Evaluation of Existing Static Design Methods for Prediction of Large Diameter Open-End Pile Resistance

Large diameter open-end piles are increasingly being used in transportation infrastructure projects due to their high load carrying capacity and construction efficiency; however, there is uncertainty in their design and performance. In particular, the development of pile plugging is not well understood and is not necessarily well captured in available static design methods. Many of the commonly used existing design methods were developed for smaller diameter piles, and some are known to overpredict large diameter open-end pile resistance. The Federal Highway Administration recently completed a multi-year research study evaluating the bearing resistance of large diameter open-end piles. As part of the research, the authors evaluated several existing static design methods for prediction of large diameter open-end pile resistance. The evaluation included multiple combinations of design methods and considered multiple combinations of side and base resistance to reflect effects of pile plugging. This paper outlines the evaluation of design methods and identifies trends for suitable methods and their application for large diameter open-end piles.