Pile-Driving Mechanics at the Base as Informed by Direct Measurements
Publication: Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering
Volume 143, Issue 9
Abstract
Determination of the base contribution to total pile capacity is an important aspect in the design of end-bearing piles. For driven piles, dynamic load testing and signal matching are the predominant approach for estimating total pile capacity. This includes separating the base and shaft resistance, and differentiating between static and dynamic contributions. Despite its widespread usage, the approach is susceptible to uncertainty and nonuniqueness of solutions. The new instrumented Becker Penetration Test (iBPT) configured as a reusable test pile (RTP) is capable of directly measuring the dynamic pile response at the base and along the shaft during driving. In this paper, RTP measurements at the base are presented and used to guide the selection of models and parameters available in signal-matching methods. The direct measurements at the base depict pile driving as a steady penetration process with unload–reload cycles, and consistency of locked-in residual force between subsequent blows. The results show that when fundamental mechanical constraints are satisfied, simple existing models are adequate for capturing the measured response, and uncertainty and nonuniqueness at the base are curbed.
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Acknowledgments
The authors would like to acknowledge the funding provided by California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) under Contract No. 201222670. The funding and collaboration of the California Department of Water and Los Angeles Department of Water and Power in developing the equipment and obtaining the data are also greatly appreciated. The help and input from Tom Schantz of Caltrans, Jim Benson of Great West Drilling, and finally of Dan Wilson, Bill Sluis, Daret Kehlet, Alex Sturm, and Chase Temple of University of California, Davis, are also greatly appreciated.
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Published In
Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering
Volume 143 • Issue 9 • September 2017
Copyright
©2017 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: May 10, 2016
Accepted: Mar 14, 2017
Published online: Jun 19, 2017
Published in print: Sep 1, 2017
Discussion open until: Nov 19, 2017
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