Design of reinforcing piles to increase slope stability

Abstract

This paper describes an approach for the design of piles to reinforce slopes, involving three main steps: (1) evaluating the shear force needed to increase the safety factor to the desired value; (2) evaluating the maximum shear force that each pile can provide to resist sliding of the potentially unstable portion of the slope; and (3) selection of the type and number of piles, and the most suitable location of these piles within the slope. For step 1, stability analyses can be used to assess the required additional shear force for stability. Step 2 involves the use of a computer analysis for the response of a pile to laterally moving soil. This analysis can be implemented via a computer program ERCAP, and enables the resisting shear force developed by the piles to be evaluated as a function of pile diameter and flexibility and the relative depth of the soil movement in relation to the pile length. Step (3) involves the use of engineering judgement in conjunction with the analysis results from steps 1 and 2. The paper describes the ERCAP analysis and the characteristics of pile behaviour it reveals. The application of the approach to a highway bypass problem in Newcastle, Australia, is described in detail. In the final design, a total of 64 bored piles 1.2 m in diameter were used over a total length of slope cutting of about 250 m. The pile lengths ranged between 6 and 12 m, with the spacings varying between 3.2 and 6.0 m. Key words : analysis, boundary element, piles, soil–pile interaction, slope stabilization, soil mechanics.