State-of-Art Working platform for Deep foundations-Paper

Paper

Pdf Summary

The paper emphasizes the need for properly designed temporary working platforms to support heavy equipment used in deep foundation construction, particularly on soft or weak ground. Platform failure can cause cranes and piling rigs to topple, risking injury or death, damaging equipment, and delaying projects. Despite these risks, Indian standards do not currently provide specific requirements or design guidance for such platforms.<br /><br />The authors review two international references: TWf 2019:02, which guides the design of unreinforced granular platforms, and BRE’s BR470, which covers both unreinforced and geogrid-reinforced platforms. Both assess equipment loads and ground bearing capacity, but the paper notes that existing guidance gives limited attention to newer reinforcement systems, such as geocells.<br /><br />A case study on soft, clay-rich ground illustrates the benefits of reinforcement. An unreinforced granular platform quickly failed under vehicle movements. For the site, calculated platform thicknesses were 1,100 mm using TWf guidance, 900 mm using BR470, and 650 mm for a geogrid-reinforced option. A geocell-reinforced design reduced the required thickness to 475 mm. A non-woven geotextile was used to separate the clay from the granular fill, while the geocell confined the fill and improved load transfer. The completed platform enabled safe, repeated movement and positioning of piling rigs and cranes, including during heavy rain.<br /><br />The authors recommend developing Indian guidelines suited to local ground conditions, construction practices, and available technologies. They also propose making platform design, provision, and certification mandatory parts of construction contracts and equipment safety requirements. Such measures could improve worker and equipment safety while increasing productivity in deep foundation projects.

Keywords

temporary working platforms

deep foundation construction

soft ground

heavy equipment

platform failure

piling rigs

crane safety

geocell reinforcement

geogrid reinforcement

Indian design guidelines