Field Tests on Bearing Characteristics of Large-Diameter Combined Tip-and-Side Post Grouted Drilled Shafts

This paper presents a field study on the axial behavior of four large-diameter drilled shafts embedded in coarse sand. The grouting and loading test procedures were reported. The bearing capacity of shafts (TS1 and TS2) and grouted drilled shafts (TS3 and TS4) were herein determined by the bi-directional static test and top-down load test, respectively. The enhancement mechanism of bearing characteristics of the grouted shafts was discussed in detail. The test results indicate that the bearing characteristics and load transfer mechanisms of the test shafts were significantly affected by the quantity of pressurized cement slurry and the mechanical properties of the soil surrounding the shafts. Furthermore, the tip resistance of shaft can be mobilized more rapidly and fully after grouting, the side and tip resistance are mobilized in a more synchronized and coordinated manner due to the pre-mobilization of the grouted cement. Additionally, the standard penetration test (SPT) prediction model was introduced to calculate and predict the SPT blow counts of soil after grouting. The results show that the post grouting has a more obvious improvement on the strength of cohesionless soil.

Fiber Optic-Based Thermal Integrity Profiling of Drilled Shaft: Inverse Modeling for Spiral Fiber Deployment Strategy

The current state of practice to interpret the thermal integrity profiling (TIP) data of drilled shaft is the so-called effective radius method. It uses the concrete pouring log and average temperature to construct a relationship between temperature distribution and effective radius that can be used to reconstruct a drilled shaft model. While this effective radius method is computationally inexpensive and has good operationality, it is not good at predicting the dimensions and shape of shaft defects. Upgrading the sensor used in conventional TIP from thermocouples/thermal wires to fiber optic sensors, the spatial resolution of the measured temperature will be enhanced. By using the newly proposed spiral fiber deployment strategy, we can improve the reconstruction of shaft defects in the integrity testing of drilled shafts. The corresponding inverse modeling of defected shaft reconstruction for spiral deployment is proposed in this paper based on the temperature distribution pattern that is learned from forward modeling. Through inverse modeling, the details of defects in drilled shafts can be reconstructed numerically. An analysis of the results shows that the prediction by inverse modeling has good agreement with the forward modeling set up initially. This work helps the evolution of the TIP from the nondestructive testing stage to the quantitative nondestructive evaluation stage.

Modified Standard Penetration Test for Drilled Shaft Design in Weak Fine-Grained Rocks

Standard penetration tests (SPTs) have been used to estimate strength parameters of soils and weak rocks when it is difficult to obtain high-quality samples for laboratory shear testing. SPTs require 45 cm (18 in.) of split-spoon sampler penetration to determine the blowcounts per 0.3 m (1 ft), which is difficult to impossible to obtain in weak rock, that is, intermediate geomaterials. As a result, a modified SPT is presented here for sampler penetrations less than 45 cm (18 in.) in weak rocks. This new procedure is termed the modified standard penetration test (MSPT) and uses the penetration rate, not the sum of penetration blowcounts per 0.3 m, to estimate the unconfined compressive strength for the design of drilled shafts in weak fine-grained rocks. The penetration rate is the inverse of the linear slope of the penetration depth versus blowcount relationship. With this new test and interpretation procedure, 45 cm (18 in.) of sampler penetration is no longer required to estimate the unconfined compressive strength of weak rocks. An empirical correlation between MSPT penetration rate and laboratory-measured unconfined compressive strength is presented here for weak Illinois shale. This correlation could be used to estimate the unconfined compressive strength for the design of drilled shafts in weak rocks.

Model Uncertainties in Foundation Design

The book focuses on providing a foundation designer information on the model factor and its statistics for conventional foundation types such as shallow foundations, driven piles, and drilled shafts as well as special foundations such as spudcans and helical piles. Besides foundations, the book also provides information for other geostructures such as mechanically stabilized earth (MSE) walls, soil nail walls, pipes and anchors, slopes, and braced excavations.