Discussion Of 'support Mechanisms Of Rammed Aggregate Piers. I: Experimental Results'

摘要

The authors have presented the results of a field-scale load test program of densified aggregate piers in soft clays. This test program provides data that can be employed to refine current design procedures for aggregate piers in soft soil. However, the description of the load test program was insufficient to draw valid conclusions about the time-dependent load-deflection behavior of a footing supported by short aggregate piers. The original presentation of this load test program, presented by White et al. (2003), also failed to disclose the relationship between deflection and time during each load increment.rnBy further examination of the load transfer observed during the load testing of aggregate pier groups, it is evident that a significant amount of the applied load is transferred to the strata below the aggregate piers. The limitations of stress cells have been well documented, and it is not the intent of this discussion to analyze possible instrumentation problems.