CLARKE,J., RIGDEN, W. J. & SENNER,D. W. F. (1985) G&echnique 35, No.

4, 393-412

Reinterpretation of the West Sole platform ‘WC’ pile load tests

J. CLARKE,* W. J. RIGDEN* and D. W. F. SENNERt

There is a considerable lack of field testing of raides normalement consolidees et surconsolidCes. La

prototype piles on offshore structures, the state of the mCcanique des sols est basCe sur des expkriences en
art at present being such that most design methods for place 2 grande Cchelle qui ne peuvent pas
piles currently used have been extrapolated from malheureusement s’effectuer dans beaucoup de cas en
lightly loaded land case histories. Since owing to scale mer. Puisque les essais de chargement des pieux sur la
effects the behaviour of piles offshore differs plateforme West Sole restent les seuls essais de grande
qualitatively from those onshore, field load tests are envergure qui aient ttC effectues dans la Mer du Nord
required particularly in stiff normally and overcon- ils reprksentent une partie importante de la base de
solidated clays. The basis of soil mechanics is field donnCes employCes dans le dCveloppement de la
testing at full scale, which, unfortunately, is not procCdure de 1’Institut amCricain du p&role pour
practical in many cases offshore. The West Sole pile determiner la capacitt axiale des pieux simples battus
load tests, being the only major offshore pile load en milieu cohkrent. L’interpretation initiale des essais
tests carried out in the North Sea, form an important a uti1is.C des donnCes obtenues en 1968 sur un
part of the data base used in the development of the emplacement situ6 ?I 200m de la position de la
American Petroleum Institute’s procedure (API plateforme. Une nouvelle investigation en 1978 sur
RP2A) for the determination of axial pile capacity for l’emplacement exact a l’aide de techniques de forage
single piles driven in cohesive material. The original et d’echantillonnage plus evoluCes a r&e16 qu’on avait
interpretation of the tests used site investigation data initialement sousestimt la resistance des ~01s. Les
obtained in 1968 from a location 200m from the rCsultats de ces essais plus r&ents et la
platform position. A subsequent investigation in 1978, reinterpretation correspondante demontrent comment
using more sophisticated drilling and sampling il est ntcessaire de realiser des reconnaissances de
techniques at the correct location, disclosed that soil haute qualit& de pr&f&ence sur I’emplacement exact.
strengths were underestimated in the original La reinterpretation des donnees a indiqu& que Ie
investigation. The results of this more recent site facteur d’adhCsion ou facteur a (rapport de l’adhksion
investigation and subsequent reinterpretation dem- sol-pieux g la resistance au cisaillement dans 1’Ctat
onstrate the need for site investigations of a high non-drainC) utilise actuellement dans la mCthode a
quality, preferably at the correct location. The contrainte totale avec laquelle on construit des pieux
reinterpretation of the data revealed that the adhesion dans des argiles surconsolidCes dans la Mer du Nord
or (Y factor (the ratio of soil-pile adhesion to peut &tre trop optimiste et conduire 9 un coefficient de
undrained shear strength) used at present in the total stcuritC vis & vis de la rupture infirieur & celui que la
stress method of design of piles in overconsolidated construction devrait posstder. Des ttudes ont montrC
clays in the North Sea may be unconservative and may que les valeurs du facteur (Y calculCes de fagon
lead to a lower factor of safety against failure than rttrospective et valables 3 I’tpoque des essais
that designed for. The study revealed that the effectuts sur les pieux de la plateforme de West Sole
back-calculated (Y values relevant at the time of the etaient leg&ement inferieures B la moitit de la valeur
West Sole pile tests were slightly less than the 0.5 recommandke par L’Institut amCricain du petrole
value recommended by the American Petroleum pour de tels SOIS.
Institute for such soils.
KEYWORDS: case history; clays; design; field tests;
11 y a un manque considCrable d’essais de chantier offshore geotechnics; piles.
effect&s sur des pieux prototypes en mer; il en rCsulte
que les r*gles de l’art relatives B la construction
actuelles des pieux ont CtC extrapolCes 1 partir d’essais
faiblement ICg&rement chargCs g terre. A cause des NOTATION
effets d’Cchelle le comportement des pieux en mer A annular pile area
diffkre de faGon qualitative de leur comportement 2
terre, et par consCquent on a besoin d’essais de 4 gross end area of the pile
chargement en place, particulierement dans les argiles C” undrained shear strength
C“In mean undrained shear strength
D pile diameter
Young’s modulus
Discussion on this Paper closes on 1 April 1986. For nlax maximum unit skin friction
further details see inside back cover. f," particle specific gravity
* BP International Limited, London.
t McClelland Limited.
K,: coefficient
failure
of earth pressure at passive

