Pile foundations (Lecture-5)

Load test on Pile : IS I 2911 (Part 4 ), 1985: Code of practice for design and construction of
pile foundations, Part 4: Load test on piles : Pile load test is the most direct method for
determining the safe loads on piles including its structural capacity with respect to soil in which it
is installed. It is considered more reliable to calculate the capacities than the other methods, such
as static formula, dynamic formulae and penetration test data because it is the “in-situ” test. It can
be conducted on a driven pile or a cast in –situ pile, on a working pile or a test pile, on single pile
or a group of pile.
Aim of pile load test is to determine the vertical load carrying capacity of pile. It can be
used to obtain the uplift or lateral load carrying capacity of pile.
It can be done on all types of soil. In case of driven piles, the properties of soil (clay or
sand) may be altered by pile driving. In clay soil, disturbances causes remoulding and consequent
loss of strength of soil. With passes of time, much of original strength will be regained. In sands,
it is to create a temporary condition wherein extra resistance is developed, which loss later by
stress relaxation. So, in case of driven pile sufficient time interval should be maintained between
the installation of pile and load testing.

Terminology:
Cut - off Level : The level where the installed pile is cut-off to support the pile caps or
beams or any other structural components at that level.
Datum Bar : A rigid bar placed on immovable supports.
Factor of Safety : The ratio of the ultimate load capacity of a pile to the safe load.
Test Pile : A pile which is meant for initial test.
Working Pile : A pile forming part of foundation of a structural system which may be used
for routine load test.
Initial Test : It is carried with a view to determine ultimate load capacity and the safe load
capacity.
Roatine Test : It is carried out on a working pile with a view to check whether pile is
capable of taking the working load assigned to it.
Net displacement : Net movement of the pile top from the original position after the pile
has been subjected to a test load and subsequently released.
Total displacement ( Gross) : The total movement of the pile top under a given load.
Total elastic displacemeat : This is magnitude of the displacement of the pile due to
rebound caused at the top after removal of a given test load. This comprises two components as
follows: a) Elastic displacement of the soil participating in load transfer, and
b) Elastic displacement of the pile shaft.
Ultimate Load Capacity : The maximum load which a pile or pile shaft can carry before
failure of ground (when the loil fails by shear as evidenced from the load settlement curves) or
failure of pile.

Necessary information required:

i) Pile type, material and reinforcement details, group / single pile
ii) Method of pile driving or installation of pile
iii) Pile depth and details of crols-section
iv) Type of test
 v) Layout of the pile
vi) Depth of water table and soil strata details with soil test results
vii) Calculated safe load and ultimate load capacity
viii) Anchorage required for reaction
ix) Nature of loading
x) Past experience concerning similar test and any other relevant information

Types of tests: There are two types of tests for each type of loading (that is, vertical,
lateral and pullout ), namely, initial and routine test.
i) Initial test : This test is performed on test pile. Maximum load applied on a test pile
should be 2times the estimated safe load, or upto the load at which total settlement attains a value
of 10% of pile diameter for single pile or 40mm in case of group whichever occurs earlier. It is
required for one or more of the following purposes. This is done in case of important and/or major
projects and number of tests may be one or more depending upon the number of piles required.

a) To determine ultimate and safe load on pile

b) To determine guidelines for setting up the limits of acceptance for routine tests
c) To study the effect of piling on adjacent existing structures
d) To find suitable piling system
e) To verify calculated load by dynamic or static formula.

Routine test : Performed on working pile. Maximum load on pile should be 1.5times the
safe load or upto the load at which the total settlement attains a value of 12mm for single pile or
40mm for group of piles whichever occurs earlier. This test is required for one or more of the
following purposes. The number of test may generally be 1.5% – 2% percent of the total number
of piles required.

a) To determine ultimate and safe load on pile

b) To check the extent of safety for specific functional requirement of the pile at working load
c) Detection of any unusual performance contrary to the findings of the initial test.

Vertical pile load test: Vertical pile load test may be of two types, continuous load test
and cyclic load test.
Continuous vertical pile load test: Necessary arrangements are to be made to apply load
and measure settlement. Static axial vertical compressive loads is applied in increments by a
reaction loading with the hydraulic jack or gravity loading and settlements are recorded by three
dial gauges of 0.01mm. Load increments are to be applied at approximately one-fifth of the
estimated load capacity of a pile group. The settlement data for each load increment are recorded
at 1min, 2min, 4min, 8min, 15min, 30min, and 1hr and then at hourly interval till the rate of
settlement became less than 0.01mm/min or 0.02mm in a minimum of 2hrs whichever occurs
earlier.
The safe load on single pile for the initial test should be least of the following: a) Two-
thirds of the final load at which the total displacement attains a value of 12 mm b) 50% of the final
load at which the total displacement equal 10% of the pile diameter in case of uniform diameter
piles and 7·5% of bulb diameter in case of under-reamed piles.
 Load, kN

Settlement, mm
Figure: Vertical pile load test set-up Figure: Load-settlement graph for
vertical pile load test

The safe load on groups of piles for initial test shall be least of the following: a) Final load
at which the total displacement attains a value of 25 mm, and b) Two-thirds of the final load at
which the total displacement attains a value of 40 mm.

Cyclic pile load test: Test set-up is same as continuous vertical pile load test . In this
method load increment is applied first and then released to zero. Then next higher load increment
is applied and released. Settlements are recorded at every increment and decrement of load. This
method is used in case of initial test to find out separately skin friction and point bearing load on
single piles of uniform diameter.