Development of Piled Foundation Bias Factors in the Arabian Gulf

Abstract

Offshore sites in the Arabian Gulf are characterized by the presence of calcareous sediments. Research work on driven piles in calcareous sediments has been developing for over 40 years. Yet, international codes and standards do not provide, exploit or quantify guidance for driven piles in carbonated sediments. Lack of design methods is partly attributed to inability of conventional soil mechanics to predict appropriate engineering parameters in calcareous sediments. Further, the characteristics of the sediments vary between the geographical regions depending on the geological history forming that region. As a result, current industry practice follows a conservative and subjective approach at the mere mention of carbonated sediments. Consequently, reassessment of an existing platform may falsely indicate the need for expensive construction intervention. In this study, we reviewed current practice for assessment of piled foundation in the calcareous sediments of the Arabian Gulf, collated a database of actual pile driving records, developed and implemented a detailed back-analysis procedure and implemented to derive actual pile capacities. The statistics show that the use of a single capacity value, as implied by the deterministic method of codes and standards, is insufficient to describe the various conditions surrounding the as-installed driven piles in calcareous sediments.

Assessment of New Bio-Cement Method for Sand Foundation Reinforcement

“…It is crucial to strengthen sand foundations to ensure the safety of engineering projects. Several conventional consolidation measures, such as densification, gravel drains, grouting, and deep mixing, have been found to be less feasible due to their high cost, environmental pollution, and low effectiveness [5,6]. Environmentally friendly soil improvement techniques have been extensively researched in recent years, such as geopolymers and microbially induced calcium carbonate precipitation [7][8][9][10].…”