• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.34 no.4
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• pp.397-408
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• 2023

Pipe pile walls are commonly used as retaining structures for excavation projects, particularly in densely populated coastal cities such as Hong Kong. Pipe pile walls are preferred in reclaimed land due to their cost-effectiveness and convenience for installation. However, the pre-bored piling techniques used to install pipe piles can cause significant ground disturbance, posing risks to nearby sensitive structures. This study reports a well-documented case history in a reclamation site, and it was found that pipe piling could induce ground settlement of up to 100 mm. Statutory design submissions in Hong Kong typically specify a ground settlement alarm level of 10 mm, which is significantly lower than the actual settlement observed in this study. In addition, lateral soil movement of approximately 70 mm was detected in the marine deposit. The lateral soil displacement in the marine deposit was found to be up to 3.4 and 3.1 times that of sand fill and CDG, respectively, mainly due to the relatively low stiffness of the marine deposit. Based on the monitoring data and site-investigation data, a 3D numerical analysis was established to back-analyze soil movements due to the installation of the pipe pile wall. The comparison between measured and computed results indicates that the equivalent ground loss ratio is 20%, 40%, and 20% for the fill, marine deposit and CDG, respectively. The maximum ground settlement increases with an increase in the ground loss ratio of the marine deposit, whereas the associated influence radius remains stationary at 1.2 times the pipe pile wall depth (H). The maximum ground settlement increases rapidly when the thickness of marine deposit is less than 0.32H, particularly for the ground loss ratio of larger than 40%. This study provides new insights into the pipe piling construction in reclamation sites.

• Journal of the Korean Geosynthetics Society
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• v.14 no.3
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• pp.1-12
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• 2015

During installing sheet piles for an impermeable wall or a retaining wall, vibratory hammers are widely used. Among vibratory hammers, a hydraulic hammer is used most commonly. However, a hydraulic hammer causes excessive vibration and noise due to resonance by change of natural frequency according to movements of eccentric shaft when the hammer starts and stops. In this study, new variable amplitude type hammer is developed in order to reduce the vibration and noise due to resonance produced in starting and stopping the hammer. By controlling horizontal angle in two pairs of eccentric body inside of the hammer, the amplitude and vibration of the new hammer can be controlled. The performance tests with the new hammer and existing hammers such as the hydraulic hammer and electric hammer are carried out, and the new hammer shows reduced vibration and noise results in comparison with existing hammers from performance tests. Also, this study shows that penetration rates of sheet pile using the new hammer increase due to impellent force of a backhoe in comparison with the electric hammer and penetration rate increase in comparison with a general hydraulic hammer, since the new hammer can control the amplitude during penetration of sheet pile according to soil condition.