Assessment of disturbance impact of hydraulic jacked-in pile penetration in artificial clayey soil

Abstract

The jacked-in pile method provides a substitute procedure that permits the installation of pre-formed piles with negligible vibration in a noiseless manner, thereby reducing noise impacts in marine and urban environments. This research was carried out by using a small-scale physical modelling approach to examine the movement of soil during pile installation. The model soil was formulated from a mix of amorphous silica and mineral oils; the resulting mixture was subjected to consolidation in a transparent chamber. The model pile was driven vertically down the mid-point of the soil model at different vertical speeds using a strain control device. The array of soil displacement dispersal was obtained by utilising the close-range photogrammetry and particle image velocimetry techniques. The deformation of soil during pile installation was found to decrease with progressive increase of the penetration rate. This result can be employed in the assessment of the disturbance effects of pile installation on underground services and archaeological relics beneath the ground in both urban and marine environments.

Keywords:

• Pile foundation
• soil deformation
• transparent soil
• particle image velocimetry

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

The authors are grateful for the financial support from Ministry of Higher Education of Malaysia (MOHE) under the ERGS grant - Assessment of Disturbance Impact of Hydraulic Jack In Pile Penetration in Clay Using Transparent Soil and Particle Image Velocimetry” - R.J130000.7822.4L097.