Our paper titled “Effects of Enzyme and Microbially Induced Carbonate Precipitation Treatments on the Response of Axially Loaded Pervious Concrete Piles” has been accepted for publication in the Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering.
Citation
Lin, H., O’Donnell, S.T., Suleiman, M.T., Kavazanjian, Jr. E., and Brown, D.G.. 2021. “Effects of Enzyme and Microbially Induced Carbonate Precipitation Treatments on the Response of Axially Loaded Pervious Concrete Piles.” Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering. 147(8):04021057.
Abstract
EICP (enzyme-induced carbonate precipitation) and MICP (microbially-induced carbonate precipitation) treatments were applied through pervious concrete model piles to cement soil around the piles and enhance soil-pile interaction and pile capacity. The behaviors of the treated piles under axial compression loading were compared to each other and to an untreated pervious concrete pile. These tests were performed on 1/10th-scale piles in the Soil-Structure Interaction (SSI) testing facility at Lehigh University. The piles and surrounding soil were instrumented with strain gauges, bender elements, in-soil null pressure sensors, and a tactile pressure sheet. The responses of the pervious concrete piles and surrounding treated soil were compared through analysis of shear wave (S-wave) velocities in the treated and untreated soil zones, load transfer along the piles at the ultimate load condition, soil moisture content, calcium carbonate (CaCO3) content and ammonium (NH4+) concentration in soil, and the characteristics of the precipitated CaCO3 crystals along the soil-pile interface. In addition, comparisons of consolidated drained (CD) triaxial test results were made using sand without treatment and with EICP and MICP treatments. The results presented in this paper demonstrated that both EICP and MICP treatments can create a cemented soil zone surrounding the pervious concrete pile and improve the pile capacity and load transfer under compression loading.
