Lightly Loaded Energy Farm Foundations in Cracked Desiccated Soil

本项目的目的是了解季节性变化的影响，在粘土桩发展干燥裂缝在干燥的时候，一年。该项目意义重大，因为能源农场的经济性要求其可行性的低成本基础，但目前的基础设计方法需要长桩，以克服容量和适用性的不确定性时，土壤在干旱期收缩和潮湿期膨胀。该项目的主要成果将是为在显著收缩和膨胀的土壤中设计轻载桩基提出建议。其好处将是降低与地基设计的岩土工程方面相关的风险和成本。

This project aims are to understand the effects of seasonal changes in moisture on piles in clayey soils that develop desiccation cracks during dry times of the year. The project is significant because the economics of energy farms requires low cost foundations for their viability, but current methods of foundation design require long piles to overcome uncertainties in capacity and serviceability when soil shrinks in dry periods and swells in wetter periods. The main outcome of the project will be recommendations for the design of lightly loaded pile foundations in soils that shrink and swell significantly. The benefits will be the reduced risk and cost associated with the geotechnical aspects of foundation design.