Micropiles: Design

Considerations &
Construction Aspects

Courtesy: Hayward Baker

 Overview
• ADSC-IAFD
• Historical Background
• Micropiles Defined
• Typical Applications
• Design Considerations
• Advantages and Limitations
• Construction Aspects and Equipment
• Load Testing
• QC / QA
 ADSC-IAFD
• Non-profit, international, trade
association based in Irving, TX
• Represent anchored earth
retention, drilled shaft, micropile
construction/design industries
• Members include
• Specialty subcontractors
• Manufacturers & suppliers
• Design engineers, academicians,
and government agencies
• Chapters - 9 in U.S., 2 in Canada, 1 in
Central America
 ADSC-IAFD Mission, Vision and Goals

• Establish standards & specifications

• Conduct design, construction and inspection seminars
• Develop and disseminate technical data and literature
• Conduct and fund practical and beneficial research
• Provide a forum for technology transfer
• Promote ethical practice
• Interface with corresponding industries and agencies
• FHWA, ACOE, PTI, OSHA, DOTs, etc.
 ADSC-IAFD Micropile Committee

• Joint committee between ADSC-IAFD and DFI

• Comprised of interested engineering professionals (aka,
industry competitors) dedicated to providing
• Primary assistance in writing of applicable specifications
• Review, commentary and formal acceptance of design and
construction/technological specifications
• A network of industry professionals to perform research
necessary for advancement of Micropiling technologies
• Current design, construction, and testing publications,
guidelines and, specifications (available in ADSC Technical
Library)
 Historical Background
• Dr. Fernando Lizzi (Italia) in 1950s – pali radice
• 1950s – soil reinforcement mechanism for historical
structures (lightly loaded elements)
• 1960s – gained acceptance and usage in Great
Britain and Germany
• 1970s – introduced to U.S. and global markets
• 1980s – gained acceptance in U.S.
• 2000s – increasing (widespread) global use
High capacity steel and grout elements
Series of proprietary efforts
 Micropiles Defined
• Heavily reinforced, small diameter, drilled elements
installed with neat cement grout

• Let’s dissect this:

• Heavily Reinforced - typically reinforced with drill casing and/or
high strength bars
• Small diameter - limited to ≤12 inches (typ. 4 to 7 inches)
• Drilled - excludes driven piles and other foundation types
• Neat Cement Grout – grout does not contain aggregate
(aggregate can be used in certain formations)
 Types and
Classification Notations
• Categorized based on design use & installation means
• Used in almost any ground type
• Transfers load to a more competent layer
• Stabilize/reinforce a potential sliding mass
• Design Use
• Case I: axially or laterally loaded elements
• Case II: group of elements used for soil reinforcement and
stabilization (reticulated micropiles)
• Installation Process
• Types A thru E

• Theoretically, any combination of “Design Use” and

“Installation Process” is possible
 Case I
Design Use Micropiles
• Support Structural Loads
• Compression piles
• Tension anchors
• Seismic retrofit - for
lateral, vertical and
torsional loads

• Excavation support
• Good for restricted access
• Eliminate mult.
mobilizations
 Case I
Typical Applications Micropiles

Structural Support

Earth Retaining Underpinning

Foundations for Seismic
Structure of Existing
New Structures Retrofitting
Foundations Structures

Repair/
Arresting/ Upgrading of
Scour Replacement
Prevention Foundation
Protection of Existing
of Movement Capacity
Foundations
 Case II
Design Use Micropiles
• Settlement
Control
• Underpinning
of structures
• Ground
strengthening
• In situ
Reinforcement
• Slope
stabilization
 Case II
Typical Applications Micropiles

In-Situ
Reinforcement

Slope
Stabilization Ground Settlement Structural
And Earth Strengthening Reduction Stability
Retention
 Types and
Installation Process Notations
Pressure Gauge

Packer

TYPE A TYPE B TYPE C TYPE D TYPE E

(Gravity (Pressure grout (Gravity grout; (Gravity grout; (Hollow bar drilling
Grouted) through casing) one phase of mult. phases of methods; grout used
post-grouting) post-grouting) as flushing medium)
 Structural and
Design Considerations Geotechnical Issues
• Structural Component
• Code requirements (local, state or federal) – e.g. AASHTO
• Design the reinforcing steel (casing / bar) and infill grout
• Design according to ASD, LFD, or LRFD
• Loading - axial, lateral, bending
• Performance - deflections, group behavior, connection details

