Soil Displacement Induced Laterally Loaded Piles Test Embankments Bloemendalerpolder – Geo-Impuls Program

In the Bloemendalerpolder two test embankments were constructed in 2010 to study the long term behaviour of embankments on very soft soils with respect to settlement and lateral pile loading resulting from horizontal soil deformations. A detailed description of the test embankments, performed soil investigation, laboratory tests and instrumentation is given in an accompanying paper. This paper provides a brief description of both test embankments consisting of sandfill with a height of 3.0 m and a ground area 26 × 36 m2with slopes 1:2. At one embankment – overlying 5.7 m of peat/clay – wick drains are installed at a triangular spacing of 1.0 m. The second embankment – overlying 4.0 m of peat/clay – is not provided with any additional drainage accelerating measures. In each embankment two steel H-beam piles have been installed, one located at the crest of the slope and one 4 m from the crest. Both piles have been installed 3 weeks after completion of the final fill increment. The pile bending stiffness represents a prefabricated concrete pile square 0.26 m. The piles were equipped with a steel square guiding tube to perform inclinometer measurements. Inclinometer readings were performed at regular time intervals, each reading at depth intervals of 0.1 m. The small interval was selected to improve interpretation with respect to pile curvature and therefore the derivation of pile bending moments. Although horizontal soil deformations after pile installation are significant the resulting bending moments remain limited.