilidade de taludes. / [en] Uncontrolled population growth and disorderly urban development had witnessed severe human settlement damages worldwide. Extreme natural phenomena consequence of abrupt climate change such as intense rainfall index increment had provoked landslides incidents hardly to ignore since last decades. Piles made of conventional materials such as timber, steel and concrete have traditionally been used for slope stabilization in order to prevent landslides incidents. The present paper studies the use of a non conventional material, the bamboo of the Dendrocalamus Giganteus (DG) species as bamboo-pile for slope stability, to become a more environmental friendly pile material alternative. Its dimensions and more important its mechanical properties, besides its geographical availability and greenhouse gases absorbing capabilities totally matches for an ecologic slope stabilizing pile element. Finite Element Method (FEM) analysis of bamboo-pile was developed on PLAXIS software for 2 and 3 dimensional tests. An unstable slope model condition was reinforced with bamboo-piles to observe the soil-pile interaction and evaluate the safety factor (SF). The results showed that the capabilities of the bamboo-piles are a promising alternative for slope stability.

Le travail de thèse présenté dans ce mémoire vise à analyser et à comprendre les mécanismes mis en jeu au niveau de l’impact du creusement d’un tunnel par bouclier à front pressurisé sur des fondations profondes avoisinantes. Cette thèse a été réalisée dans le cadre du projet européen NeTTUN, au sein du Laboratoire de Tribologie et de Dynamique des Systèmes (LTDS) de l’ENTPE. L’approche phénoménologique conduite lors de ces travaux repose sur deux importantes campagnes expérimentales réalisées à l’aide d’un dispositif unique au plan international de modèle réduit 1g de tunnelier à pression de terre (échelle de l’ordre de 1/10eme). La forte originalité de ce dispositif est de pouvoir simuler de façon réaliste les principales étapes du processus tridimensionnel d’excavation mécanisé d’un tunnel. Dans le cadre de cette thèse, le dispositif existant de modèle réduit de tunnelier a dans un premier temps été reconfiguré afin de pouvoir répondre aux besoins du programme expérimental envisagé. Des modèles physiques de fondations profondes (pieux et groupes de pieux) et de barrières de protection ont été conçus dans le cadre des lois de similitude, fabriqués et instrumentés. Deux campagnes expérimentales d’envergure ont été réalisées en massif de sable sec : l’une concerne les effets du passage d’un tunnelier à front pressurisé sur des fondations profondes avoisinantes (pieux, groupe de pieux), l’autre traite de l’efficacité de barrières de protection (parois moulées) utilisées pour limiter ces effets. Différents paramètres qui influencent l’interaction tunnelier - sol - fondations ont été considérés comme la distance relative tunnel / fondation, la pression frontale de soutènement appliquée par le TBM sur le terrain ou encore la hauteur des barrières de protection. L’analyse phénoménologique menée à l’échelle du modèle concerne en particulier l’évolution des champs de contraintes et de déplacements dans le terrain autour du tunnelier, les déplacements relatifs sol - pieu et sol- barrière, la redistribution des efforts au sein des fondations. L’importante base de données et d’analyse ainsi constituée a été mise à profit pour la validation d’outils de modélisation numérique développés par l’Université de Rome au sein du projet NeTTUN. / The major goal presented in this thesis was to analyze and investigate the mechanisms, which are involved in the impact of the tunnels excavated thanks to an Earth Pressure Balanced Shield on nearby deep foundations. This thesis was realized in European project NeTTUN and the work had been done in the Laboratory of Tribology and Systems Dynamics (LTDS) of ENTPE. During these works, phenomenological approach was based on two important experimental campaigns carried out using a unique device at the international level of a 1g scale model of earth-pressure tunnel boring machine (scale of the order of 1 / 10). The state of the art of this device was to be able to simulate in possibly realistic way the main stages of the three-dimensional process of mechanized excavation of a tunnel. In the framework of this thesis, the existing model tunneling machine device was initially reconfigured in order to reach the expectations of the experimental program envisaged. Physical models of deep foundations (piles and groups of piles) and protective barriers were designed under the similitude laws, manufactured and instrumented. The two large-scale experimental campaigns have been carried out in a dry sand massif. The first one concerned the effects of the passage of a pressurized tunnel boring machine on nearby deep foundations (piles, group of piles), whereas another one dealed with the effectiveness of mitigation procedure (diaphragm walls) used to limit these effects. Different parameters that influenced on the tunneling: soil - foundation interaction considered as the relative tunnel / foundation distance, the frontal face pressure applied by the TBM in the field or the height of the protective barriers. The phenomenological analysis carried out at the scale of the model concerned in particular the evolution of the fields of stresses and displacements in the ground around the tunnel boring machine, relatives pile / soil and wall / soil displacements and the redistribution of stresses along the pile foundations. The large database and analysis constituted was used for the validation of numerical modeling tools developed by the University of Rome within the NeTTUN project.

The doctoral thesis deal with the interaction between the foundation plate and deep foundation in the form of bored piles in the case of skeleton construction. The issue of tension redistribution from the column between the plate and the pile is investigated on specific object – „Shopping and entertainment center Fórum Nová Karolina”. On this object were selected columns monitored and load tests of the piles was executed. Values of the axial loading of the piles and the actual deformation of the construction have been derived from measurements and tests. They were compared with the results of structural behavior by numerical modeling.

The final thesis is focused on the design and assessement of precast structure of industrial hall – with purlin, prestressed girder, columns, grade beam, pile cap and pile. Structural analysis was performed by SCIA Engineer 2015 and hand calculations.