Bearing capacity of driven open-ended pipe piles in weak soil formations

Abstract EN

Steel pipe piles have been increasingly used as deep foundations for offshore or onshore structures in weak soil formations.

these piles are usually open-ended and installed to their final level using suitable hammers or vibrators relying on the subsurface conditions.

simultaneously, the soil plug (SP) forms inside the employed pipe pile during driving or installation.

moreover, it affects bearing behavior and total pile resistance.

the experimental tests have been performed on a single tube pile.

all tube piles were tested using the well-graded sand collected from the Egyptian desert, and the sand was prepared at medium density using a raining technique.

the outcomes of the model pile tests showed that the value of plug resistance in open-ended pipe pile (OEPP) is typically on the order of 50% to 70% of the total pile load of OEPP, and it is influenced by pile thickness, pile diameter, pile length, and submerged state.

simultaneously, the plugging influence of OEPP increased with increasing pile thickness and embedded pile length.

however, the plugging influence decreased with increasing pile diameter.

the total pile load of OEPP increased with increasing the embedded pile length.

it must be noted that the influence of pile length on the total pile load is greater than the influence of pile diameter ; this refers to the pile length having a significant effect on the total pile load.

this is due to an increase in the influence of SP.