Posts by Kanwarjot Singh

Load tests are conducted to verify the design assumptions and parameters such as pile friction in soils and sock socket capacity. There are various failure criteria in current construction industry to determine ultimate load resistance of piles in pile load test. For instance in 90% criterion of Brinch Hansen, it is based on the laboratory measured stress-strain relations of soils and a point is identified in which soil fails. This essentially aims at looking for the ultimate bearing capacity and hence the ultimate loads. In fact, this is not intended originally for piles.

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Pile load test provides information on ultimate bearing capacity but not settlement behavior. In essence, it can determine if the load is taken up by the stratum designed or if the centre of resistance is at the design location in piles as suggested by Robert D. Chellis (1961).

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The rules of wave mechanics suggested that to avoid reflection of stress wave caused by different impedance values, acoustic impedance should be the same for the follower and precast concrete piles. As such, it enhances smoothest driving and prevent follower from bouncing on the head of piles which is undesirable as it may damage the piles and lowers the efficiency of driving.

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Strain gages are often installed in driven piles to measure the load distribution along the piles. They have to be protected from being removed as the pile is driven into the ground. Protection of strain gages is achieved by welding channels or angles for enclosure of stain gages.

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The steep dipping and variable nature of karst surfaces poses problems for installation of driven piles. Very often, the consequences of hard driving piles over steeply-inclined karst are slipping and buckling of piles. To tackle these problems, the following two options are mostly adopted:

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There are two kinds of holes present in the steel plate connected to H-piles in the pile cap. The first kind of holes is designed to be filled with welding for better connection with H-piles. The second kind of holes is present to facilitate concreting works of the pile caps.

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Land Planning is the first step that a developer takes upon acquiring a site. Virtually everyone involved in Civil Engineering will experience being a land planner of sort. Try to find the definition of a land planner by searching the internet. What you will find is definitions of “Land-Use Planners” and “Urban Planners” and “City Planners”, but when consultants often list their range of services offered, “Land Planning” is often on their business cars, letter heads and web sites.

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For pile driving in certain soils like dense silt and weathered rock, the occurrence of false set phenomenon is not uncommon. During the driving process, negative pore water pressure is developed and the driven piles appear to have sufficient capacity during pile driving as the built-up of negative pore water pressure leads to an apparent temporary increase in driving resistance and strength.

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For basement construction, if piles are driven from the centre to the perimeter, there is a tendency of soils to move outwards. Such lateral movement of soil may cause damage to nearby structures and utilities.

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Press-in piling involves the use of hydraulic rams to provide the force to jack the pile into ground. The hydraulic ram is part of machine called “Silent Piler” which uses jacked pile to provide reaction force for jacking.

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