393
394 CLARKE, RIGDEN AND SENNER

K0 coefficient of earth pressure at rest successive advances and retreats of the icesheets
OCR overconsolidation ratio and glaciers, have sculptured the shelf around
PL plastic limit the British Isles into basins and channels now
QC ultimate capacity of the pile in com- occupied by the north-western European shelf
pression seas.
end bearing capacity of the pile in clay The West Sole field lies within one of these
internal skin friction seas, namely the southern North Sea. The
end bearing on the pile steel annulus distribution of sediments on the sea bed in the
pile shaft capacity UK sector of the southern North Sea, south of
ultimate capacity of the pile in tension the Dogger Bank, are known to consist
depth essentially of a thin locally discontinuous
relative pile-soil movement to mobilize superficial layer through which protrudes the
skin friction underlying Pleistocene deposits. The patchiness
dimensionless adhesion factor of the veneer is a function of the considerable
dry unit weight transporting and distributive energy of tidal
dimensionless coefficient currents in this part of the southern North Sea
relative pile-soil stiffness (Banner, Collins & Massie, 1979). The greater
mean effective vertical stress part of the area is known to be carpeted with
effective vertical stress sand. Recent borings in the West Sole area have
shearing resistance at the pile-soil revealed that the Pleistocene deposits consist of
interface brown Glacial Till of variable thickness,
averaging about 17 m, overlying Lias Clay.
INTRODUCTION
The West Sole field lies approximately 40
During the period 5-14 July 1969 axial pile load miles off the English Coast, east of Hull. The
tests were conducted from British Petroleum’s location of WC platform within the field is
platform ‘WC’, block 4816, North Sea. Two shown in Fig. 1.
steel pipe piles of 30in diameter, one with an
internal driving shoe and the other without, SITE INVESTIGATIONS
were tested at penetrations from 3.05 m to 1968 site investigation
18.3 m (lo-60ft) in 3.05 m (loft) increments. In July 1968 a site investigation for the West
The tests were carried out to determine the Sole WC platform was undertaken. A single
ultimate capacity of the piles both in compres- boring was drilled to approximately 26 m below
sion and in tension. the sea floor using a shell-and-auger technique.
The pile tests were originally interpreted The boring was located about 30m NNW of
using soils data obtained in 1968 from a position well 48/6-16 (about 200 m NNE of platform
200 m from the platform location. This inter- WC) and was drilled from the deck of the
pretation had a significant bearing on the jack-up rig Constellation. A simplified log of
development of the American Petroleum the 1968 boring is presented in Fig. 2 and results
Institute’s (API’s) procedure for the determina- from laboratory tests are illustrated in Fig. 3.
tion of axial pile capacity for single piles driven Samples were recovered by hammering UlOO
in cohesive material. During the period 4-20 (102 mm dia.) sample tubes into the soil at
December 1978 a comprehensive site investiga- approximately 1.5 m intervals. No samples were
tion was performed from the deck of the West recovered from about 14-17 m. Standard
Sole WC platform close to the test piles. This penetration tests were also performed, generally
investigation was undertaken solely to obtain at locations midway between the UlOO sampling
detailed soils data to enable a reinterpretation points, and disturbed samples were recovered
of the load test results. This Paper presents the from the split spoon. The location of the
results of both investigations and comments on samples and undrained shear strength test
the increased undrained shear strengths ob- results are given in Fig. 3.
tained in the 1978 investigation, and re- The UlOO samples were classified in the field,
evaluates the pile load test data in the light of sealed in the sample tubes and shipped to shore
this new site investigation data. for testing. Undrained shear strengths of 13
samples were determined from unconsolidated
REGIONAL AND SITE GEOLOGY undrained triaxial compression tests on groups
The numerous transgressions and regressions of three 38mm dia. specimens cut from each
of the sea which have occurred since the end of sample. Undrained shear box tests were
the Miocene epoch (i.e. during the last 5 million performed to assess the skin friction between
years), aided during the Quaternary period by the soil and the steel, but there was too much
 REINTERPRETATION OF PILE LOAD TESTS 395

