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1 Available online at Procedia Engineering 14 (2011) The Twelfth East Asia-Pacific Conference on Structural Engineering and Construction Rock-Socketed Large Diameter Bored Pile andd Geophysical Survey in Cavernous Karst Area: Tin Shui Wai Public Library Cum Indoor Recreation Centre C. T. WONG a, K. P. YIM, M. K. LEUNG b, S. C. C FUNG Architectural Services Department, HKSAR Government, China Abstract This paper will present the geological and engineering considerations in the planning, design and constructionn of a public library cum an indoor recreation centre in cavernous karst k area at Tin Shui Wai,, Hong Kong. An appraisal was carried out to determine the effect of geological constraints on thee foundation design and to assess the suitability of different types of foundation systems. s Sinkhole hazard iss a major challenge to engineers when founding a structure and/or carrying out excavation in cavernouss karst area. Formation of a sinkhole usually leads to a sudden depression on thee ground surface caused by the collapse of cavities. This paper will describe howw the most appropriate foundation systemm was chosen and how the sinkhole hazard was investigated and/or dealt with at the planning, design andd constructionn stages, especially the experience in using cross-holee seismic tomography to delineate the spatial extent off cavities within the karst area. Moreover, in Hong Kong, although rock-socketted steel H-piles and largee diameter bored piles have widely been employed as foundation, limited local experience and design parameters have been published for thee piles installed in cavernous karst area. This paper will discuss thee allowable shaft friction between marble and concrete pile at the socket section being adopted in thiss project Published by Elsevier Ltd. Open access under CC BY-NC-ND license. Keywords: Rock-Socketted Large Diameter Bored Piles, Cavernous Karst, Cross-Hole Seismic Tomography, Scheduled Area No. 2 (Northwest New Territories) a Corresponding author: wongct@archsd.gov.hk b Presenter: leungmk@archsd.gov.hk Published by Elsevier Ltd. Open access under CC BY-NC-ND license. doi: /j.proeng

2 C.T. WONG et al. / Procedia Engineering 14 (2011) Proposed development The site (trapezoidal shape on plan with an area of 5,450m 2 ) is located in Tin Shui Wai, Hong Kong att the junctionn of Tin Fuk Road and Ping Ha Road. The proposed development is a reinforced concretee structure with steel trusses for the indoor recreation centre and swimming pool. There is a 7m deep basement to house the plant rooms and to serve as the car-park. Figures 1(a) and (b) showw respectively the geological map and geological section of the site. Figure 1(a) Geological Map (Source: Adapted from GEO 2007: 105) Figure 1(b) Section across the Site

3 1746 C.T. WONG et al. / Procedia Engineering 14 (2011) Geology of the site According to Environment, Transport and Works Bureau Technical Circular (Works) No. 4/2004, the site is located within the Scheduled Area No. 2 (Northwest New Territories), which is an elongate curved valley (Figure 1(a)) with granitic and volcanic rocks forming the high relief topography on either side and weathered meta-sedimentary rocks forming low hills (Frost 1989). The valley is covered with superficial deposits. A two-staged approach was adopted to determine the geology of the site, with the first stage to obtain general information of the geology and the subsequent stage to obtain more detailed conditions of the karst features as revealed in the first stage (Lee and Ng 2004). A geological assessment was also conducted to develop the geological and hydrogeological models of the site. A total of 50 drillholes had been sunk, which revealed that the site is underlain by fill materials of 5m to 7m thick overlying alluvial soils of about 10m thick followed by completely weathered meta-siltstone and then the bedrock. The bedrock is of 3 types: pure marble, meta-siltstone and granite. Three lines of fault zones run across the site. Although the geological map (Figure 1(a)) shows that a large portion of Tin Shui Wai area is underlain by volcaniclastic breccias, the site in this particular project is distinct, because the underlying rock is pure white marble belonging to Ma Tin Member of the Yuen Long Formation. The pure marble of Ma Tin Member comprises virtually pure calcium carbonate, which renders it susceptible to dissolution (Frost 1989). Cavities of maximum height of 24.5m have been recorded (Lai 2004). For this site, extensive cavities with maximum height