SOME SOLUTIONS FOR SOIL ESCAPING PROBLEM IN CONTIGUOUS PILED QUAY WALLS

Where executive and geotechnical conditions allow, one of the most common quay structures is concrete bored pile wall. Two techniques are used for this purpose: Secantpiles and contiguous piles [1-4]. Contiguous piled walls process involves the construction of a run of piles with pre-calculated gaps dependent on soils structure and surrounding ground conditions. In contrast, in secant piled walls, primary piles which are composed of plain concrete or even plastic concrete are constructed initially and the main secondaryreinforced pile will be executed between them while cutting a portion of the primary ones. As a result, no gap will remain between piles. Construction of secant-pile wall is more complicated than the other method and required especial equipment.Consequently, Iranian contractors as well as consulting engineers used to prefer contiguous-pile wall. This, nowadays, leads to a significant problem in some of Iranian ports like Anzali and Amirabad: crown settlement and/or creating extended hole under pavement due to soil escaping from pile gaps. This issue will intensify when theadjacent piles have tolerances of pile position and vertical alignment.In this paper some solutions are proposed to limit material escaping from pile gaps in existing quaywallbased on project condition. In addition, some techniques which can be employed for new berth construction is presented.