Bearing Characteristics and Simplified Calculation of a Reamed Precast Concrete Pile with Prebored Grouting

• Published in: International journal of civil engineering (Tehran. Online) Vol. 22; no. 5; pp. 859 - 875
• Main Authors: Zhang, Hao, Wang, Zhong, Liu, Weizheng, Zhao, Yu, Zhou, Tonghe
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Cham Springer International Publishing 01.05.2024
• Subjects: Civil Engineering; Engineering; Research Paper; Reamed precast concrete piles; Simplified method; Composite pile; Bearing characteristics; Axial response
• ISSN: 1735-0522; 2383-3874
• DOI: 10.1007/s40999-023-00913-6

Reamed precast concrete (RPC) piles with prebored grouting are a new type of composite pile composed of inner precast concrete (PC) piles and peripheral reamed material. To investigate the vertical bearing performance of RPC piles, a series of three-dimensional finite element analyses and theoretical studies were performed to model a group of field tests. The cooperative bearing mechanism of the inner PC pile, reamed material, and surrounding soil were analyzed. The results of the analysis showed that the bearing characteristics of RPC piles were similar to those of end-bearing friction piles, with pile ends bearing more than 20% of the total load. The outer reamed material carried approximately 43% of the applied load and effectively transferred the load borne by the internal PC pile to the surrounding soil. Moreover, the decrease in settlement of the pile head was proportional to increasing thickness and compressive strength of the outer reamed material. By utilizing the comprehensive elastic modulus of the composite pile body, a simplified method was proposed to calculate predictions of the axial response of RPC piles under full cross-sectional loading. Good agreement was found between the predictions and results of the field tests and numerical analyses, demonstrating the effectiveness and applicability of the proposed approach.