GEOTECHNICS ON IRISH ROADS, 2000 - 2010

A Decade of Achievement

CPD Conference Thursday 11th October 2012

PILED EMBANKMENTS
RECENT EXPERIENCES

Geotechnics on Irish Roads,

2000 2010- A Decade of Achievement
Wyatt Orsmond
October 2012

Overview of Piled Embankments

First used in 1960 in Finland
(no basal reinforcement)

Act as load transfer mechanisms

Partial or full load transfer
Rely on soil arching or basal reinforcement tension or
structural slab or a combination.

Piled Embankments and Load Transfer

platforms defined
Various design methods for piled embankments
mainly focus of basal reinforcement design.

The elements of Piled Embankment Design

From bottom to top

the pile supporting condition (end bearing or

floating),
the pile itself (type, joints, installation)
pile caps
Basal reinforcement for taking vertical load
Basal reinforcement for taking horizontal loads
Edge conditions (horizontal tieback)
Embankment height
Road Pavement
Live loading (regular and irregular)
But you have to build it first!

Working Platform Design

How do you
get a 60 ton
pile rig onto
a peat bog
which you
can barely
walk on?

Working Platforms

Geotextile with two

layers of geogrid
sandwiched between
sandy rockfill.
BRE (2004) guidance document Working platforms for tracked plant.
NOT SUITABLE for subgrade conditions where the cu < 20 kPa

Embankment Design Considerations

Pile design

Basal Reinforcement design

Pile Design what to consider

Dead load
Negative skin friction
Live loads
Soil arching
Load share (subsoil)
Shaft support
Toe and Head Conditions
Induced moments
Pile Cap

Pile Design Dead and Live loads

Uneven loading?
Floods
Road camber
Spoil infill / landscape fill

Pile Design Load Share and Arching

Soil arching
Embankment height
Clear span length

Load share (subsoil)

Where the subsoil

is weak or where
its strength is
uncertain, load
share should not
be considered.

Pile Design Support & Boundary Conditions

In weak peat, piles should be
designed as slender columns
Can the horizontal support be relied on?

Pile cap interaction (pin or fixed)

(temporary and permanent conditions)

Top and toe boundary conditions

Basal Reinforcement Design

BS 8006

Dead and live loads

Soil Arching, load share,
Lateral sliding and anchoring

Piled Embankments in Ireland

First recorded piled embankment

1985 : built as part of the New Shannon
Bridge near Athlone.

Information on
12 basal reinforced platforms
4 load transfer platforms (concrete slab)

Enniskillen Housing development (1999)

precast piles on a 2.75 triangular grid
3 layers of Tensar geogrid (2xSS30, 1 x SS20).
Failed due to settlement of the ground away
from the fill material below the lowest geogrid
causing the LTP to sag to such an extent that
there was a failure of the arching mechanism
upon which the design depended.
(Court Citation NIQB 68, ref COGC5319)

N5 Scramoge (2002)

precast piles on a 2.5m grid and

embankment height of about 3.5m.
(no other information available)

Had initial settlement issues but has since

performed well.

Gortinty N4 Drumsna to Jamestown Bypass

(2002).
200 mm square precast piles on a 1.6 to 1.45 m
square grid
800mm square pile caps.
1.3m to 1.8m high embankment.
Basal reinforcement comprised two layers of 150
kN/m Paragrid.
Some issues with positional and verticality
tolerances of piles during driving
Lateral movement of soft ground during driving
the outer row of piles.
Since construction has performed well.

N4 Drumsna

Shannon (2002) (Trial embankment)

Vibro concrete columns,

Three layers of geogrid (Tensar SS30 and
SS20) and one layer of Basetex 200/50.
Performed well.
(Quigley et al, 2003)

Corravokeen North Mayo (2003) Timber piled

embankment for Coillte
250mm diameter Sitka spruce poles on a 2.1m and 1.2m
grid
Basal reinforcement of A252 steel mesh and later with 2
layers of Stabilenka 200.
Performed well
as a temp solution.
(Ryan et al, 2004)

Glen of the Downs (2002),

Eastern Embankment and Western

Embankment
350mm square precast piles on a 2m grid
Two layers of Stabelenka supporting a
bridge embankment 8m high.
Some issues with pile installation (load
capacity) but otherwise performed well.
(Orsmond, 2004)

N11 Glen of the Downs ( 2 embankments)

A1N1 Flurry Bog (2006).

