Influence of dredger fill self-consolidation on development of negative skin friction of piles

With the rapid development of land reclamation, a great amount of buildings are constructed on degree fill. Negative skin friction (NSF) caused by the self-consolidation of dredger fill has a significant influence on the stability of construction. Therefore, centrifuge model tests were conducted to investigate the influence of dredger fills thickness, pile top load, and piles radius on the self-consolidation of dredger fills, piles settlement, and NSF. The results show that pile top load is the main factor controlling the settlement of piles, and the settlement of piles increases with an increase of pile top load. Thickness of dredger fills has significant influence on its self-consolidation. Shaft friction increases with an increase of depth, and the increase rate is much higher when the dredger fills is thicker. Fitting formulas for maximal settlement of piles, maximal NSF, and neutral plane location in the dredger fill were also acquired, providing significant reference to practical engineering.