Applications of Impervious and Pervious Press-in Sheet Piles to Mitigate Liquefaction-Induced Foundation Settlement

Abstract

The objective of the research is to investigate and compare the behaviour of impervious and pervious sheet piles to mitigate liquefaction-induced foundation settlement. A scaled model at a ratio of 1/5 was constructed based on a comprehensive large-scale shake table test. This model consisted of three soil layers with varying relative densities: 50% for the upper crust, 30% for the intermediate liquefiable layer, and 85% for the lower dense layers. A shallow foundation was then placed on the crust layer. Following model preparation, a sheet pile (both impervious and pervious) was installed using the press-in technique at 0.625 times the foundation length from the center of the foundation. To prepare the pervious sheet pile, holes sized 5 mm in diameter were made, followed by the layering of a non-woven geotextile on the outer surface of the sheet pile. This geotextile facilitated the exclusive flow of water while restricting soil passage. Additionally, two different sheet pile thicknesses were employed to assess the effect of thickness on the performance of pervious sheet piles. The experimental outcomes indicated impervious sheet piles performed better in reducing foundation settlement than pervious sheet piles, with a 26% improvement observed for thinner and a 13% improvement for thicker sheet piles.