Plate Load Tests of Composite Foundation Reinforced by Concrete-Cored DCM Pile

The concrete-cored deep cement mixing (DCM) pile is a new kind of composite pile created by inserting precast core pile into the DCM column socket and has only been used in a few projects to date. The bearing mechanism of concrete-cored DCM pile composite foundation has not been investigated systematically. In this paper, plate load tests (PLT) on single pile composite foundation were conducted in Nanjing–Changzhou expressway, Xinhua district in Jiangyin city and Nanjing surrounding (NS) expressway. Following the results of the PLT, a comparison of ultimate bearing capacity between composite foundation reinforced by concrete-cored DCM pile and DCM column was made. During the PLT process, the vertical stress of surrounding soil and DCM column socket was measured using pressure cells. The vertical stress of precast core pile was obtained using steel stress gauge welded onto the reinforcement. Based on the vertical stress of surrounding soil, DCM column socket and precast core pile, the skin friction and load sharing ratio were obtained. The variation in surrounding soil properties depending on the installation of concrete-cored DCM pile was also analyzed using the results from cone penetration tests (CPT) taken in NS expressway. With the analysis of results for stress tests and CPT, the bearing mechanisms of composite foundation reinforced by concrete-cored DCM pile are obtained.