• Geotechnical Component
• Design similar to conventional piling and anchor systems
• Most critical component is grout-to-ground bond
• Bond is affected by
• In situ conditions - geology, groundwater conditions
• Construction process - drilling operations, hole cleaning,
grouting,
grout quality
 Axial Loading –
Design Considerations Compressive or Tensile
• Design is similar to drilled shafts and ground anchors
• Interface shear strength (or ground-to-grout bond)
• Based on presumptive bond strength values (e.g., in FHWA) or
based on experience
• Allowable stresses in grout and steel are straight forward
• Challenges
• Interaction and transition between different cross sections
• Strain compatibility
• Between various steel materials (rebar and casing) and
cementitious grout
 Structural Design
Design Considerations – Axial Loading
• Assume concentric axial
loading
• Assume fully composite
cross section
• Pc,ult=f(Pcasing+Pbar+Pgrout)
• Pb,ult=f(Pbar+Pgrout)

• Assume full load transfer to

top of bond zone/rock
socket
• Conservative
• Controls design
 Structural Design
Design Considerations – Lateral Loading
• Lateral Strength = f(soil, casing/bar size, rotational
restraint, casing threads)
• In Soil ≤ ±20 kips; in Rock ≤ ±130 kip (maybe more)
• Critical Zone: top 5-10 ft (maximum stresses)
• Analysis - Computer programs available
• Perform p-y analysis
• Consider P-Δ effects
• Consider soil nonlinearity
• Perform push-over analysis
• If lateral response is critical,
perform load tests to develop
p-y curves
Courtesy: Schnabel Engineering
 Structural Design – Combined
Design Considerations Axial and Bending Loading
• Issue for lateral load-generated bending moments
• FHWA/ASD approach (ignores grout)
fa = operative axial stress
 
Fa = allowable axial stress
fb = operative bending stress
Fb = allowable bending stress
Fe’= Euler buckling stress=(p2E)/(2.12(kL/r)2)
• Simplified Method (Richards & Rothbauer, 2004)
  Pc = max. axial compression load on pile
Pc,allow = allowable compression load
Mmax = max. bending moment in pile
Mallow = allowable bending moment in casing
 Structural Design
Design Considerations – Deflections (Performance)
• Computation of Axial Deflection P
(or elastic shortening)
elastic = PL / AE
• L (length)
• In competent soil = length above bond
length + ½ bond length L
• In rock = length above bond length

• AE (axial stiffness) considers

• In compression = Steel and concrete
• In tension = Steel only
• Note:
 Structural and Geotechnical
Design Considerations Design – Group Effects
• For loading and
SOFT OR
WEAK LAYER
settlement analyses,
consider group effects
LAYER WHERE
similar to other
BOND ZONE IS
FORMED
conventional deep
foundation systems
(e.g., drilled shafts and
driven piles)
 Structural Design
Design Considerations – Pile Cap Connections
• Structural Design Issues
• Load transfer (axial and shear) – micropiles to footings
• Shear transfer - from grout to concrete
• Bearing stresses at top of micropile - Bearing plate needed?
• Punching shear or pullout – esp. at corners of pile cap
• Adequate pile cap depth for shear?

Bearing Plate

Stiffener
 Structural Design
Design Considerations – Pile Cap Connections
• Connection strength research (Gómez and Cadden, 2006)

Friction induced at the top of the Poisson Effect

insert due to flexural stresses

Dilation Effect
 Structural Design
Design Considerations – Strain Compatibility
• Micropile - a composite element (casing, bar, grout)
• Concept - have the composite pile’s materials share a
common strain level at failure (ef)
• For unconfined concrete: ef = 0.3% (assume same for grout)
• For steel (bar and casing), to have ef = 0.3%:
Fy,max = (ef)(Es) = (0.003)*(29,000 ksi) = 87 ksi
• Cannot use steel with Fy > 87 ksi!
• Precludes use of Gr. 150 bars

• BUT - grout within micropiles is confined

 Structural Design
Design Considerations – Strain Compatibility
• ADSC-IAFD and Industry Advancement Fund Research
• “Grout Confinement Influence on Strain Compatibility in
Micropiles” (FMSM Engineers, 2006)
• In rock: micropile is passively confined
• Allows Fult of bar to develop
• In soil: micropile is actively confined
• Allows large steel stress to mobilize
• Stress-strain (s-e) relationship of confined grout is nonlinear
(bilinear)
• Axial load continues to increase beyond 0.3%
 Simplified General
Construction Aspects Procedure
• Solid Bar Micropiles
• Drill the borehole (with / without casing)
• Install the reinforcing elements into drilled borehole
• Casing (if not same as drill casing)
• Reinforcement steel (with proper corrosion protection)
• Centralizers
• Fill the borehole with cement grout
• Typically neat cement grout; no sand added
• Hollow Bar Micropiles
• Drill and grout simultaneously (typ. a more fluid grout used)
• After depth is reached, flush hole with structural grout
(replacing grout used for drilling)
 Simplified General Procedure
Construction Aspects - Solid Bar Micropiles
 Advantages
• High-performance
• High capacity - design loads up to 500+ tons
• Good for various loading
• Tension, compression, lateral, combined

