Behavior of Rigid Piers in Layered Cohesive Soils

Abstract

Full-scale tests were carried out on two instrumented rigid piers installed in a firm cohesive layered subsoil near Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. The piers were uplifted to failure and laterally loaded under short-term loading conditions. The results were analyzed and different methods of analysis were examined in light of the actual measurements. Large uplift parameters were recorded in the uplift tests due mainly to the large suction pressures measured below the piers. A modification of the nonlinear method of analysis of lateral deflection is proposed for rigid piers on account of thee resultant good predictions of the actual foundation behavior. Detailed in-situ and laboratory measurements of the shear strength were made and the results and the conclusions are presented.