Pile Load Test

What is it? Why? How is it done? How many piles? Which piles? When to conduct the test? What is the maximum test load? How to interpret test results?

Which test method should we adopt?

Pile Testing

Static Load Test - Test Setup

Reaction Beam Load Cell Stiffeners Plate Spherical Bearing

Ram
Hydraulic Jack Bourdon Gage Dial Gage

LVDT Mirror

Bracket Attached to Pile Wire Scale Test Pile Grade

Kentledge Reaction System

Pile Testing

Anchored Piles Reaction System

Methods of Static Load Test

Pile Testing

Pile Testing

Results of a Maintained Load Test

Osterberg Load Test Concept

Conventional Q Osterberg Cell

Qs

Qs Qo
Expanding O-Cell

Qt

Qo Qt
10

Pile Testing

The Osterberg Cell

11

Bored Pile
Dimaeter = 3 m Length =67m

Max. Load = 279,000 kN 27,900 t

12

Pile Testing

The Osterberg Cell

13

14

Pile Testing

The Osterberg Cell

15

Pile Dynamic Analyzer (PDA Tests)

16

Pile Testing

Pile Dynamic Analyzer (PDA Tests)

17

Statnamic Load Test Setup

Concrete or Steel Reaction Mass
Pressure Chamber Load Cell Base Plate Grouted to Foundation

Loose Granular Fill Propellant Launching Cylinder Piston Base Displacement Measuring Means

Pile or Drilled Shaft

18

Pile Testing

19

20

Pile Testing

21

Comparison of Test Duration

22

Pile Testing

Comparisons between Static, Statnamic and Dynamic Pile Load Tests

23

When should the pile load test be conducted?

Clay Pile Type

Sand Driven Piles & Bored Piles

Rock

Method of Testing

PDA, Statnamic, O-Cell, Static

24

Pile Testing

Field Data on Friction Pile Capacity in Clay

(after Vesic, 1977)

25

Number of piles to be tested?

26

Pile Testing

BCA/IES/ACES Advisory Note 1/03

27

What is the maximum test load?

Working Load Test Qmax = 2 QALL Qmax = 2.5 or 3 QALL
QULT Q

Preliminary or Ultimate Load Test

QALL 2QALL 3QALL

28

Pile Testing

Interpretation of Failure Load

29

Forms of Load-Settlement Curves

(Tomlinson, 1987)

Friction pile in soft clay

Friction pile in stiff clay

Pile end bearing on weak porous rock

30

Pile Testing

Forms of Load-Settlement Curves

(Tomlinson, 1987)

31

Proper Scaling of Load-Displacement Diagram

What are the failure loads of these two tests?

Proper Scaling

32

Pile Testing

Determination of Qult
(after De Beer, 1967)

33

Determination of Qult
(after Mazurkiewics, 1974)

34

Pile Testing

Determination of Qult
(after Van Der Veen, 1953)

35

Brinch Hansens 90% Criterion

36

Pile Testing

Brinch Hansens 80% Criterion

Qu 0.8Qu

0.25 u

37

Hirany & Kulhawys Method for Bored Piles

(Hirany and Kulhawy, 1989)

38

Pile Testing

Hirany & Kulhawys Method for Bored Piles

(Hirany and Kulhawy, 1989)

39

Tangent Intersect Method

40

Pile Testing

Tangent Intersect Method (Fuller & Hay, 1970; Butter & Hay, 1977)

41

Davissons Method (1973)

42

Pile Testing

10% Rule

43

Qu

Chins Method
(Chin, 1970)

m = 1/Qu

44

Pile Testing

Pile Load Test

(after Chin, 1970)

Qs = 1 / a1 Qs + Qp = 1 / a2 = Qult

45

Ultimate Skin Friction and End Bearing by Chins Method

46

Pile Testing

Comparison of Interpretation Methods

(Sharma et al, 1984)

47

Chins Stability Plot

(after Chin, 1985)

48

Pile Testing

Chins Stability Plot (after Chin, 1985)

49

Chins Stability Plot

(after Chin, 1985)

50

Pile Testing

Chins Stability Plot

(after Chin, 1985)

51

Pile Instrumentation

52

Pile Testing

Static Load Test on Pile with Telltales

Q1+Q2+Q3, etc. Q1+Q2+Q3 Q1+Q2 Q1 Load (Q)

Telltale B Telltale A Telltale A

Movement

Pile Head

Telltale B

53

Load Test of Bored Pile in Old Alluvium

(Chin et al, 1985)

54

Pile Testing

Load Test of Bored Pile in Old Alluvium

(Chin et al, 1985)

55

Load Test of Bored Pile in Jurong Formation

(Chang & Goh, 1988)

56

Pile Testing

Load Test of Bored Pile in Old Alluvium (Chin et al, 1985)

57

Load Test of Bored Pile in Old Alluvium (Chin et al, 1985)

58

Pile Testing

Load Test of Bored Pile in Reclaimed Land

(Wong et al, 1996)

59

Load Test of Bored Pile in Reclaimed Land

(Wong et al, 1996)

60

Pile Testing

Residual Stresses in Driven Piles

61

Correction for Residual Stress in Driven Piles

(Altaee et al, 1992)

(-ve)

(+ve)

(+ve)

62

Pile Testing

Correction for Residual Stress in Driven Piles

(Fellenius, 1989; Altaee et al, 1992)

63

Correction for Residual Stress in Driven Piles

(Fellenius, 1989; Altaee et al, 1992)

Before correction

After correction
64

Pile Testing