Lateral responses of a model pile in biocemented sand

Abstract

This technical note aims to investigate the effects of biotreatment on the response of a concrete model pile embedded in poorly graded sand through lateral loading tests. The bending moment profiles along pile length were obtained from strain gauges collected during the pile load tests. The pile deflection and soil resistance were derived from a bending moment profile based on beam theory. The ultimate lateral resistance of the pile with biotreatment was 2.6 times as large as that without biotreatment. The bending moment for the pile in biotreated soil is significantly smaller than that for the pile in untreated soil due to the reduction in curvature. The spatial distribution of calcium carbonate generated during the biotreatment was obtained from 1,800 sand samples, which was also validated by the scanning electron microscope images. Biotreatment of sand surrounding a pile is demonstrated to be a promising measure to effectively improve the lateral capacity of the pile.