8
F
c c
20 5
Q
0

53"46'00" N ; -

LocatIon map

WE

/ L
‘\
‘0
23d’ 22

o Gas-produmg well
- Sub-sea plpel~ne
- - - Devlatlon of well

Fig. 1. West Sole gas field

scatter for the results to be used directly in the clay is of low plasticity with plastic and liquid
engineering analysis. Index properties were limits about 15 and 35 respectively, and the
determined and classification tests performed. moisture content is at, or just above, the plastic
limit. The undrained shear strength reduces
1968 soil properties from about 175 kN/m* to 75 kN/m m the top
The soil properties described in this section 5 m and then increases to about 150 kN/m’ near
have been interpreted from the boring log given the base of the stratum.
in Fig. 2 and the laboratory test results Stratum II is a hard sandy clay that contains
presented in Fig. 3. ‘rock’ and gravel erratics. This low plasticity
A superficial sand veneer 0.3 m thick was Boulder Clay stratum extends from 10.7 m to
encountered at the boring location. 15.2m. The liquid limit varies in the range
Stratum I is a deposit of firm-very stiff silty 30-35 and the plastic limit is about 17. The
clay 10.4m thick that contains sand, rock and natural water content is about 5 percentage
chalk erratics, a typical Boulder Clay. The silty points below the plastic limit at 12%. The un-
 REINTERPRETATION OF PILE LOAD TESTS 397

c
e
;E So11 descrlptlon
z
3
0
051 m Dark grey coarse sand and shell fragments

CL Hard becoming very hard brown slightly

sandv slltv clav wth abundant medium
CL
and fine iravei (mlxed chalk. slItstone
and granitic material)
CL
_ some thin slit wns below about 6 m
CL

CL

CL

CL

CL 8.6 m Brown slightly silty i~ne sand with

thin clay bands

10 m
CL Very hard brown slightly sandy silty
clay wth abundant fine chalk gravel

CL ~ boulder fragments recovered at 12.8 m

13m
CL
CL Very hard dark grey shaly very silty
CL clay with honrontal partings of line
sand and slit
CL

CL - occasional fossil shell fragments

encountered
ZL

~ rock fragments recovered I” sample 24

CL at 19.2 m

ZL

,L
-
Very hard dark grey very silty clay with
horizontal partings of fine sand and silt
,L

Bormg complete at 24.4 m

Fig. 4. West Sole-boring 2 (1978)

drained shear strength is in the range 450- the West Sole WC platform to obtain soils data
500 kN/m’. for a reinterpretation of results from load tests
Stratum III extends from 15.2m to at least on two gas well conductor tubes. The
26m, the terminal penetration of the boring. investigation consisted of one soil sampling
The deposit is a stiff-hard shaly clay of high boring to 24.5 m and a separate static cone
plasticity, believed to be Lias Clay. The liquid penetration test boring with 13 consecutive
limit varies from 55 to 60. The plastic limit is in pushes approximately 1.5 m in length from
the range 22-28 and the natural water content is about 4.5 m to 24m penetration. These
from 2 to 10 percentage points below the plastic sampling and in situ test borings were
limit. The undrained shear strength is generally positioned a sufficient distance from the
about 150 kN/m’ with a value of nearly platform piles and conductors to ensure that the
400 kN/m’ measured at 18.6 m. effects of any soil strength increase due to the
installation process could be ignored. A log of
1978 site investigation the 1978 boring is given in Fig. 4 and results
In the period 4-20 December 1978 a site from the cone penetration tests are presented in
investigation was performed from the deck of Fig. 5.
398 CLARKE, RIGDEN AND SENNER

