Location
Chicago, Illinois
Date
02 May 2013, 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm
Abstract
River piers were constructed during the later part of 19th and early part of 20th centuries to handle increased marine freight traffic in the coastal regions of the United States. The sub-structure of these piers, commonly referred to as “finger-piers”, was usually constructed with a timber deck relieving- platform supported by timber piles. These platforms were used to support either earth-fill and/or concrete arch supports, which in turn provided structural support for the main floor. Most of the piers also had superstructures, usually truss-supported roof with columns, and a railroad siding. Many existing piers on the Delaware River in Philadelphia and the Hudson River in New York harbor are examples of this kind of piers. These piers are now being increasingly refurbished as site for new uses including condominiums, storage warehouses, cruise terminals and other waterfront developments. These new uses require evaluation of the available structural and soil load capacity of existing foundations. Additionally, a number of historical monuments are supported on timber piles. Current load capacity of these piles also is of interest to the engineers. For the study presented herein, the laboratory testing program consisted of strength tests on specimens sawed from full size pile segments submerged in river water for about 100 years. Tests consisted of compression parallel to grain, compression perpendicular to grain and radial specimen. For comparison, tests were also conducted on new pile specimens. Additionally, deck and pile core samples were also tested. The specimens were prepared and tested in accordance with the provisions of ASTM D 143-52 for small clear timber specimens. Significant strength and modulus of elasticity losses were observed. This paper summarizes the methodology of a comprehensive investigation of evaluating current condition of existing Piers, structural strength and soil capacity of pier piles, typical results and experience of the author in the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania area.
Department(s)
Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering
Meeting Name
7th Conference of the International Conference on Case Histories in Geotechnical Engineering
Publisher
Missouri University of Science and Technology
Document Version
Final Version
Rights
© 2013 Missouri University of Science and Technology, All rights reserved.
Creative Commons Licensing
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.
Document Type
Article - Conference proceedings
File Type
text
Language
English
Recommended Citation
Singh, Ram D., "Evaluation of Timber Pile Supported Marine Piers" (2013). International Conference on Case Histories in Geotechnical Engineering. 3.
https://scholarsmine.mst.edu/icchge/7icchge/session08/3
Evaluation of Timber Pile Supported Marine Piers
Chicago, Illinois
River piers were constructed during the later part of 19th and early part of 20th centuries to handle increased marine freight traffic in the coastal regions of the United States. The sub-structure of these piers, commonly referred to as “finger-piers”, was usually constructed with a timber deck relieving- platform supported by timber piles. These platforms were used to support either earth-fill and/or concrete arch supports, which in turn provided structural support for the main floor. Most of the piers also had superstructures, usually truss-supported roof with columns, and a railroad siding. Many existing piers on the Delaware River in Philadelphia and the Hudson River in New York harbor are examples of this kind of piers. These piers are now being increasingly refurbished as site for new uses including condominiums, storage warehouses, cruise terminals and other waterfront developments. These new uses require evaluation of the available structural and soil load capacity of existing foundations. Additionally, a number of historical monuments are supported on timber piles. Current load capacity of these piles also is of interest to the engineers. For the study presented herein, the laboratory testing program consisted of strength tests on specimens sawed from full size pile segments submerged in river water for about 100 years. Tests consisted of compression parallel to grain, compression perpendicular to grain and radial specimen. For comparison, tests were also conducted on new pile specimens. Additionally, deck and pile core samples were also tested. The specimens were prepared and tested in accordance with the provisions of ASTM D 143-52 for small clear timber specimens. Significant strength and modulus of elasticity losses were observed. This paper summarizes the methodology of a comprehensive investigation of evaluating current condition of existing Piers, structural strength and soil capacity of pier piles, typical results and experience of the author in the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania area.
