Model tests on the bearing capacity of pervious concrete piles in silt and sand

The settlement, bearing capacity, axial force, and skin friction responses of pervious and impervious concrete piles in silty and sandy underlying layer foundations and of pervious concrete piles in model tests were determined. The results showed that pervious concrete piles can exhibit high strengths, provide drainage paths and thus reduce foundation consolidation time. Increasing the soil layer thickness and pile length could eliminate the bearing capacity difference of pervious piles in a foundation with a silty underlying layer. The pervious concrete piles in the sandy underlying layer were more efficacious than those in the silty underlying layer because the sandy underlying layer can provide more bearing capacity than the silty underlying layer. The results indicated that the performances of the pervious concrete piles in the sand and silt foundations differed. The pervious concrete piles functioned as floating piles in the underlying layer with a lower bearing capacity and as end-bearing piles in the underlying layer with a higher bearing capacity.