Fig. 5. Static cone penetration tests Bl A (boring performed 14-15 December 1978;
water depth, approximately 25 m; location, West Sole platform WC)

In the soil boring, samples were recovered at strength testing with unconsolidated-undrained
approximately 0.9 m intervals by pushing 54 mm triaxial compression tests. The programme was
internal diameter Shelby tubes into the soil at a completed onshore and included tests similar to
controlled rate of about 20mm/s. The majority those performed offshore together with class-
of the samples were extruded and classified on ification tests, single-stage and multiple-stage
site although eight samples from the deeper consolidated-undrained triaxial compression
soils were sealed in the sample tubes and tests with porewater pressure measurements and
shipped ashore for testing. As a now standard consolidation tests. All triaxial tests were
part of offshore site investigations unconsoli- performed on 38 mm dia. samples about 76 mm
dated undrained triaxial compression tests were in length. Results from laboratory testing are
performed offshore so that comparisons with presented in Fig. 6.
onshore test results could be made. All samples
for onshore testing were sealed and transported 1978 soil properties
to the soil testing laboratories where the test A veneer of coarse sand with shell fragments
programme was completed. 0.1 m thick was encountered at the surface.
Stratum I is a very stiff-hard silty clay of low
Laboratory testing plasticity. The silty clay extends to 13 m
The programme was started offshore where penetration and contains sand and erratics of
testing included unit weight and water content chalk, siltstone and granitic material. The
determinations, shear strength estimates using plastic limit is about 15, being slightly lower in
hand penetrometers and Torvane, and shear the bottom half of the stratum. The liquid limit
 REINTERPRETATION OF PILE LOAD TESTS 399

0 Submerged umt welght kN/mj

9 10 it 12 13

PLC--- -----+L, Undrained shear strength kN/m

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 200 300 400 500 600 700
’ I 8 ’ 1

+----+
0
f
A*

3
I t- +----&
---*
0
0

0
0
fJ*

----*
0
C----t 0
0 A
C----h 0
+----_c
0

. +--+ 0* 0 A* A

0 A*
f-----~ 0 0 A A*

* +---$+ 0 al A
+----+o A*
. +-o*- --I 0 A*
c-----+ 0

+___-0 A
+____-_+

+-____-_c 0 A
+ +-____--_c 0 A- 983

+---O--b

24

* Tests perlormed offshore

Fig. 6. West Sole-boring B2 (1978)

varies in the range 35-40 but some smaller proportion of silt- and sand-sized material, and
values occur in the basal 3 m. The natural water hence the lower plasticity of the basal soils.
content tends to reduce with depth from about Stratum II extends from 13 m to at least
16% to 12%. A layer of silty fine sand 24.4 m and is a hard shaly silty clay with
containing clay bands was encountered from horizontal partings of fine sand and silt. This is
8.6 m to 10m penetration in the soil boring. believed to be Lias Clay of moderate-high
However, records from continuous cone pene- plasticity. The liquid limit varies in the range
tration tests presented in Fig. 5 indicated that 45-50 from 13-18m and between 55 and 60
this zone is likely to comprise interbedded sand below 18 m. The plastic limit is more uniform at
and clay layers, the majority of the deposit approximately 27-28 and the natural water
being cohesive. content is generally about 10 percentage points
The undrained shear strength tends to less than the plastic limit throughout the
increase with depth from near 200 kN/m’ near stratum. There is wide scatter in the measured
the surface up to a maximum measured value of undrained shear strength although the cone
about 700 kN/m’ at about 10m penetration. point resistance indicates a more uniform trend.
There is more scatter in the values below about The scatter in the measured values is likely to
10 m which may be a consequence of the greater be a consequence of the structured nature of the
400 CLARKE, RIGDEN AND SENNER

80.
0 1968 Boulder Clay
70- 0 1968 Lias Clay
' 1978 Boulder Clay
,$ 60- v 1978 Llas Clay

