Indian Geotechnical Conference 2010, GEOtrendz December 1618, 2010 IGS Mumbai Chapter & IIT Bombay

Pile Termination Criteria for Rock Socketed Piles in Mumbai A New Approach
Khare, Makarand G.
Engineering Manager e-mail makarandkhare@yahoo.com
1

Mhaiskar, S.Y. 1
Principal e-mail sharad_55@yahoo.co.uk

Larsen and Toubro ECC Division, Chennai Sardar Patel College of Engineering, Mumbai

ABSTRACT
The availability of hydraulic rotary rigs resulted in faster piling even in hard rocks, but engineers could no longer use the chisel penetration resistance to decide the pile termination. The study presents a pile termination criteria based on rock classification which includes geological identification of rock and rock strength assessment using breakability, penetration and scratch tests. This paper discusses the results of nine vertical load tests conducted on piles of 600 mm, 800 mm and 1000 mm diameters, and constructed using hydraulic rotary rigs. The piles were subjected to compressive stress of 18.75 MPa. The study shows that testing of piles with higher test load may demonstrate higher safe capacities in rock socketed piles and would benefit the project. 1. INTRODUCTION Pile construction using hydraulic rotary rigs has become a popular choice across the country. The rotary rigs offer faster construction, control on the alignment of pile and easy installation and removal of casing to greater depths. Anirudhan (2008) discussed the problems such as absence of energy measuring tools and underperformance of piles drilled with rotary rigs when compared to DMC (direct mud circulation) chisel method. The DMC chisel technique offers an indirect assessment of rock strength by way of chisel penetration resistance. In Mumbai, the chisel penetration resistance was being used as a guide to decide the pile termination and the end bearing resistance in pile was usually restricted to 5 MPa. In soft rocks such as breccia a target pile length may be recommended based on detailed geotechnical investigation to determine rock properties such as core recovery (CR), rock quality designation (RQD), unconfined compressive strength (UCS) and rock mass rating (RMR). However if the site has random occurrence of soft rocks and very hard rocks (such as basalt) then a predetermined pile length can be uneconomical and even difficult to implement in site. The study presented here discusses a pile termination criteria based on rock classification. 2. PROJECT DETAILS A common user terminal building with an approximate footprint of 5 million square feet is under construction as a part of modernization work of Mumbai International Airport (MIAL). A detailed geotechnical investigation was carried out which included 65 numbers of boreholes (ranging from 12 m to 40 m deep), 74 in-situ pressuremeter tests in soil and rock, 2 cross hole tests (up to 40 m deep) and laboratory determination of UCS and modulus of elasticity of rock core samples. The geotechnical investigation revealed the depth of rock varying from 1 m to 9 m. More than 45 boreholes (out of 65) showed the presence of highly to moderately weathered volcanic breccia and in remaining areas, hard rocks such as basalt and trachyte were encountered. In view of the above observations it was necessary to adopt a foundation scheme consisting of spread footings/raft and bored cast-in-situ pile foundation. The settlement at working load was restricted to less than 12 mm in the case of footings/raft as well as pile foundation. This paper discusses design of pile foundation based on nine static vertical load tests performed in breccia and trachyte rock. 3. ENGINEERING PROPERTIES OF ROCKS The engineering properties of rock were assessed through in-situ tests such as pressuremeter and laboratory tests such as unconfined compression test and point load index test. The summary of these test results is given in Table 1.

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Table 1: Summary Rock Properties

G. Makarand Khare and S.Y. Mhaiskar

Rock Description

Slightly - Moderately Weathered Basalt Fresh - Moderately Weathered Trachyte Fresh - Highly Weathered Breccia Fresh - Highly Weathered Volcanic Breccia

Modulus of Elasticity of rock (MPa) From In situ From Laboratory pressuremeter tests rock core tests 7717 (5 tests) 21893 (4 tests) 6466 (18 tests) 16180 (5 tests) 4182 (32 tests) 2771 (14 tests) -

UCS of soaked rock samples (MPa) 61.5 (24 tests) 46.3 (77 tests) 6.9 (4 tests) 11.4 (160 tests)

4. TEST PILE DETAILS All test piles were constructed using hydraulic rotary rigs. The top soil was supported with a casing and no bentonite was used. The preliminary pile capacities were estimated based on Cole and Stroud (1977) and piling practice in Mumbai reported by Datye (1990). The preliminary pile capacities for 500 mm, 600 mm, 800 mm, 1000 mm and 1200 mm diameter piles were estimated to be 970 kN, 1410 kN, 2500 kN, 3930 kN and 5660 kN respectively. Nine static vertical load tests were carried out to determine the safe pile capacity and pile termination criteria. The pile testing program included small (600 mm), medium (800 mm) and large (1000 mm) diameter piles as envisaged in the project. The rock samples recovered during construction of test piles were classified by an experienced geologist using physical properties such as colour, grain size and mineralogy as described in Table 2. The rock samples were further classified as suggested by Cole and Stroud (1977) and explained in Table 3. The Table 4 shows classification of rock samples recovered at different depths during construction of test pile.
Table 2: Geological Identification of Rock Samples

test load. From Table 5, it is observed that, 600 mm diameter piles with 3D socketing in Highly to moderately weathered breccia of Grade C can carry a safe load of 1570 kN as shown by TP-2. In case of 800 mm diameter piles viz. TP-4, 5 and 6 the socketing depths are 4D, 3D and 7D respectively. The test pile TP-5 which is socketed 3D in volcanic breccia shows pile capacity of 1890 kN as per IS: 14593 against preliminary design load of 2500 kN.

