Effect of de-sanding (recycling system) process on the piles bearing capacity

The technique adopted in this study includes an innovative and unconventional method, which plays an important role in enhancing the bearing capacity of piles, called a recycling system. Full-scale models were conducted on two groups of piles: the first group was constructed without using this system, and the second group was constructed using it. All piles were tested by static load test. 3D finite element in the PLAXIS program was adopted to understand the load-carrying response of piled, several parameters were studied such as the thickness of the filter cake, type of soil, L/D ratio, and separation between the friction and end bearing. The results revealed that using the recycling system significantly increased the pile-bearing capacity, reaching 50%. The effectiveness of the recycling system in cohesionless soils is more efficient than in cohesive soils. Pile’s bearing capacity improvement ratio reaches 65 and 38% for sandy and clayey soils, respectively. In addition, the thickness of the filter cake significantly reduces the pile-bearing capacity, which may exceed 40% if this system is not used. Using the recycling system, the pile bearing capacity was improved by 60−64% and 85−98% for friction and end bearing, respectively.