Micropiles in Urban Infrastructure: A Case Study of Skywalk Construction Connecting Riyadh Airport Terminal with Metro Line
摘要
Constructing a skywalk to connect Riyadh Airport terminal with the Metro line station over an existing parking building required an innovative and executable solution. A deep foundation micropile solution for supporting the skywalk on twin piers was engineered to overcome challenges related to constructability, geotechnical and structural design parameters, and adaptability to avoid conflicts with the functionality of the parking structure. A micropiling support system on pad foundations was designed to resist vertical, horizontal, and dynamic loads while minimizing differential settlements to support the twin piers of the skywalk. A self-drilling hollow bar system equipped with pressure grouting was used to construct 250 mm diameter micropiles. The challenge of resisting high lateral forces and displacements was addressed by adding steel pipe reinforcement to the top portion of the micropiles. Theoretical pile capacities were confirmed by performing axial and lateral pile load tests.