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 110 120 I30 140 150

Lfquld lhmll "0

Fig. 7. Comparison of index properties

Lias Clay. The undrained shear strength is in (British Standards Institution, 1957). Further-
excess of 400 kN/m’ with a maximum measured more, the samples were hammered into the
value of 983 kN/m’ at about 21.5 m penetration. ground by a number of blows of a falling
weight. Because of the soil strength, a high
COMPARISON OF SOIL CONDITIONS FOUND
IN 1968 AND 1978 INVESTIGATIONS PI = LL PL V"

There is generally quite good correlation IO 20 30

between the type and thickness of soils

encountered in the site investigations. As can be
seen from Fig. 7 the plasticity characteristics of
lo-
the soil strata are similar. Some of the Lias Clay
recovered in 1978 is less plastic, but this may be
due to more frequent silt partings at the
20.
location. It appears that soils at the 1978
location are more silty than those sampled in
1968; Fig. 8(a) illustrates this point.
As shown in Fig. 9 there are significant
differences in the measured undrained shear
strengths of the soils at the two locations. The
soil types are similar, the locations of the two
borings are geologically close and presumably
the upper soils encountered have been sub-
jected to similar geological histories. In
engineering terms no strict comparison can be
made since the two investigations were about
200 m apart. Nevertheless, the sections that
follow compare both the methods of recovering
the samples and the index properties measured
in the laboratory to account for the appreciable
shear strength differences.

Sampling technique
In 1968 samples were recovered in U4 Ia) (W
sampling tubes with an area ratio of about 27%;
@ 1968 polnls superimposed on 1978 plot
the upper limit of the area ratio for thin-walled
sample tubes is specified as 25%, CP 2001 Fig. 8. Comparison of soil classification data
 REINTERPRETATION OF PILE LOAD TESTS 401

Liquidity Index
LI = (W - PL)/(LL - PL) Undraned shear strength kN/m2

0.6 - 0.4 - 0.2 0 0.1 0 200 400 600 800

71’ I

241 / 1

Fig. 9. Comparison of liquidity index and undrained shear strength

number of hammer blows were required to Sample recovery

recover suitable-sized samples for testing. Sample recovery from continuously pushed
By comparison, thin-walled sample tubes with tubes was significantly greater than for the
an area ratio of 11% and an inside clearance driven tubes if compared in terms of the ratio of
ratio of about 1% were used in the 1978 length to diameter since different-sized tubes
investigation. Moreover, the sample tubes were were used at the two locations. Semple &
pushed into the soil at a nearly constant Johnston (1979) have reported that the recovery
penetration rate. ratio of pushed to hammered samples in clay
increases from 1 to about 2 as the consistency of
Sampling time the clay increases from soft to very stiff.
Samples in 1968 were recovered using a Experience from British Petroleum’s (BP’s)
shell-and-auger method, but wireline methods Magnus field, where both pushed and driven
were used in 1978. Wireline methods are samples were recovered, indicates that the
generally faster especially where the water recovery ratio is approximately in the range
depth is significant. At West Sole the shell-and- 1.5-1.75 in stiff-very stiff clays.
auger hole took about 3.5 days to complete
although 22m of the hole were completed in Sample quality
about 2.5 days. This compares with 1.5 days As stated previously, the sites for the 1968
necessary to complete 23.8 m of boring using and 1978 investigations are 200 m apart and
wireline methods. consequently direct comparisons of the soils
Stress relief caused by drilling and free access ‘data cannot be made. However, in this section
to water allows the soil to swell. This could lead some index properties and undrained shear
to appreciable strength reductions, and thus the strengths determined from the sites will be
differences in drilling time may have contributed compared.
to the differences between the measured soil Liquid@ index versus undrained shear
strength in 1968 and 1978. strength. As illustrated in Fig. 9 the liquidity
402 CLARKE, RIGDEN AND SENNER

