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Pile Load Test: IS: 2911 (Part 4) - 1985 IS: 14893-2001

Pile load testing is the most definitive method to determine a pile's load capacity. There are various methods of pile load testing, including static load testing, dynamic pile testing, pile integrity testing, and lateral and pull-out load tests. Struct Geotech has experienced engineers and equipment to perform all standard types of pile load testing according to international standards. The tests provide valuable information about load capacity, distribution of loads, structural integrity, and resistance to lateral and pull-out forces.

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Dwijendra Chanumolu
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7K views5 pages

Pile Load Test: IS: 2911 (Part 4) - 1985 IS: 14893-2001

Pile load testing is the most definitive method to determine a pile's load capacity. There are various methods of pile load testing, including static load testing, dynamic pile testing, pile integrity testing, and lateral and pull-out load tests. Struct Geotech has experienced engineers and equipment to perform all standard types of pile load testing according to international standards. The tests provide valuable information about load capacity, distribution of loads, structural integrity, and resistance to lateral and pull-out forces.

Uploaded by

Dwijendra Chanumolu
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
  • Pile Load Test: Introduces pile load testing, its importance, and various methods used for determining pile capacity, specifically focusing on the Static Load Testing method.
  • Testing Methods: Pile Integrity and Dynamic Pile Testing: Provides a detailed look at pile integrity testing and low strain integrity testing methods in construction and design analysis.
  • Static Pile Load Testing: Explores static pile load testing and considerations necessary for ensuring structural stability of piles, including equipment and procedures used.
  • Lateral Load Test: Explains the methodologies and significance of lateral load testing in the analysis of pile structures within construction.
  • Pull-out Load Test: Describes the pull-out test method, its application, and how it aids in measuring the horizontal and vertical loads impacting piles.

Pile Load Test

Pile foundation can be constructed depending on the stiffness of


subsurface soil and ground water conditions and using a variety
of construction techniques. The most common techniques are in-
situ casting and pre-augering. Due to the extensive nature of the
subsurface mass that it influences, the degree of uncertainty
regarding the actual working capacity of a pile foundation is
generally much higher than that of a shallow footing.

Pile load testing is the most definitive method of determining load capacity of a pile. Testing a
pile for failure provides valuable information to the design engineer and is recommended for
load tests performed prior to the foundation design. We at Struct Geotech follow IS: 2911 (Part
4) – 1985, IS: 14893-2001 load test on piles method. This method is applicable to all kinds of
deep foundations that function in a manner similar to piles regardless of their method of
installation. It does not specify a particular method to be used, but rather provides several
optional methods. These tests involve the application of a load capable of displacing the
foundation and determining its capacity from its response.

Struct Geotech engineers constantly seek more and more effective techniques of monitoring pile
construction to estimate as accurately as possible the ultimate field capacity of piles. In addition,
our engineers are also interested in monitoring methods that would reveal information leading to,

 On-site determination of pile capacity


 Distribution of pile load between the shaft and tip, and
 Detection of possible pile.

Struct Geotech has well defined and experienced engineers who conduct pile load test using
standeardized methods, It has advanced in house ( Main and Supports ) equipments required to
conduct pile load test.
Description:
Pile Integrity Testing/ Sonic Echo Testing:

Struct Geotech Research Laboratories P.L. is accredited under


National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration
Laboratories (NABL) & ISO 17025 – 2005 & ISO 9001 - 2008
certified, to perform pile integrity testing since 2006.

Pile Integrity Testing -PIT performs Low Strain integrity testing,


also called Sonic Echo or Pulse Echo Testing. The PIT may be
used for auger cast-in-place (CFA) piles, drilled shafts, driven
concrete piles, concrete filled pipes and timber piles. It detects
potentially dangerous defects such as major cracks, necking, soil inclusions or voids on any type
of concrete foundations prior to construction of the superstructure. It may also test piles integrity
in the structure, such as those supporting existing bridges, towers or any high rise structures and
determine their length.

