Performance of driven battered mini-pile group against expansive soil induced ground movement

Abstract

Swell-shrink movement of expansive soils due to seasonal wetting and drying can cause differential ground movements. This movement can inflict substantial structural damage above foundation level to lightly loaded infrastructure. To reduce this movement, techniques have been employed to either (i) chemically restrain the soil's reactivity, (ii) control the moisture variation within the ground, or (iii) engage a footing system that can limit the impact of the stresses generated by such differential ground movements. Recently, a new concrete-free footing system has been developed in Australia in an attempt to sufficiently resist such ground movements. This system is comprised of an adjustable ..