of 11m (infilled with clayey silt) are found in the pure marble at north-eastern corner of the site at about 50m below ground. Ground water levels vary from 2.4m to 5.6m below ground. Chan (1989a, 1989b) classifies sites in karst area into easy, fair and very difficult using his developed Marble Quality Designation (MQD) values. According to his classification, the site can be classified overall as an easy site. However, if the site is divided into zones, different classification may be required. There are extensive large cavities as well as sheared zones at the north-eastern side. The western portion and north-eastern portion of the site should therefore be classified as fair site and very difficult site respectively, instead of an easy site for the remaining portion. Therefore, a borehole rating using MQD values in classifying site with cavernous karst should be used with caution and supplemented by professional judgment and adequate geological modelling. 3. Cross-hole tomographic survey One of the concerned geological features of the site is the karstic formation with extensive cavities. To locate the spatial extent of cavities in a karst site, conventional method by sinking drillholes would be very time consuming and expensive (Morris et al 2005). In particular, sinking drillholes can only provide information on the vertical height of the cavities but not the spatial extent of the cavities. Geophysical methods are possible technique for the three-dimensional exploration of subsurface conditions in detecting the presence and spatial extent of cavernous karstic formation. The number of drillholes can be reduced by 50% with appropriate use of geophysical methods (Hoover 2003). Cross-hole seismic and ground penetration radar are among the various geophysical methods ranked by BS5930:1999 as excellent potential but not fully developed in cavity detection (there being no geophysical method was ranked as excellent with the technique well developed by BS5930:1999). In Hong Kong, ground penetration radar method in the form of cross-hole radar was used in several cases in the karstic formation (Lee et al 2000). Therefore, it was determined to employ cross-hole seismic method on this site following the pre-drilling works. 13 cased drillholes with depths between approximately 25m and 43m and eight sections were selected to conduct the tomographic survey. A vertical spacing of the sparker source (which serves as the emitters) at 1m c/c was chosen, and a 24-channel hydrophone spaced at 1m c/c was used at

4 C.T. WONG et al. / Procedia Engineering 14 (2011) the receiverr side. About 16,000 travel times were determinedd and used for tomographic inversion.. However, the method of tomographic survey is limited in spatial resolution depending onn the drillholee distances and the geometrical density of ray paths. Cavities with smaller dimensions (e.g. less than 1m orr 1.5m) or thin rock covering may not have clear identification. Thus, one salient point to be borne in mind when employing seismic tomographic method is that the measurements of seismic tomographic survey have to be verified and supplemented by the results of drillholes. Figure 2 shows one of the seismicc tomograms superimposed with the results of drillholes obtained in this site. 4. Choice of most appropriate foundation solution In constructing an annex to TWG Hospitals Kwok Yat Wai College adjacent to this site, many of thee driven H-piles were damaged from hard-driving through the karstic layer off marble and pile slippagee along sloping bedrock (Sze 2006). With a clear geological and hydrogeologicall model showing especially the spatial extent and distribution of the cavities underneath the proposed development, the e layout of thee building was re-planned such that the proposed structure was shifted away fromm the north-eastern portion of the site as far as possible, and hence avoiding potential difficulties and reducing costt and time in constructing the foundation works. Figure 2 Tomographic Image of the Site Commonly adopted foundation systems in cavernous karst areas in Hong Kong include: shallow foundation; floating piled-foundation (e.g. Pakt-in-Place (PIP) piles); drivenn steel H-piles; and largee diameter bored piles or rock-socketted steel H-piles. For this project, shalloww foundation inn the form off pad or raft footing was ruled out, as founding the building on either the fill or alluvium layers will resultt

