Design and Field Comparison of Ground Improvement and Bored Piles for Large Diameter Steel Water Tanks-Video

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Video Summary

Vijay of Bauer presented two case studies comparing ground improvement and pile foundations for large steel water tanks. Because excessive or differential settlement can damage tank plates, welds, and piping, foundation solutions must meet project-specific settlement limits.<br /><br />At Al-Lith, a 50 m tank was founded on stone columns extending 17 m, with load tests confirming performance. A nearby 41 m tank had much weaker, deeper soils, so it was supported on 138 piles extending 42.5 m. At Dammam–Khobar, three 106 m tanks were built on stone columns in clean sand. Post-treatment CPTs showed increased cone resistance, and a zone load test measured less settlement than predicted.<br /><br />Vijay concluded that no single foundation solution suits every site: ground improvement can be a reliable, potentially more sustainable alternative to piles when soil conditions permit and performance is carefully verified. During discussion, he explained that tank settlement is monitored during hydrostatic filling; testing was still underway for one project.

Keywords

ground improvement

pile foundations

steel water tanks

stone columns

settlement monitoring