 Comparing records from several piles on the same site


 Analyzing data from foundations of existing structures
 Assessing unknown foundation length
 Evaluating the severity and location of anomalies along the shaft

Dynamic Pile Testing:

Struct Geotech Research Laboratories P.L. is accredited under


National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration
Laboratories (NABL) & ISO 17025 – 2005 & ISO 9001 - 2008
certified, to perform Pile Dynamic Analyzing since 2006.

Dynamic pile testing constitutes a comprehensive and


economical means to quantitatively evaluate the hammer-pile-
soil system based on the measurement of pile force and velocity
records under hammer impacts. Measurements, data processing
and analysis are performed in real time in the field by state-of-art dedicated Pile Driving
Analyzer ASTM D4945.96 (PDA) equipment from PDITM. Testing results include estimation
of pile load capacity, dynamic pile stresses and structural integrity & driving system
performance. The Pile Driving Analysis is applicable on Bored cast-in-situ, drilled shafts,
continuous flight auger & driven piles, this applies for either test pile or working pile.
Dynamic pile monitoring for construction quality control and verification testing are routinely
performed on hundreds of project sites annually in India and around the world. Main objectives
of dynamic pile testing include obtaining information on the following:

 Hammer and driving system performance for productivity and construction control
 Dynamic pile stresses during and after installation. To reduce the possibility of pile
damage, stress must be kept within certain bounds
 Pile integrity during and after installation
 Static pile bearing capacity, at the time of testing. For the evaluation of long term
capacity, piles are generally tested during re-strike some time after installation

We use an enhanced analysis, called CAPWAP, which enables us to correlate the measured data
with the known pile / soil model elements. The end result of CAPWAP, via a rigorous and
repeated signal matching solution, produces a pile driving summary that contains pile capacity,
percent end bearing / skin friction, measured pile compression and tension stresses. Using this
type of empirical and analytical data assistance, we can validate a project's design requirements
with superior accuracy and speed.

 Estimates total bearing capacity of a pile or shaft


 Soil resistance parameters
 Resistance distribution along the shaft and at the toe
 Static load–settlement curves from the measured force and velocity data
 Total computed soil capacity – sum of Skin Friction and Toe Bearing
 Computed load against settlement curve
 Stresses at any point along the shaft
 Energy transferred from the ram (hammer) to the foundation

Static pile load testing:

Struct Geotech Research Laboratories P.L. has a vast experience


in Pile Load Testing. It has an experienced technical staff and
latest in-house testing & support equipments required to conduct
Static Load Test. The company follows latest methodology
accepted & adopted by the International Standards in conducting
SLT.

The static pile load test is the most common method of testing the capacity of a pile and it is also
considered to be the best measure of foundation suitability to resist anticipated design loads. The
static load test involves the direct measurement of pile head displacement in the response to a
physically applied test load. This test provides very reliable data for pile capacity. The capacity
is actual structural or geotechnical capacities, not calculated from idealized data. This can allow
for a lower factor of safety in the design if the pile performs better than expected (and vice
versa).

This method is applicable to all kind of pile types, over land or over water, and may be carried
out on either production piles or test piles. Test piles are specifically constructed for the purpose
of carrying out load tests and therefore, are commonly loaded to failure. Testing of production
piles however, is limited to prove that a pile will perform satisfactorily at the serviceability or
design load, plus an overload to demonstrate that the pile has some reserve capacity.

Static load testing includes from the most simple (kentledge) to the complex (bidirectional)
method.

Static pile load testing:

 Kenteledge load test Method


 Reaction beam load test Method/ Rock Anchoring Method
 Bi-Directional load testing

Providing all equipments allows the company to offer a full package of design, supply, erect,
test, strip and demobilize. All the Pile Load Test systems are designed to allow easy interfacing
with Struct Geotech range of jacking and testing equipment.
No longer does piling companies have to:-

 Design a load frame, select the equipment from its yard, crane them onto a hired-in
lorry, send additional manpower to site, provide a crane to unload the lorry and erect
the frame on site.
 Re-mobilize labor and a crane, strip down the frame and load it out, transport back to
yard, off-load and store it.
 Worry about whether all the equipments have been sent to site or whether that one vital
part gets "lost" in transit or damaged on site.

