Lateral capacity of helical piles in clays
- Memorial Univ. of Newfoundland, St. John`s, Newfoundland (Canada). Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science
Helical piles, also known as screw anchors, consist of one or more helical-shaped circular plates welded to a central steel shaft at a specified spacing. Currently, helical piles are being used as tower foundations on land and in offshore areas to secure moorings, cables, and sea-bed pipelines to the sea bed. In this paper, the behavior of helical piles under lateral loads in clayey soils is examined through an experimental investigation on model piles. Tests were conducted on rigid helical piles with different numbers of plates. Model anchors were made of 13.8 mm diameter mild steel shafts to which mild steel plates of 33 mm diameter were welded. For comparison, a single straight shaft with a diameter of 13.8 mm was also tested. Test results revealed that the lateral capacity of helical piles is greater than that of straight shaft piles. A simple theoretical model is suggested to estimate the lateral capacity of rigid helical piles. The theoretical model suggested incorporates lateral resistance of the soil on the shaft, bearing resistance on the bottom of the helical plate, uplift resistance on the top of the helical plate, and frictional resistance on the surface of the helical plate. The validity of this model is examined.
- OSTI ID:
- 404477
- Journal Information:
- Journal of Geotechnical Engineering, Journal Name: Journal of Geotechnical Engineering Journal Issue: 11 Vol. 122; ISSN 0733-9410; ISSN JGENDZ
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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