5 1748 C.T. WONG et al. / Procedia Engineering 14 (2011) in excessive settlement in the building. For a floating piled-foundation using PIP piles, GEO Technical Guidance Note No. 26 limits the increase of vertical effective stress (at most 10% due to overburden soil) at the karst surface, so as to prevent the collapse of any cavities in marble. This limit is rather conservative. Waltham (2005) and Sowers (1996) suggested that if the rock thickness is greater than the width of cavity, it is likely to be safe. Indeed, GEO Technical Guidance Note No. 26, besides specifying the 10% rule, also permits the use a rational design approach to determine the increase of the vertical stress in the cavity. In this project, the founding level of the pile tips is just at a few metres above the karst surface at some locations, and the thin layer of intact rock above the cavities may cause the roof over cavities to collapse. Wong (2003) summarized the criteria for the successful employment of floating piled-foundation in cavernous karst areas as: the karst surface lying at deep level so that the stress induced at the pile tips will not overstress the roof of cavities, and the building being of low to moderately loaded and thus can be supported by the relatively low pile capacity of PIP piles. For driven steel H-pile with or without pre-boring and allowance on pile redundancy for uncertainties, appropriate pile hammer should be used during the driving operation, which should be light enough not to damage the pile during hard driving; but heavy enough to achieve the required set (Sze 2006; Wightman and Lai 2006; Sowers 1996). A dynamic pile-driving analyzer should be used to monitor the stress during the whole driving process, and the piling specification of the Architectural Services Department of the Hong Kong SAR Government limits the maximum driving stress to 80% of the yield strength of the steel H-pile. However, in this project, driving steel H piles without pre-boring was not technically feasible as founding H-piles on top of karst surface might again possibility cause the collapse of the roof over cavities within the karst. Driving steel H-piles with pre-boring was also undesirable because of the environmental sensitivity of the site, with three secondary schools, a West Rail Station and a Light Rail adjacent to the site. Large diameter bored pile socketted into rock was therefore adopted, especially due to relatively shallow rockhead (about 20m to 25m below ground) at over three-quarters of the site. The base of the socket was located at a depth where there are no cavities existing within the zone below the pile base to a depth equal to the diameter of the pile base. Karst area also contains steeply inclined bedrock surfaces inducing additional stress from one pile onto the adjacent piles and/or the adjacent cavities. In designing the length of rock socket of pile, the founding level of rock socket was required to pass through the adverse joints, and to follow the commonly adopted rule of thumb in Hong Kong with an angle of stress dispersion between 30 o and 45 o to the vertical (Wai 1991). Similar to large diameter bored pile socketted into rock, rock-socketted steel H-piles could also be a solution. However, for cavernous karst area, such foundation system may have difficulties in pre-boring and forming rock sockets, as it is difficult for the casing shoe to bring the casing through the cavities and to form rock socket on the sound bedrock, except that a secondary permanent casing is left for pile installation; but this would lead to a high construction cost of foundation. Kwong et al (1997) stated that unknown and uncontrolled quantities of soil might be removed when air-flushing is not well controlled during pile installation which may lead to excessive ground movements and collapse of surrounding soil and ground. Indeed, there is no published case on the successful employment of rock-socketted steel H-piles in cavernous karst area in Hong Kong. Hence, a compromise scheme was to adopt rock-socketted steel H-piles only at areas with cavity-free marble and/or granitic bearing rock underneath, whereas large diameter bored piles are used at areas with cavernous marble bedrock. The final adopted foundation design involved a total of 50 nos. of large diameter bored piles with either 1.5m or 2m diameter, and 99 nos. of rock-socketted steel H-piles. The piling layout plan is shown as Figure 3. With the adoption of two different piling systems, the design of the pile caps and superstructure was also required to cater for the possibility of differential settlement due to the difference in the elastic shortening of reinforced concrete bored piles and structural steel rock-socketted steel H-piles.

