Lecture 2

Pile/Shaft Load Testing

Axial Pile/Shaft-Soil Transfer
Axial Pile Nominal Resistance
 Conventional Top Down Load Testing -
1000 tons (FDOT)& 4,000 tons (CaTrans)

Pile Top Load

Pile Head Displacement
 Conventional Top-Down Pile/Shaft Load Test

• Two most common are slow & quick maintained tests (see
ASTM 1143-81)
• Slow Maintained:
– Load the pile in 8 equal increments (25%, 50%, 75%, 100%, 125%,
175% and 200% of the design service load
– Maintain each increment until the rate of settlement has decreased to
0.01 in/hr, but not longer than 2 hrs
– Maintain the 200% load for 24 hrs
– After the required holding time, remove the load in decrements of
25% with 1 hr between steps
– After loading as above, reload pile to test load in 50% increments of
design load, allowing 20 mins between load increments.
– Then increase the load in increments of 10% of design load until
failure, allowing 20 mins between load steps.
 FHWA Pile Load Test
• Quick Maintained – Recommended by FHWA (3 – 5
hrs)
– Load the pile in 20 increments to 300% of the design load
(i.e. each increment is 15% of design load)
– Maintain each load for 5 mins with readings taken every
2.5 mins.
– After reaching 300% - hold load for 5 mins and then
remove the load in in 4 equal decrements (each 75% of
design) with 5 mins between decrements
– Because of the quickness of the test, it is not generally
recommended for settlement estimations – considered an
undrained loading scenario
Strain Gage
Internal Technology (EDC):

Accelerometer
NHI 9.5.2
 I-95 at Edgewood
Static Pile Load Test
Strain Measurement Comparison
350

Pile Top
300

250

200
Strain (ue)

150

100

50
Pile Tip
0

-50
0 1000 2000 3000 4000 5000 6000 7000 8000 9000 10000 11000 12000 13000
Time (seconds)
Level 1 B Average Level 2 Average Level 5 EDC Top Strain EDC Toe Strain
Force from Strain (NHI)
 I-95 at Edgewood
Load Test Pile
Load versus Displacement

0.0

-0.2

-0.4

-0.6
Displacement (inches)

-0.8

-1.0

-1.2

-1.4

-1.6

O Ring Failure, Test Stopped

-1.8
0 50 100 150 200 250 300 350 400 450
Load (kips)

AVERAGE DISPLACEMENT FDOT Failure Criteria FDOT Failure Criteria 2

Statnamic Testing

5’ drilled shaft, 1300

Tons, Keystone
Heights, Florida,
2013
 Statnamic Testing:
6000 tons ASTM Standard D7383-08
Max. Statnamic Force Unloading Point (v = 0)
Load
(Fstatnamc ) Yielding
(Fstatic = F unloading)

Time
Time Reaction
Masses
Laser sight
Load Cell / Fuel (movement)
Displacement

Velocity
(v )
Time Skin Friction

Acceleration
End Bearing
(a)
Time
 Statnamic Data Reduction Middendorp
Unloading Point Method (1992) – NHI 11.4.1

2. Fstatnamic = Fstatic + C×v + M×a (C: damping factor, v: velocity, M: mass,

a: acceleration, therefore C×v: damping force, M×a: inertial force), see Figure 3.6.
3. At the maximum displacement (Unloading Point), the velocity equals zero (v = 0).
4. At the Unloading Point, since Fstatnamic and the acceleration are known (measured by
devices), Fstatic can be calculated.
Fstatic = Fstatnamic – M×a, (v = 0 at the Unloading Point)
5. It is assumed that the soil is yielding over the range Fstatnamic(max) to Funloading , so Fstatic =
Funloading.
Funloading = Fstatnamic – M×a --------------------------------- from step 4
6. Since Fstatic is known (Fstatic = Funloading) over the range Fstatnamic(max) to Funloading, a mean C
(damping factor) can be calculated over this range.
C×v = (Fstatnamic - Fstatic - M×a) ------------------------------ from step 2
Cmean = (Fstatnamic – Funloading - M×a) / v --------------------- from step 5
7. Now static resistance Fstatic can be calculated at all points.
Fstatic = (Fstatnamic - Cmean×v - M×a)
8. Draw the static load-movement diagram, shown in Figure 3.5.
Dynamic and Static Axial Pile/Shaft
Response
Load

Statnamic

Static
Movement

Zero velocity point

Osterberg Load Testing:
ASTM D 1143
30,000 tons
278 MN
10’ diameter shaft
Korea
 Osterberg
Multiple Cell-
Upper O-cell

Lower O-cell

Stage Testing Physical Arrangement

Now called Bi- Side Shear

Failure Upper portion side

directional load
resistance is obtained.

Locked Active
Bearing resistance
is obtained.

test Bearing Failure

Locked

Step 1 Step 2

Lower portion side

Lower portion side resistance is obtained
resistance is obtained. (reverse order).

Open Active
Side Shear Side Shear Failure
Failure (Reverse Direction)
Active Open

Step 3 Step 4
Use of Telltales
Measurements At Cell Location
Measurements Along Pile/Shaft
 Q P1

δ Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4
fs Per ∆L

ε1 E A = P1 P2
∆L Vertical Force Equilibrium
z
ε2 E A = P2
fs Σ Fv = P1 – P2 – fs Per ∆L
ε3 E A = P3
∆P = fs Per ∆L
Depth, Z

∆P/∆z = dP/dz = fs Per

fs = dP/dL (1/Per)
εt E A = Pt fs = τ
Side
Friction
(stress)

Displacement, z
 Pile Top Load -Displacement

Top displacement, δ fs = τ

Top Load, Q (tons)

Displacement, z

fs = τ

Displacement, z
fs = τ

Displacement, z
Top displacement, δ
fs = τ

Displacement, z
fs = τ

Displacement, z
 Other Reason to do Load Tests?
NHI:

Measured &
Predicted
Rn - Pile Capacity – UF study 1986
Davisson’s Method
 Davisson’s Method
P

L A

P ∆
= σ = Eε = E
A L
AE∆
P=
L

K
NHI 9.2.3

Qdav = Rn
FDOT
X = 0.15 + B/120
B < 30”

B ≥ 30”
X = 0.15 + B/30
Debeer’s Method
Qdebeer = Rn
 Log – Log Plots
Y = a X3

Log Y = Log (a X3) = Log (a) + Log( X3)

Log Y = Log (a) + 3 Log (X)
Log (Load)

Slope = 3 = power of polynomial

Log (a)

Log (Displacement)
 Pile Load Transfer
Total Pile Resistance
Load (tons, kN, etc.)

High Order Polynomial

e.g. 3rd to 5th

=
Qs – Side Friction on Pile

+ Low Order Polynomial

e.g. 2nd - quadratic
controls Qtip -- Tip Resistance

Pile Top Displacement (inch, mm)

 Tip Resistance

Skin Friction
 Pile
Capacity
Fuller Hoy - Graphical

QFH = Rn
FDOT Database
 Summary of Rn Estimates
• Debeer – Lowest estimate of pile capacity –
predominately skin friction mobilization
• Fuller Hoy – Highest estimate of pile capacity due to
slope (1ton/0.05”)
• Davisson falls in between --- adopted by FDOT &
AASHTO for piles less than 30”(e.g. 24”) for piles of
30” or greater – PL/AE +X (0.15 +B/30) –
deformations are considered tolerable (i.e. less than
2”)
• At capacity (i.e. Davisson) – pile still has reserve
resistance --- peak is called ultimate and
accompanied by significant deformations