• Applicable for wide range of ground conditions

• Adaptable for varying height requirements
• Used in open headroom and restricted access

• Low noise and vibration – due to drilling operation

• Can penetrate obstacles
Advantages
 Limitations
• Lateral capacity limitations for vertical micropiles
• High slenderness ratio (length/diameter)
• May not be appropriate for seismic retrofit (vertical micropiles)
• Limited experience in their use for slope stabilization
• Not cost effective vs. conventional piling systems in open
headroom conditions
• High lineal cost relative to conventional piling systems
• Requires good QC / QA
• Especially with grouting
• Requires specialized equipment
 Drill Rigs, Tooling,
Construction Equipment and Grouting
 Drill Rigs -
Construction Equipment Types of Drilling
• Rotary only
• Drifter, rotation/percussion
• Double Head Systems
• Sonic Head
 Tooling – Soil and
Construction Equipment Rock Drilling
• Drill pipe (casing), augers
• Drill and casing bits
• Under-reaming and ring bits
• Percussion tooling
• Air and grout swivels
 Tooling – Soil and
Construction Equipment Rock Drilling

1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
Single Tube Rotary Duplex Rotary Percussive Rotary Percussive “Double Head” Duplex 6.
Advancement Concentric Duplex Eccentric Duplex Hollow-Stem
(End of Casing Auger
Flush)

Legend Percussion (Casing) Rotation (Casing) Flush Casing Rod

Percussion (Rod) Rotation (Rod)

Crown
Shoe Bit
 Grout Mixers
Construction Equipment and Operation
• Grout Mixers
• Colloidal Mixers
• Paddle Mixers
• Grout Pumps
• Single / Double Piston
• Screw pump
 Compression, Tension, and
Load Testing Lateral Load Testing
Compression
Load Test

Tension
Load Test

Lateral
Load Test

Deformation
Instrumentation
 Quality Control / Quality Assurance
• Specific areas to concentrate to ensure a well-run QC/QA
program
• Pre-construction meeting(s)
• Field Inspection
• Load testing program
• Reporting and documentation
 Pre-Construction
QC / QA Program Tasks and Concerns
• Meeting(s) – some may be same person/company
• Engineer, Micropile Design Engineer, Prime Contractor,
Micropile Specialty Contractor, Excavation Contractor,
Geotechnical Instrumentation Specialist, Inspection Firm

• Discussion Topics
• Project requirements
• Construction procedures
• Contract documents and layout
• Reporting procedures and requirements
• Installation schedule
• Other concerns
 Pre-Construction
QC / QA Program - Contracting
• Micropile Specification
• Prescriptive vs. Performance

• Contractor Qualification
• Prequalification
• On-site pre-production “test” program

• Definition of responsibility
• Owner / owner’s representative
• Contractor
• Engineer
• Inspector
 Pre-Construction -
QC / QA Program Owner Responsibility
• Geotechnical reports and data
• Work restrictions, site and environmental limitations
• Overall scope of work
• Level of corrosion protection
• Testing criteria and in-service performance criteria
• Method of measurement and payment
• Requirements for QA/QC and verification
• Construction techniques that are not acceptable since
they may adversely impact the structure and/or the
subsurface conditions
 Pre-Construction -
QC / QA Program Contractor Responsibility
• Details of all construction steps
• Gaining access (physically) to every pile location
• Setting up of load test frames
• Handling of spoils
• Construction records
 Pre-Construction -
QC / QA Program Project Specific Responsibility
• Easements, utility locations
• Micropile type, design, and layout
• Connection design and details
• Corrosion protection details
• Micropile testing procedures and requirements
• Instrumentation requirements
• Reports on load testing
• Construction schedule
• Sequencing and coordination of work
 Field Inspection of
QC / QA Program Micropile Installation
• Every pile is a data point
• Observe and document
• Drilling, installation of reinforcing, and grouting
• Inspection should be performed by micropile designer
• Timeliness
• Collect, document (including photographs), prepare, review and
deliver required reporting documentation
 Field Inspection -
QC / QA Program Typical Micropile Log

From Table 8-2 (FHWA, 2005)

 Field Inspection -
QC / QA Program Typical Micropile Log
 Thank you for your attention!

Questions?

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