+ 0,6-

Wrath & Wood (1978)

o 1968 Boulder Clay

~3 1968 Llas Clay
-0.4- .1978 Boulder Clay
-1978 Lias Clay . -

.
0.6
1 10 100 1000
Undralnrd shear strength kN/m2

Fig. 10. Liquidity index versus the logarithm of the undrained shear
strkgth

Table 1. Variation in dry unit weight and given by the Wroth & Wood (1978) correlation.
predicted undrained shear strength due to This is likely to be an effect of soil structure and
changes in water content for a Boulder Clay of sample disturbance.
a plasticity similar to that at West Sole The shaly clay encountered at the two
locations has a water content that is significantly
Predicted C,:
below the plastic limit. In these conditions slight
kN/m*
changes in the water content can have a
10 20.8 -0.25 537 significant effect on the soil shear strength. As
12 20.0 -0.15 339 Wroth & Wood (1978) pointed out, a change of
14 19.2 -0.05 214 0.1 in LI would give rise to an error of 46% in
15 18.8 0.00 170 the undrained shear strength of an insensitive
16 18.5 0.05 135 homogeneous soil.
18 85 Dry unit weight versus undrained shear
20 54 strength. Relief of stresses in soil that is in the
25 17
presence of water will lead to water ingress and
volumetric expansion resulting in a reduction in
unit dry weight yd. Using soil parameters that
index LI determined in 1968 is generally greater are representative of the Boulder Clay at West
than that measured in 1978. The figure also Sole, LL = 35%, PL = 15 and Gs = 2.7, changes
illustrates that as the liquidity index increases in unit dry weight yd caused by water content
there is an associated undrained shear strength variations can be determined, and using the
reduction as should occur for a clay of Wroth & Wood (1978) relationship predicted
reasonably uniform sensitivity. The same data changes in undrained shear strength can be
have been plotted in Fig. 10 as LI against the evaluated. Table 1 shows the predicted variation
logarithm of the undrained shear strength. Also in dry density and undrained shear strength due
plotted in Fig. 10 are curves developed by to changes in water content for a Boulder Clay
Wroth & Wood (1978) and Skempton & that is typical of that at West Sole.
Northey (1952) relating LI to the undrained A similar exercise was performed for the Lias
shear strength of a fully remoulded specimen. Clay using two sets of index properties to cover
The data suggest that the Boulder Clay is the large variation in liquid limit. The results of
relatively unstructured and insensitive to distur- these computations together with the assumed
bance in that the points lie close to both soil parameters are presented in Table 2.
remoulded soil relationships. For the shaly Lias The results given in Tables 1 and 2 have been
Clay, the undrained shear strength is sig- plotted in Fig. 11. Several observations can be
nificantly below the remoulded shear strength as made.
 REINTERPRETATION OF PILE LOAD TESTS 403

Table 2. Variation in dry unit weight and predicted undrained shear strength with changes in water content of
the Lias Clay

w: % yd: kN/m3 T LL=60%, PL=27%, Gs=2.7 LL=45%, PL=27%, Gs=2.7

LI Predicted C,: LI Predicted C,:

kN/m’ kN/m’

14 19.2 -0.39 1041 -

16 18.5 -0.33 788 -
18 17.8 -0.27 596 -0.50
20 17.2 -0.21 451 -0.39
25 15.8 -0.06 225 -0.11
27 15.3 0 170 0

A 1978 Boulder Clay

22 o 1968 Boulder Clay
t . 1978 LIEIS Clav

21 c q 1968Lias
“Boulder clay”
Clay
’ ,-
.
PL = 15 LL = 357x6
. .
.p’. n
PL = 27
-LL = 60

PL = 27
LL = 45

151
0 100 200 300 400 500 600 700 800 900 1000 1100
Undrained shear strength kN/m’

