Survey and design of pile foundations on the highways in Karst terrain

Abstract

Karst is a complex topography in which the terrain is chiefly shaped by the dissolving of carbonate rock such as limestone or dolomite. When the highway passes through an area with Karst caves, if the reasonable survey and design are not susgested, the subsidence incidents will occur and cause instability of embankment. Most of the sinkholes that occur on the national highways and expressways are caused by unusual amounts of rainfall in the area located on the Karst terrain. Therefore, the geophysical survey method at boreholes along with the designs for drilling and cement grouting to seal Karst caves and bored pile foundation solutions through these caves need to be researched for mitigating these risks when the highways traffic opening.