The ultimate objective of this research is to develop a methodology for predicting the amount and areal extent of ground settlement that can occur from installation of piles in silt. An important milestone in this effort is to provide practical recommendations to engineers and contractors for minimizing or avoiding these effects. These objectives will be accomplished by a detailed review of case studies followed by a numerical study.
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This is a proposal to study the liquefaction of silts due to the driving of piles and sheetpiles and the resulting settlement of adjacent ground. Loose, inorganic silts are prevalent in Rhode Island, and there have been several examples of excessive settlements and damage to structures during the construction of roads and other transportation infrastructure. A detailed case study of one such event in Providence has been recently published by the Principal Investigator, and the objective of this research is to perform a numerical simulation of this event using state-of-the-art constitutive models and the finite difference program FLAC. The constitutive model will be calibrated using existing data collected at URI on the dynamic behavior of the Rhode Island silts. The results of this research will be a predictive model for estimating the amount of settlement of adjacent ground due to pile driving and installation of sheetpiles. Ultimately, the numerical approach will be used to develop design charts that can be used to estimate ground settlement given a number of conditions such as the thickness of the silt layer(s), pile dimensions, hammer size, etc. This will have a direct benefit for transportation infrastructure involving deep foundations or excavation support in silts.
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$72,646.00
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There is currently no research underway in Rhode Island to study the settlement of adjacent ground due to pile driving in silts. This Is despite the fact that these deposists underlie significant areas of the city of Providence and other urban areas in the United States. However, the proposed research builds upon four years of continuous work on the dynamic behavior of silts and the liquefaction potential of silts due to earthquakes. As such, there are strong linkages from existing research at URI to the proposed project.
The results of this research will be compiled into a report that will be presented to the URITC at the end of the study. Findings will also be published in the geo-technical literature sucha s the RTB Journal and Conference Proceedings and the ASCE Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering.
This research is of significant importance to the transportation and construction industries within Rhode Island. The results of this research will be a predictive model for estimating the amount ofo settlement of adjacent ground due to pile driving and installation of sheetpiles. From this model will come guidelines for minimizing these harmful effects. This will have a direct benefit for any transportation project involving deep foundations or excavation support in silts.
silts, liquefaction, settlement, piles