300mm square precast piles

0.8m caps on a 2.5m grid
Two layers of Polyfelt 600 - 800kN/m.
Embankment of 3.5m high.

Issues with pile verticality and positional

tolerances but post construction has
performed well.
(Orsmond, 2008)

A1N1 Flurry Bog

N7 Annaholty Bog (2009).

355mm precast square piles with 1.85 to 2.15 spacing
0.8 -1m pile caps
Stabilenka basal reinforcement in two to three layers
ranging from 150 to 1000kN/m.
Embankment height from 2m to 6m.
Failure of outer piles on a short section post construction
required reconstruction
done with a concrete slab.

Some post construction deflection near repair occurred

but otherwise performing well.

N7 Annaholty

N7 Drominboy Bog (2009).

355mm precast piles on 1.8 to 1.9m

square grid
2.5m to 6m high embankment.
Designed as a basal reinforcement system
but finally built as a concrete slab due to
pile vertical and positional tolerance
issues.

Limerick Tunnel bridge approach

embankments (2009).

At two bridge locations

Steel H piles 400x122
installed on a 4x4m grid supporting a
concrete slab.
Performed well.
(Buggy & Curran (2011)

 Limerick Tunnel
Bridge approach

N25/N27 Kinsale Road Interchange

650 and 750 dia bored piles
2m x 2m pile caps
2 layers of Fortrax 800

A4/A5 Dungannon to Balleygawley (2010).

275mm and 350mm precast concrete piles on

grids of 2.5m to 3m
0.75 to 0.9m square pile caps
(one area interlinked with beams)

Two layers of basal reinforcement ranging from

700 to 800kPa.
Embankment failed during construction due to
excessive uneven loading with landscape fill
adjacent to embankment.
(info courtesy of AGEC Ltd.)

Lessons Learnt
Working Platforms
Piling
Basal Reinforcement design
Embankment Fill
Monitoring

Working Platforms

Keep it thin (light) to limit long term

settlement
It could even be removed eg A650 Bigley

Cant simply base design on in-situ and lab

tests need to do trials
Consider alternative routes for haul trucks
Strict control of loading
A1N1 : 60 ton crane when platform designed
for 30 ton pile rig
A4/A5 : pile test kentledge placed on platform

Piling Construction Issues

Verticality
Positional Tolerance
Pile caps
Pile joints

Piling Design Issues,

Basal Reinforcement Design - Layering

Layers together or separated with fill??

Can it be done without causing excessive damage to
the reinforcement layers?
Can the layers be placed taught over the surface and
covered in an even manner to get uniform strain?
How does the placing of the basals affect the pile
caps?

Basal Reinforcement

Overlap between rolls

Edge detail

Embankment Fill
Placement of first layers
Excessive/uneven loading of pile caps
No or little compaction, increase with height

Outer edge fill non structural, lightweight

Avoid infilling adjacent to platform

A1N1 Flurry Bog

Horizontal Inclinometer Displacement A1 and A2
Mid span compared to pile span
50

0
0

Displacement (mm)

Monitoring

10

12

14

16

18

-50

-100

-150

10-Oct
12-Dec
26-Jan
23-Feb
19-Apr

-200
Em bankm ent w idth (m )

Ignorance is bliss but knowledge is power!

Monuments and survey plates
Limited for basal monitoring, vehicle damage

Horizontal inclinometers
Problems with large deformation

Fibre optic strain gauges

Easily damaged, costly

Vertical inclinometers
Very seldom done but should be mandatory

13-Nov
19-Dec
01-Feb
03-Mar
17-May

21-Nov
10-Jan
07-Feb
24-Mar
A2-13 Nov

28-Nov
16-Jan
15-Feb
05-Apr

20

Acknowledgements

RPS Consulting Engineers

AGL, Eric Farrell
Roughan & ODonovan, Fintan Buggy
AGEC, Turlough Johnston, Paul Jennings
ARUP, Paul Quigley

Geotechnical Society Of Ireland

THANK YOU