Thermomechanical properties of an energy micro pile-raft foundation in silty clay

Abstract

Micro steel pipe pile was used for existing foundation reinforcement and renovation. An energy micro pile-raft foundation equipped with heat exchange tube was constructed in silty clay. The diameter and the length of the energy micro pile are 160 mm and 13.0 m, respectively. A series of in situ thermal performance tests were carried out by controlling cycle heating, in which the inlet and outlet water temperatures, flow rate, and thermomechanical properties of the energy micro pile were measured. Combined with a numerical simulation method, the thermomechanical stresses and displacement of the raft were also analyzed and discussed. The energy micro pile-raft foundation was also analyzed for different combinations of energy piles and nonenergy piles in the group. Results show that the micro pile-raft foundation can provide sufficient heat exchange compared with other types of ground heat exchangers. Differential settlement at both the pile top and tip were observed for the groups that contained both energy piles and nonenergy piles.