Fig. 11. Unit dry weight versus undrained shear strength

(a) For the Boulder Clay most of the 1968 data disturbance on the highly structured
points lie close to the predicted line plotted deposit.
in Fig. 11, whereas the 1978 data points
indicate greater strength than would be AXIAL PILE CAPACITY
expected for an insensitive soil with a Pile load tests
similar yd. This may be indicative of the During the period 5-14 July 1969 Brown and
greater degree of remoulding disturbance to Root Inc., on behalf of BP Petroleum Develop-
which the 1968 soils have been subjected. ment Limited, load tested two 762mm (30in)
As Skempton & Northey (1952) note, outside diameter (OD) 31.75 mm (1.25 in) wall
heavily overconsolidated clays with water thickness by 76.2 m (250ft) long purpose-
contents that are typically equal to about modified conductors (hereinafter called piles)
the plastic limit are relatively insensitive. A on the West Sole WC platform. Pile B was of
comparison of undrained shear strengths uniform section, whereas pile A had an internal
indicates that the 1978 samples are more driving shoe 457mm (18in) long and 19 mm
heavily overconsolidated than those re- (0.75 in) thick making the wall thickness 51 mm
covered in 1968, and yet the 1968 samples (2in) at the tip of the pile. The Building Re-
appear to be less sensitive. This apparent search Station provided guidance on the method
inconsistency may be evidence of sample of testing and the type of monitoring equipment
disturbance. to be employed.
(b) Fig. 11 shows that the Lias Clay is weaker The tests were performed primarily to
than suggested by its unit dry weight. This is determine the ultimate bearing capacity of the
probably due to the effects of sample piles, both in compression and in tension, and
 404 CLARKE, RIGDEN AND SENNER

Table 3. Summary of results from pile load tests

Pile A (shoe)* I Pile B (no shoe)*

f; QC-Q,: AQ,: Time:

kN kN h:min

- 64:05
2438 613 2438 9145
2873 1833 435 12:17
- - - -
4466 1067 1.593 7:50
5240 1379 774 4:lO
6734 1610 1494 6:05

* Time: h:min denotes the time to the start of the load test after completion of driving to the appropriate
penetration; Q, denotes the ultimate compressive capacity; Q, denotes the ultimate tensile capacity.

secondarily to obtain information about the tension capacity has been assumed to be the
force-displacement relationships for high capa- skin friction and the difference between the
city piles. compression and tension capacities as the end
The pile test programme was carried out after bearing component. The end bearing com-
the drilling jacket had been piled and the deck ponent inferred is similar to the value expected
set on. Two test piles were driven vertically for deep piles. It would thus appear that
through guides 4.9 m (16 ft) apart, set into the compressive and tensile shaft frictions are not
conductor guide framework so that both piles significantly different.
could subsequently serve as conductor tubes.
The deck section was strengthened to accom-
modate the additional compression and tension Interpretation of load test data
loads applied to each pile. Loads were applied As has been discussed previously the values
to each pile through sets of four 3 MN (300 ton) of the undrained shear strength of samples
Stine double-acting hydraulic jacks. The eight obtained during the 1968 site investigation are
jacks were calibrated afterwards under the ob- considerably less than from those gathered in
servation of the National Physical Laboratory, 1978. As a consequence, the interpretation of
England. the load test results using the 1968 soils data
Comprehensive details of equipment used, may have overpredicted the proportion of soil
methods of performing the pile tests and the test shear strength that is mobilized in skin friction
programme have been reported on previously on the pile. Since offshore piles are typically
by Fox, Parker & Sutton (1970) and Fox, designed to a nominal safety factor of 1.5 with
Sutton & Oksuzler (1976). The pile load respect to extreme loads it is important not to
test programme carried out is summarized in interpret load test data unconservatively.
Table 3. The West Sole piles are amongst the highest
Ideally each test would have been preceded capacity driven piles ever load tested and
by a set-up period of a few days to allow excess certainly the only North Sea piles loaded to
pore pressures generated during driving to failure, but now, 15 years later, piles are being
dissipate, but, because of the delay to the designed to carry ultimate loads of nearly ten
installation of the platform, this was not times the ultimate capacity of the West Sole
practical. piles. With this increase in design capacity of
The weight of soil inside the pile has not been single piles the dimensions of the piles have
accounted for in the interpretation of the increased considerably. For example, at BP’s
tension test results since there is a lack of Magnus field, 84in (2.134m) OD piles have
information about whether or not the soil plug recently been installed, 2.8 times the OD of the
was supported by the pile. However, at 18 m test piles, and the penetration of the Magnus
penetration the internal core of soil inside pile piles is in excess of 80 m or over four times the
A was about 150 kN in weight, and the tensile length of the test piles (Rigden & Semple,
capacity of the pile at this penetration was 1983).
7188 kN, a maximum possible error of less than There is empirical evidence to suggest that as
2%. the pile length increases the degree of
For the evaluation of the load test results the mobilization of skin friction reduces (Meyerhof,
 REINTERPRETATION OF PILE LOAD TESTS 405

