Optimizing Foundations based on CSM panels using Rapid Load tests-Paper

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The Cosun Park development in Breda, the Netherlands, replaced an unfinished building on a site with existing CFA piles that had disturbed the surrounding soil. Because reusing those piles was considered unreliable, the project selected Cutter Soil Mixing (CSM) barrettes for the foundations. CSM equipment was already being used to build the basement retaining walls, making the same construction system practical for the foundations.<br /><br />Initial calculations using Dutch design-code values indicated that each barrette would need three to four CSM panels and predicted substantial settlement under working loads. To check these assumptions, six two-panel barrettes were tested using StatRapid rapid load testing, following Dutch guideline NPR 7201 and the relevant ISO standard. The tests reached loads of up to approximately 11.7 MN. At the target loads, the barrettes showed small displacements; a load of 9 MN produced minimal settlement. All six tests met the specified Class C criteria.<br /><br />The results demonstrated that the CSM barrettes had greater load-bearing capacity and greater stiffness than the standard design calculations predicted. The foundation design was consequently optimized, reducing the number of panels per barrette from three or four to one or two. This yielded savings in cost, construction time, materials, and carbon emissions.<br /><br />The case highlights the value of project-specific load testing when standard design methods may be conservative or poorly suited to a foundation system. The authors recommend integrating tests into future CSM foundation designs and gathering data from additional sites to refine design factors and load-settlement models.

Keywords

Cosun Park

Breda

Netherlands

Cutter Soil Mixing

CSM barrettes

foundation design

rapid load testing

load-bearing capacity

settlement reduction

carbon emissions