6 C.T. WONG et al. / Procedia Engineering 14 (2011) Two parameters are required to calculate the loading capacity of rock-socketted bored piles, namely: : the allowable end bearing pressure, and a the shaftt friction between rock and the concrete/grout. Thee allowable end bearing pressure for Class I or II marble in Hong Kong is typically takenn to be 5MPaa (Meigh 1991). For the shaft friction, the Code of Practice for Foundations (2004) issued by the Buildingss Department only gives the values for the allowable shaft friction for socket in granitic and volcanic rock; ; but no corresponding figure for marble. Overseas, theoretical studies (e.g. Tann and Chow 2006) and in-- rock sockett varies over a large range, and there is yet any consensus. Kutschke et al (2004) quoted three nationall codes/design guidelines containing the allowable shaft friction between grout and a various types of rock in mini-piles, and noted thatt the average allowable a shaft friction ranges from 0.425MPa to 0.620MPa. Hence, in this project, a conservative value of 0.3MPa was adopted. To validate the adopted parameters for both the allowable bearing pressure and shaft friction, four nos. of rock-socketted large diameter bored piless have been instrumented with vibrating wires strain gauges and extensometers with w the assistance from thee Department of Civil Engineering of thee University of Hong Kong. The instrumentation in terms of precisee level survey, strain measurement and extensometer has still been in progress onn site. More research by thee industry is situ measurements (e.g. Serrano and Olalla 2006) show that the allowable shaft friction inn needed. Figure 3 Piling Layout Plan of the Site 5. Construction works on site The presence of karst cavities may impose construction difficulties, such as a potential for a largee amount of overbreak leading to concrete loss from pile and hence affecting the pile integrity. Thee methods to form rock-socketted large diameter bored piles through cavities include: i fillingg the cavitiess with lean concrete, or installing a permanent casingg in the cavities before concreting. Particular attentionn was also paid to avoid sinkhole subsidence byy controlling the dewatering during the basementt constructionn due to in the increase of the effective stress over the cavities. Sheet piles around thee

7 1750 C.T. WONG et al. / Procedia Engineering 14 (2011) perimeter of the basement were driven to a maximum depth of 13m below the existing ground level providing an effective cut-off. The excavation was divided into two zones, and each zone was carried out in two stages, so that when dewatering commenced on site, the increase in the effective stress would have partially been compensated by the removal of overburden soil. Settlement markers, tilting check points, and standpipe piezometers were also installed to monitor the effects of the works on adjacent structures and grounds. The piling works was completed in March 2009, and the superstructure works commenced in April No sinkhole subsidence was noted throughout the construction period. 6. Conclusion (a) (b) (c) Ground investigation is crucial for the success of designing building layout, and design and construction of foundation. Wherever necessary and affordable, geophysical survey method using cross-hole seismic tomography can provide more information on the sub-surface ground condition and the spatial extent of cavities and hence help to remove uncertainties or risk in foundation design and construction. With more comprehensive information on the complicated geology underneath the site, the building layout can be relocated to minimize costs and construction time. Similarly, alternative foundation systems are available. Floating piles or shallow foundation in general are most economical if the loadings are not high. If, however, cavities are present at high level near ground surface, rock-socketted large diameter bored piles passing through cavities are recommended. Roofs over cavities within the karst may collapse due to the increase in the stress and construction activities, and it is vital for engineer to study carefully the increase in the stress induced by the foundation and the dewatering process. GEO Technical Guidance Note No. 26 has limited the additional vertical pressure on karst surface and this should be reviewed in due course. Acknowledgments The authors would like to record their thanks to the Director of Architectural Services