Grant: Alliance Grants

This proposed research is to develop a reliability-based design (RBD) method for continuous flight augercast (CFA) piles using pile load test results collected within the same regions in Canada. CFA piles, or auger cast-in-place piles, are installed by drilling and concreting/grouting in one pass. CFA piles have become increasingly popular in many regions of the world because of their many advantages, including rapid installation, suitability for most soils, material saving, negligible vibration and noise, and less ground loosening. CFA piles have also been successfully applied in Canadian commercial and public projects. However, this technique has rarely been applied in developing transportation structures in Canada. This underutilization situation results from perceived difficulties in its quality control and a lack of an RBD method adopted in the design codes. Many studies found that the load-transfer behavior of a CFA pile shows significant differences from that of a drilled shaft due to its intrinsic installation differences. However, the design methods for drilled shafts are being applied directly to CFA piles, which easily leads to inefficient designs. A unique design method must be developed for CFA piles to enhance their efficiency. Based on a database of load tests conducted on full-scale CFA piles within the same regions in Canada, the objectives of this research are to 1) derive a new design method for CFA piles; 2) develop a region-based RBD method for CFA piles; 3) promote the utilization of CFA piles in the development of transportation infrastructure in Canada.