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OPTIMIZING THE DESIGN OF INDIRECT FOUNDATIONS GROUND-MOUNTED PHOTOVOLTAIC PANEL USING CONE PENETRATION TESTS
Abstract
The selection of foundation type for photovoltaic (PV) panels depends on several factors, including soil type, geographical location, site topography, groundwater level, and soil corrosion potential. Common foundation solutions for ground-mounted PV panels include ballasted foundations, ground screws, helical piles, and, most frequently, driven steel micropiles. The current study focuses on optimizing the design of foundations using steel micropiles by leveraging Cone Penetration Test (CPT) results to enable more efficient and site-specific designs tailored to local soil conditions. To validate the proposed method, in situ pullout tests were conducted at a site in Romania. Four trial sites were established, where C100-type steel micropiles with lengths of 2.0 m and 2.5 m were tested under both natural moisture and saturated soil conditions. Pullout resistance measurements were correlated with data from eight CPTs performed near the test polygons. The CPT data were used to develop a mathematical relationship for estimating the pullout bearing capacity of the micropiles. The proposed formula incorporates key parameters, including average cone resistance (qc), cumulative lateral friction (fs) and pile geometrical characteristics. The results demonstrate that the proposed method offers a reliable alternative to traditional foundation design approaches for PV panels.
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References5
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Lutenegger A. J. Tension tests on driven fin piles for support of solar panel arrays. Proceedings of GeoCongress. Oakland, 2012 DOI: 10.1061/9780784412121.032
Moshfeghi S., Eslami, A. Study on pile ultimate capacity criteria and CPT-based direct methods. International Journal of Geotechnical Engineering, 2016, pp 1-12 DOI: 10.1080/19386362.2016.1244150
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