for her kind permission of publishing the paper, and to the staff in the Architectural Services Department, Hong Kong SAR Government for their help in preparing the manuscript. References [1] BSI, BS5930: Code of Practice for Site Investigations (London: BSI); [2] Chan, Y C, GEO Report No. 29: Classification and Zoning of Marble Sites (Hong Kong: Geotechnical Engineering Office); 1989a. [3] Chan, Y C, GEO Report No. 32: Classification and Zoning of Marble Sites (Hong Kong: Geotechnical Engineering Office); 1989b. [4] Frost, D V, Palaeokarst of Yuen Long, North West New Territories, Hong Kong, Proceedings of the Third Multidisciplinary Conference on Sinkholes and the Engineering and Environmental Impacts of Karst, St Petersberg, Florida, 2-4 October 1989; 1989, pp [5] GEO, GEO Technical Guidance Note No. 26: Supplementary Guidelines for Foundation Design in Areas Underlain by Marble and Marble-bearing Rocks (Hong Kong: Geotechnical Engineering Office); [6] GEO, GEO Publication No. 1/2007: Engineering Geological Practice in Hong Kong (Hong Kong: Geotechnical Engineering Office); [7] Hoover, R A, Geophysical Choices for Karst and Mine Investigations, Presented at the 3 rd International Conference on Applied Geophysics, Hotel Royal Plaza, Orlando, Florida, 8-12 December 2003; 2003, pp

8 C.T. WONG et al. / Procedia Engineering 14 (2011) [8] Kutschke, W G, Tarquinio, S and Kartofilis, D, An Alternative Foundation Solution State Route 22, Section A02- Lewistown Bypass, Proceedings of Geo-Trans 2004, July 2004, Los Angeles, California, ; 2004, pp [9] Kwong, S M, Lee, M K and Tse, S H, Foundation Design and Construction Aspects in Marble (Ma On Shan) an Overview of Geotechnical Control, Proceedings of the Nineteenth Annual Seminar, Geotechnical Division, The Hong Kong Institution of Engineers, Hong Kong; 1997, pp [10] Lai, K W, The Influence Factors of Buried Karst upon the Foundation Design of Hong Kong, Proceedings of the Conference on Foundation Practice in Hong Kong, Hong Kong, 4 September 2004; 2004, pp. I1-10. [11] Lee, D M and Ng, M, Design Strategies for Deep Foundation in Areas of Marble Formation in Hong Kong, Proceedings of the Conference on Foundation Practice in Hong Kong, Hong Kong, 4 September 2004; 2004, pp. C1-17. [12] Lee, D M, Pun, W K, So, K O and Wai, C C, Foundation Design and Construction in Hong Kong Present and Beyond?, Proceedings of the Seminar on the State-of-the-Practice of Geotechnical Engineering in Taiwan and Hong Kong, Hong Kong, 20 January 2006; 2006, pp [13] Meigh, A C, Technical Note TN 3/91: General Report on Foundation in Area Underlain by Marble and Associated Rock Volume 1 (Hong Kong: Geotechnical Engineering Office); [14] Morris, V, Gehrig, D and Bryant, T, Detection of Three-Dimensional Voids in Karstic Ground, Proceedings of the Tenth Multidisciplinary Conference, September 2005; 2005, San Antonio, Texas, pp [15] Serrano, A and Olalla, C, Shaft Resistance of Piles in Rock: Comparison between In-Situ Test Data and Theory Using the Hook and Brown Failure Criterion, International Journal of Rock Mechanics and Mining Sciences, 43(5); 2006, pp [16] Sowers, G F, Building on Sinkholes: Design and Construction of Foundations in Karst Terrain (New York: ASCE Press); 1996 [17] Sze, W C. Case Study for a Driven Steel H-Pile Foundation in the Tin Shui Wai Marble Area, Proceedings of the Seminar on Geotechnical Works in Karst in South-East Asia, Hong Kong, 26 August 2006; 2006, pp [18] Tan, Y C and Chow, C M, Foundation Design and Construction Practice in Limestone Areas in Malaysia, Proceedings of Seminar on Geotechnical Works in Karst in South-East Asia, Hong Kong, 26 August 2006; 2006, pp [19] Wai, M, Technical Note TN 2/91: Checking Procedures and General Requirements for Foundations in Areas Underlain by Marble (Hong Kong: Geotechnical Control Office); [20] Waltham, T, Bell, F and Culshaw, M, Sinkholes and Subsidence: Karst and Cavernous Rocks in Engineering and Construction (Berlin: Springer/Praxis); [21] Wightman, N R and Lai, A, Investigation and Foundation Design in Marble/Karst Designated Areas of Tung Chung and Ma On Shan, Proceedings of Seminar on Geotechnical Works in Karst in South-East Asia, Hong Kong, 26 August 2006; 2006, pp [22] Wong, H Y, Design and Construction of Soil Friction Bored Piles in Hong Kong, with Particular Reference to Marble Areas, Proceedings of the 23 rd Annual Seminar, Geotechnical Division, The Hong Kong Institution of Engineers, 9 May 2003; 2003, pp