Performance of a pier group foundation in swelling rock

Foundations on claystone with swell potential may experience upward movement and failure. In this case study, the cause of 5.8 cm upward movement of drilled-in piers is analyzed using survey data, extensometer readings, and moisture content monitoring of claystone at the site. Swell laboratory tests were conducted to characterize the swelling characteristics of the weathered rock. A swell potential analysis for deep foundations is presented, which accounts for the group behavior of the piers. The interaction of the group piers with the swelling rock was considered in analyzing the initiation of the upward movement. Furthermore, a novel inverse analysis method was presented to integrate the swell laboratory test results and numerical modeling to identify the representative swell pressures acting on group piers as well as upward movement of the pier system. The behavior of the pier group foundation in swelling rock under various pier spacing and superstructure pressures are discussed. 
The results has been recently published in the journal of Geotechnical and Geological Engineering. For more details please click here.
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