Seminar - Harry Poulos - Pile Behaviour – Consequences of Geological and Construction

Wednesday, April 13, 2005, 5.30 pm for 6.00 pm
Harricks Auditorium, Ground Floor, Eagle House, 118 Alfred Street South, Milsons Pt

Abstract

The Department of Civil Engineering is proud to promote the Australian Geomechanics Society Annual Terzhagi Lecture to be given by Emeritus Professor Harry Poulos.

This lecture will attempt to identify some of the causes of imperfections in real pile foundations, and will then examine their possible effects on pile behavior. The imperfections considered arise from two main sources, natural imperfections caused by the geological circumstances, and imperfections related to the construction of the piles. In each case, single piles are considered first, and then pile groups are addressed separately. Case histories are presented to illustrate the effects on pile performance which are predicted by theoretical analyses. The analyses with which these examinations are carried out will still inevitably involve some degree of idealization, but at least attempt to incorporate the key “non-ideal” aspects. The lecture also discusses the particular problems involved in investigating and analyzing under-performing pile foundations, and will review some methods by which the consequences of imperfections may be overcome or ameliorated.