Long term Behaviour of Tension Piles in Cohesive Soft Soil

Research Project, 2012 – 2015

Construction of large underground infrastructure project in deep layers of soil demands anchoring of the structure to prevent up-lift due to unloading by excavation and hydraulic forces. In Scandinavia tension piles have been used mainly for temporary cases. The long-term behavior of such piles in soft clay is therefore not known. The purpose of the proposed project is to provide a detailed basis for the design of tension piles used for permanent anchoring of large infrastructures in soft Scandinavian soils. The behavior of tension piles in cohesive soil is by advantage investigated in a research project which involves a literature study, a theoretical model study, laboratory small scale testing as well as full scale or semi-full case field testing and analysis. A literature study ought to give a good insight in different design philosophies used today in other geologies. In laboratory pile tests in model scale can be performed for a qualitative study. The results can be compared with results from full scale tests. For the analysis of the piles, traditional analytical methods as well as numerical modeling should be used.