DFI Journal - The Journal of the Deep Foundations Institute
Volume 11, Issue 2, May 2018
DOI: 10.1080/19375247.2018.1448552
All Journal papers are free to DFI members.
If you are a member, please click on the "Login" link at the top of this page to to download this paper.
Not a member? Join here to get access to all papers or click the purchase button below to access this paper only.
Soil Plug Behaviour of Open-Ended Pipe Piles During Installation
Article Type: Research Paper
Seo, H. & Kim, M.
Abstract
This study experimentally investigates the effects of the pile diameter and initial soil density on the change of the soil plug state during pile driving through model pile tests. Model piles with two different inner diameters were cut in half vertically and driven along a transparent front wall of a soil tank to visualise the soil plugging process. Loose and dense soils with alternating coloured layers were deposited using fine sand. The entire pile driving process was then recorded using a high-definition digital camera. Detailed image analysis revealed that pipe piles experience repeated transitions from a plugged condition to an unplugged condition during the pile driving process. Compressive strains within the soil plug generally increased with the increasing distance from the top of the soil plug, reached a maximum value and then decreased toward the pile base. Furthermore, the density of the soil plug increased from its initial value and reached a terminal value as the pile penetration increased.
Keywords:
open-ended pipe piles, soil plugging, model pile, visualization