All these are efficiently taken care of by Struct Geotech, and the piling/ Construction Company
can concentrate on its core activity.

Lateral load test:

Lateral load test in one of the good means of estimating lateral


capacity of pile. Piles are generally used to transmit vertical and
lateral loads to the surrounding soil media. Piles are sometimes
subjected to lateral loads due to wind pressure, water pressure,
earth pressure, earthquakes, etc. when the horizontal component
of the load is small in comparison with the vertical load (say, less
than 20%), it is generally assumed to be carried by vertical piles
and no special provision for lateral load is made. Piles that are
used under tall chimneys, towers, high rise buildings, high
retaining walls, bridges & other concrete elevated structures etc. are normally subjected to high
lateral loads. These piles or pile groups should resist not only vertical movements but also lateral
movements. Some of the measured are;
 Efficiency of the pile group loads
 Soil Stiffness Degradation
 Bending Moments
 Lateral pile response
 Pile deflection and soil response
 Ultimate lateral resistance
 Acceptable deflection at working lateral load

Pull-out load test:

Many structures are constructed using deep piled foundations in


order to transfer structural dead load through unstable ground to a
solid stratum. Action of horizontal wind or wave forces on the
structure and the behavior of the piles under these loads are much
less well documented

The resistance of the concrete piles to pull-out comes from two


major sources, skin friction between pile and soil and suctions generated at the base of the pile as
movement occurs. Both of these effects are greatly affected by the generation of excess or
suction pore pressures in the soil due to movement of the pile. Suctions are generated at the base
of the pile in all soils owing to the opening up of a void as the pile moves. At the sides of the
pile, un-drained shearing of the soil when the pile is pulled quickly will result in excess pore
pressure generation in loose soils and suctions being generated in dense soils. These pore
pressures will alter the effective stress state of the soil and will hence have a great impact on the
force-displacement behavior of the pile.

One of the most difficult tasks in geotechnical engineering is made easy by Struct Geotech in the
determination of skin friction for piers which helps the design engineer in the evaluation of the
pile load capacity. Full-scale pile load tests, on the other hand, are too expensive and time-
consuming for routine design purposes.

Pull-out tests are the ideal alternative because of their low cost, relative rapid execution, and
reliability of results. The actual skin resistance between concrete and in-situ soil can be measured
at different elevations within the soil profile. The greater certainty achieved from pullout testing
eliminates overly conservative design values, which in turn reduces as-constructed costs.
Experience has shown that these savings far exceed the cost of pullout testing.

Common questions

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Dynamic pile monitoring is particularly beneficial during construction scenarios that require quality control and verification of piling processes. This includes projects where real-time feedback on hammer performance, pile driving efficiency, and dynamic stresses is critical for ensuring pile integrity and optimizing construction productivity. It is also valuable in projects that necessitate verification of static pile bearing capacity during and after installation, such as in large-scale infrastructure or areas with variable subsurface conditions, ultimately ensuring compliance with design specifications and mitigating potential pile failures .

The key differences between the Kentledge, Reaction Beam, and Bi-Directional static load testing methods lie in their setup and execution. The Kentledge method uses stacked weights to apply load on the pile, making it labor-intensive and requiring substantial on-site logistics. The Reaction Beam method employs a beam anchored to the ground or adjacent piles to apply downward force, enhancing efficiency and reducing site setup complexity. The Bi-Directional test applies load using an internal jack within the pile foundation, efficiently assessing both upward and downward resistance simultaneously and providing detailed insights into pile performance with lower equipment footprint .