Fig.1:. Load-Settlement Response: 600 mm Dia Piles

Rock Type Volcanic Breccia Trachyte Basalt

Physical Properties Grain Colour Mineralogy Size Yellowish Coarse Feldspar, silty brown to clay with some purple quartz content Light pinkish Fine Feldspar more grey medium than 75% Dark greenish Fine Hornblende and black Feldspar

Fig.2: Load-Settlement Response: 800 mm Dia Piles

5. LOAD TEST RESULTS & PILE TERMINATION All piles were subjected to maximum compressive stress of 18.75 MPa (which is 2.5 times the safe structural capacity of pile constructed with M30 grade concrete). The test load was applied by taking reaction from rock anchors installed around the test pile. The load-settlement curves for 600 mm, 800mm, and 1000mm diameter piles are shown in Figures 1, 2 and 3 respectively. The test results are interpreted as per guidelines of IS 14593 (1998) and IS 2911 (2000) and summarised in Table 5. For TP-1, 4, 6, 7 and 9 the ultimate load is considered equal to the maximum

Fig. 3: Load-Settlement Response: 1000 mm Dia Piles

Pile Termination Criteria for Rock Socketed Piles in Mumbai... Table 3: Rock Grade Classification Based on Breakability, Penetration and Scratch Test (After Cole and Stroud, 1977)

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Grade A B C D E F

Breakability Penetration Difficult to break against solid object with hammer Broken against solid object with hammer Broken in hand by hitting with hammer Broken by leaning on sample No penetration with knife with hammer Broken by hand Penetration to about 2mm with knife Easily broken by hand Penetration to about 5mm with knife

Scratch Cannot be scratched with knife Can just be scratched with knife Scratched with knife. Can just be scratched with thumb-nail Scratched with thumb-nail -

Table 4 : Classification of Rock Samples Recovered During Piling Based on Geology, Breakability, Penetration, Scratch Test

Pile diameter 600 mm

TP No TP-1 TP-2 TP-3

800 mm

TP-4

TP-5 TP-6

Depth of rock sample (m) 4.0 7.1 5.5 6.5 6.58.5 4.05.0 5.06.5 5.06.9 7.17.5 8.0 4.06.5 5.0 7.6 10.6 8.5-9.5 9.510.7 5.4 5.0 6.0

Grade of rock C-B E-D C D-C C-B C C C C E E E D-C C C B

Depth of socket and socket material 5 D in Volcanic Breccia ( Grade C) 3.3 D in Volcanic Breccia (Grade C) 2.5 D in Volcanic Breccia (Grade C) 3.7 D in Volcanic Breccia (Grade D-C)

3.2 D in Volcanic Breccia (Grade C) 7 D in Volcanic Breccia (Grade E)

1000 mm

TP-7 TP-8 TP-9

2.2 D in Volcanic Breccia (Grade C) 2.1 D in Volcanic Breccia (Grade C) 1.1 D in Trachyte

Table 5: Safe Pile Capacties Based on IS 14593 (clause 9.2.2) and IS 2911 Part 4 (Clause 6.1.5)

IS: 14593 Pile No. TP-1 TP-2 TP-3 TP-4 TP-5 TP-6 TP-7 TP-8 TP-9 (1/2) of load at which settlement is 12 mm Pile settlement < 12 mm 2225 kN 2530 kN Pile settlement < 12 mm 2330 kN Pile settlement < 12 mm Pile settlement < 12 mm 5050 kN Pile settlement < 12 mm (1/3) of ultimate load 1770 kN 1570 kN 1770 kN 3180 kN 1890 kN 3180 kN 4950 kN 4620 kN 4950 kN (2/3) of load at which settlement is 12 mm Pile settlement < 12 mm 2930 kN 3360 kN Pile settlement < 12 mm 3100 kN Pile settlement < 12 mm Pile settlement < 12 mm 6730 kN Pile settlement < 12 mm

IS: 2911 (1/2) of load at which pile displacement is equal to 10 % of pile diameter Pile settlement < 60 mm Pile settlement < 60 mm Pile settlement < 60 mm Pile settlement < 80 mm 2830 kN Pile settlement < 80 mm Pile settlement < 100mm Pile settlement < 100 mm Pile settlement < 100 mm

