Capacity of Rock Socketed Drilled Shafts in MidAtlantic Region

MD Sahadat Hossain, Ph.D., P.E.,

Associate Professor
Department of Civil Engineering
The University of Texas at Arlington
Texas, USA

Outline

Introduction

Project and Site Description

Load Testing

Load Capacity from Empirical Methods

Summary and Conclusions

Introduction

Drilled shafts are common type of deep foundation in MidAtlantic region.

Design Capacities can be estimated using empirical methods

Design Capacities or parameters are usually verified from load

tests results

Conventional static load tests, using anchor caissons or

concrete blocks is difficult to perform for high capacity drilled
shafts.

Introduction

Introduction (cont.)

Osterberg loading cell

Uses hydraulic jack and the shaft itself.

Hydraulic jack induces

downward axial loading.

Upward acts against side shear and

downward acts against end bearing

upward

and

Introduction (cont.)

Two case studies of drilled shaft load testing results conducted in

the Mid-Atlantic region are presented.

Field load testing results was compared with load capacities from
empirical methods.

Project and Site Descriptions

Clinical Research Center (CRC) Facility at Bethesda, Maryland.

Construction of 3-4 story hospital and laboratory facility.

42 soil test borings were conducted.

Borings indicated

Grayish brown silt fill underlain by residual soils and disintegrated rock.

Disintegrated rock (DR) SPT between 60 blows/300 mm and refusal (100

blows/50 mm or less).

Bedrock was predominantly gneiss and schist characteristic of Wissahickon

Formation

Project and Site Description (cont.)

Clinical Research Center (CRC) Facility at Bethesda, Maryland.

Project and Site Description (cont.)

Holy Cross Hospital in Silver Spring, Maryland.

Addition of building at Holy Cross Hospital.

Nine soil test borings were drilled

Borings indicated

Presence of light brown silt fill underlain by residual materials.

Bedrock was classified as quartz muscovite of the Wissahickon geologic

formation.

Project and Site Description (cont.)

Holy Cross Hospital in Silver Spring, Maryland.

Load Testing

One 21 inch Osterberg Load Cell was used for load test

O-cell was located 0.7 ft above the tip of the shaft

Test performed in accordance with ASTM D 1143 (ASTM,

1995).

5000 psi concrete mix using free fall method.

Strain gauges installed in test drilled shafts.

Load Testing (cont.)

Case I: Clinical Research Facility Project

Caisson extended to 63 feet.

Maximum net load applied was 368 tons.

End bearing was 85 tsf at a downward movement of 0.48 inches.

Skin friction was 1.7 tsf at a total upward movement of 1.98 in.

Failure occurred in skin friction.

Load Testing

Test Shaft for CRC Facility

Load Testing (cont.)

Osterberg Cell Load-Movement Curve

Load Testing (cont.)

Corrected and Uncorrected Equivalent Top-Load Settlement

Curves

Load Testing (cont.)

Case II: Holy Cross Hospital Project

Caisson extended to 65.8 feet.

Maximum net load applied was 1198 tons.

End bearing was 110 tsf at a downward movement of 2.0 inches.

Skin friction was 3.05 tsf in disintegrated rock and 6.4 tsf in
bedrock at a total upward movement of 0.26 in.

Failure occurred in end bearing.

Load Testing

Test Shaft for Holy Cross Hospital

Load Testing (cont.)

Osterberg Cell Load-Movement Curve

Load Testing (cont.)

Corrected and Uncorrected Equivalent Top-Load

Settlement Curves

Load Capacity from Empirical Methods

Load tests capacities were 25% to 50% smaller than empirical

methods.

Empirical methods over predicted side shear resistance.

Empirical methods produced lower end bearing at CRC and larger

value at Holy Cross Hospital site.

Load Capacity from Empirical Methods

(cont.)

Total ultimate capacities predicted using the Reese & ONeill

(1999) and load tests were almost equal, when the skin friction
was calculated assuming disintegrated rock layer as IGM.

Comparison of Drilled Shaft Capacity

Ultimate Skin Resistance

Ultimate End Bearing

Total Ultimate Capacity

3.5

2.5

Ratio

1.5

Over Prediction

0.5

Carter &
Kulhawy
(1988)

Reese &
O'Neill
(1999)

Load Test

Reese &
O'Neill
(1999)

IGM & Bedrock

DR & Bedrock

CRC Facility

Comparison of Drilled Shaft Capacity

Ultimate Skin Resistance

Ultimate End Bearing

Total Ultimate Capacity

3.5

2.5

Ratio

1.5

Over Prediction

0.5

Carter &
Kulhawy
(1988)

Reese &
O'Neill
(1999)

Load Test

DR & Bedrock

Holy Cross Hospital

Reese &
O'Neill
(1999)

IGM & Bedrock

Summary and Conclusions

Two case studies of load testing for drilled shafts were

presented.

Average unit skin friction and end bearing in disintegrated

rock was about 1.7 tsf and 85 tsf, respectively.

Average skin friction in bedrock ranged from 3 tsf to 6.0 tsf,

and the end bearing capacity was 110 tsf.

Load test ultimate capacities were 25% to 50% less than those
predicted from empirical methods.

If disintegrated rock is assumed IGM then ultimate capacities

predicted using Reese & ONeill (1999) and load test were
almost equal.

Thank You !