Field measurements regarding the influence of the installation method on soil plugging in tubular piles

Soil plugging in open-ended piles leads to an increase in compressive bearing capacity but also influences pile driving resistance. Many different factors affect the tendency for soil plugging, for example, pile diameter, penetration depth and installation method. In this paper, the influence of the installation method on soil plugging is investigated. In situ measurements during the installation of two instrumented tubular piles are carried out to investigate the internal and external stresses acting on the pile during the installation process. Furthermore, the cone penetration resistance inside one pile is measured during the installation, and the accelerations and strains at the pile head are monitored to predict the bearing capacity. The installation method is varied between vibratory and impact pile driving. The results show that a significant increase in horizontal stresses inside the pile occurs during impact driving which leads to the conclusion that a soil plug is formed. During vibratory pile driving, no stress increase was observed.