Dynamic Pile Testing offers several advantages over other methods for determining pile load capacity. It provides a comprehensive and economical means to evaluate the hammer-pile-soil system by measuring pile force and velocity records under hammer impacts. This method enables real-time field data processing with the use of advanced equipment like the Pile Driving Analyzer (PDA), providing immediate insights into pile load capacity, dynamic stresses, structural integrity, and the driving system's performance. Dynamic testing can also estimate the static pile bearing capacity at testing time and evaluate long-term capacity with re-strike tests .

Pile integrity testing is essential before superstructure construction because it ensures the foundational piles are free from critical defects that could compromise structural safety. The testing, through methods such as Low Strain integrity testing (Sonic/Pulse Echo), can detect potentially dangerous issues like major cracks, necking, soil inclusions, or voids within concrete foundations. Identifying such defects before construction allows for corrective measures to be implemented, thus mitigating risks of structural failure and ensuring the overall integrity of the superstructure supported by these piles .

The pull-out load test differs from other pile testing methods primarily in its objectives and outcomes, focusing on assessing a pile's resistance to upward (tensile) forces rather than downward compressive loads. The test evaluates the skin friction between the pile and soil, as well as suctions generated at the pile's base during movement. It offers a cost-effective, quick alternative to full-scale pile load tests and provides reliable results on the force-displacement behavior, skin resistance, and effective stress changes in the soil. Pull-out testing helps reduce conservative design values, leading to cost savings in construction .

Dynamic Pile Testing with CAPWAP analysis provides a detailed summary that includes the total bearing capacity of a pile or shaft, soil resistance parameters, resistance distribution both along the shaft and at the toe, and static load–settlement curves derived from measured force and velocity data. CAPWAP's rigorous signal matching solution allows for accurate correlation of measured data with known pile and soil model elements, leading to precise pile capacity determination and stress measurements at any point along the shaft. This detailed empirical and analytical data helps validate project design requirements with exceptional accuracy and speed .

The presence of lateral loads significantly impacts pile design for high-rise buildings and similar structures, necessitating a design that addresses both vertical and lateral movements. Piles must be capable of withstanding forces from wind, water, and seismic activities that exert horizontal stresses. Lateral load testing directly assesses these capacities by measuring parameters like soil stiffness degradation, pile response, and ultimate lateral resistance. Design adjustments can then be made to ensure piles meet safety and performance standards, often requiring enhanced structural features or additional reinforcement to handle anticipated lateral stresses effectively .

The primary purpose of pile load testing is to definitively determine the load capacity of a pile foundation. This testing is crucial because pile foundations have a greater degree of uncertainty regarding their actual working capacity compared to shallow footings. By conducting load tests, particularly those aimed at testing piles to failure, design engineers gain valuable information that allows for more accurate foundation designs. This is because the test results can indicate not only the ultimate load-bearing capacity but also help in assessing the distribution of pile load between the shaft and the tip, and detecting possible defects .

Lateral load testing is crucial for assessing the performance of piles in high-rise and elevated structures as these piles must resist not only vertical but also significant lateral loads. Structures such as tall chimneys, towers, and bridges are subjected to lateral forces from wind, earthquakes, and other stressors. Lateral load testing estimates the pile's lateral capacity and evaluates key parameters such as soil stiffness degradation, bending moments, and pile deflection. It ensures that piles can sustain lateral movements within acceptable deflection limits, providing insights into the pile group's efficiency and the ultimate lateral resistance .

The static pile load test contributes to foundation design by providing direct and reliable measurements of pile head displacement in response to physically applied test loads, thereby determining the pile's actual load carrying capacity. This reliability stems from the test's ability to offer precise structural or geotechnical capacities, rather than calculations based on idealized data. The accurate results allow engineers to adjust the factor of safety in design, making it possible to reduce this factor if the pile performs better than expected. Static load tests are applicable to various pile types and conditions, making them versatile for assessing foundation suitability .

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