However, TP-4 with 4D socketing in volcanic breccia shows a capacity of 3180 kN as per IS: 14593. Therefore, for 800 mm diameter piles, 4D socketing in Highly to moderately weathered breccia of Grade C was recommended for 3180 kN safe capacity. For 1000 mm diameter piles a safe capacity of 4620 kN was recommended based on the results of TP-8. For 1000 mm diameter piles 2D socketing in Highly to moderately weathered breccia

of Grade C (as in TP-7, 8) and 1D socketing in hard rock like trachyte (as in TP-9) was recommended to achieve safe capacity of 4620 kN. Interestingly, if the TP-1, 4, 6, 7 and 9 were subjected to higher test load; higher safe pile capacities could have been observed. Though no load test was proposed for piles socketed in basalt, theoretical pile capacities were calculated using Cole and Stroud (1977) approach and by considering the

1046 unconfined compressive strength (UCS) of rock cores (UCS = 25 MPa to 114 MPa). The analysis showed that 0.5 D socketing is sufficient to meet design capacities. For 500 mm diameter piles, socketing identical to 600 mm diameter and for 1200 mm diameter piles, socketing identical to 1000 mm diameter was proposed (though no pile load test was carried out in 500 mm and 1200 mm diameter piles). This recommendation was based on the assumption that the effect of size between test piles and the corresponding working piles is small and acceptable. However for 500 mm diameter piles a minimum socketing of 0.3 m in basalt was proposed (against 0.5 D recommended for other pile diameters) to ensure a proper seating on rock. The recommended socketing depth corresponding to each type of rock and the safe pile capacity is summarized in Table 6. The pile termination criterion presented here was implemented successfully in 3000 piles. All the routine load tests carried out with test load equal to 1.5 safe capacities showed the pile settlements less than 8 mm.
Table 6: Recommendations for Pile Socketing

G. Makarand Khare and S.Y. Mhaiskar Table 7: Estimated Mobilized Friction and Rock Types

TP No. 1,2,4,5,7,8 6 9

Rock Type Volcanic Breccia (Grade C) Volcanic Breccia (Grade E) Trachyte (Grade B)

Estimated Average Mobilized socket friction (MPa) 2.0 0.9 7.16

7. CONCLUSIONS The study presents the results of nine static vertical load tests. A pile termination criteria and safe pile capacities based on geological classification and strength of rock is presented. The estimated mobilized friction for breccia of grade C, breccia of grade E and trachyte of grade B is found to be 2, 0.9 and 7.16 MPa respectively. The study also shows that testing of piles with higher test load may demonstrate higher safe capacities particularly in rock socketed piles and would benefit the project. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Authors are thankful to MIAL led by GVK group and their Program Managers CH2MHill for granting the permission to present the paper and to use the experimental data to reach the conclusions. Authors also thank to all the staff of Larsen and Toubro, ECC Division and Foundation and Geotechnical Engineering Cell (FGEC) in particular for their support in pile testing program. REFERENCES Anirudhan, I.V. (2008). Construction of Bored Cast-in-situ Piles in Chennai using Rotary Type Hydraulic Piling Rigs - Some Quality Control Aspects. The Master Builder, Dec. 2008, pp. 58-66. Cole, K.W. and Stroud, M.A. (1977). Rock Socketed Piles at Coventry Point, Market Way, Coventry. Published in Piles in Weak Rock, by Thomas Telford Ltd for Institution of Civil Engineers London. Datye, K.R. (1990). Bored Piling in Bombay Region. Advance in Geotechnical Engineering, IGC 1990, Mumbai, India, pp. 571-587. IS 14593 (1998). Indian standard code of practice for Design and Construction of Bored Cast In-Situ Piles founded on Rock-Guidelines. BIS, New Delhi. IS 2911 Part 4 (2000). Indian standard code of practice for Design and Construction of Pile Foundations Load Test on Piles. BIS, New Delhi.

Pile Dia. (mm)

Depth of socket (m) Volcanic Breccia of Grade B or C 1.5 1.8 3.2 2.0 Highly to Moderately Weathered, Fresh Trachyte 0.5 0.6 0.8 1.0 Basalt 0.3 0.3 0.4 0.5

Safe capacity (kN)

500 600 800 1000

970 1570 3180 4620

1200

2.4

1.2

0.6

5750

6. FRICTIONAL RESISTANCE OF ROCK FROM LOAD TEST TP-1, 4, 6, 7 and 9 show settlements less than 1% of respective pile diameters. In case of TP-2, 5 and 8 very large settlement values indicate that full shaft friction is mobilized with little or no end bearing resistance. Based on these observations it is postulated that, the maximum test load observed in the TP-1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9 may be equated to the mobilized frictional resistance of rock socket alone. The average mobilized socket frictional resistance under test load is estimated based on above stated hypothesis and given in Table 7.