• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.27 no.6
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• pp.595-604
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• 2021

With the advantages of high permeability and strength, pervious concrete piles can be suitable for ground improvement with high water content and low bearing capacity. By comparing the strength and permeability of pervious concrete with different aggregate sizes (3-5 mm and 4-6 mm) and porosities (20%, 25%, 30% and 35%), the recommended aggregate size (3-5 mm) and porosity (30%) can be achieved. The model tests of the pervious concrete piles in soft soil (silt and clay) foundations were conducted to evaluate the bearing characteristics, results show that, for the higher consolidation efficiency of the silty foundation, the bearing capacity of the silty foundation is 16% higher, and the pile-soil stress ratio is smaller. But when it is the ultimate load for the piles, they will penetrate into the underlying layer, which reduces the pile-soil stress ratios. With higher skin friction of the pile in the silty foundation, the pile penetration is smaller, so the decrease of the pile axial force can be less. For the difference in consolidation efficiency, the skin friction of pile in silt is more affected by the effective stress of soil, while the skin friction of pile in clay is more affected by the lateral stress. When the load reaches 4400 N, the skin friction of the pile in the silty foundation is about 35% higher than that of the clay foundation.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.38 no.1
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• pp.79-91
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• 2024

The settlement, bearing capacity, axial force, and skin friction responses of pervious and impervious concrete piles in silty and sandy underlying layer foundations and of pervious concrete piles in model tests were determined. The results showed that pervious concrete piles can exhibit high strengths, provide drainage paths and thus reduce foundation consolidation time. Increasing the soil layer thickness and pile length could eliminate the bearing capacity difference of pervious piles in a foundation with a silty underlying layer. The pervious concrete piles in the sandy underlying layer were more efficacious than those in the silty underlying layer because the sandy underlying layer can provide more bearing capacity than the silty underlying layer. The results indicated that the performances of the pervious concrete piles in the sand and silt foundations differed. The pervious concrete piles functioned as floating piles in the underlying layer with a lower bearing capacity and as end-bearing piles in the underlying layer with a higher bearing capacity.