300- Pile load test data’

* Vilayvergfya & Fochl (1972)
* Alliance . Morganza
0 Brftlsh Columbfa t MSC Houston
+ Burns~de 0 New Orleans
0 Cleveland C, West Sole
“E
t 0 Detroit 8 San Francisco
y2OO- 0 Donaldsonvllle 0 South Pass
9 Stanmore

G
5
501

200 300 400 500

Undrained shear strength C,, kN/m*

Fig. 12. Skin friction in clay from pile load test data

1976; Vijayvergiya & Focht, 1972; Semple & analysis. The API’s method is currently the
Rigden, 1984). An important factor in the most widely accepted method used in the design
observed length effect is believed to be the axial and certification of offshore piles.
compressibility, which leads to peak skin For comparison, alternative procedures were
friction resistance along the pile being mobilized used to assess the pile capacity. One of these
at different loads. An expression of the procedures, termed the ‘A’ method was
compressibility is the relative pile-soil stiffness developed from an analysis of the results of load
rc3 (Murff, 1980) defined as tests on piles embedded in clay (Vijayvergiya &
Focht, 1972) and was subsequently revised
nDf ,axL2 (Kraft, Focht & Amerasinghe, 1981). This is a
x3= AEZ,
(1) quasi-effective stress method that uses un-
drained shear strength. A theoretical effective
The skin friction f,,,,, is the maximum value that stress analysis was also performed using a
a rigid pile would mobilize. The average skin critical state soil model.
friction at failure of a compressible pile will be
less than f max if the pile-load transfer function is
strain softening. American Petroleum Institute procedure
Most onshore piles have n, values that are The API procedure for skin friction of piles in
less than about unity. The conductors load cohesive soils was first introduced in 1976 on the
testing at West Sole have n, values of about 1.5 basis of an analysis of pile load test data in
and piles installed at BP’s Magnus platform clays. Data from piles driven into clays with
have a rc3 value of approximately 3, if the full undrained shear strength in excess of 100 kN/m’
load transfer is assumed to occur at a relative have come from three case histories; Peck
soil-pile displacement of about 1% of the pile (1954,1958), Tomlinson (1970) and Fox et al.
(1970), the latter being data from the West Sole
load tests interpreted using the 1968 soils
Methods used in the reinterpretation information. The pile test data used in the API
In this Paper the conventional static method procedure are shown in Fig. 12.
for predicting the ultimate axial pile capacity The compressive capacity QC of a pile is the
will be used as a basis for reinterpretation of the sum of the skin friction Q, and the end bearing
pile load test results using the 1978 soils data. QE. For piles in clay
This method is given in the American
Petroleum Institute’s (API’s) procedure (1984) Q. = aGAs (2)
and has been developed from results of many QE = %A, (3)
pile load tests, the 1968 West Sole data
included, and is based on undrained shear For undrained shear strengths in excess of
strength for cohesive soils; it is a total stress 72 kN/m’ (Y= 0.5.
406 CLARKE, RIGDEN AND SENNER

1 I

02 4 6 8 10 12
Overconsol~dallon rar,o OCR
(a)
0

E 5
I I I
,
- ,’
6
2 ,I
% - /’
‘“10 /’
2 ,
$

6
;15 -
E
F
-Pole load test pos~l~on
$
20 IL
0 200 400 600 a 0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14
Design undraned shear strength Coeflic~ent of earth pressure K.
kN/m’
(bl (Ci
Fig. 13. Design soil parameters from the 1978 site investiga-
tion: (a) WC location variation in OCR with depth; (b)
variation in design undrained shear strength with depth; (c)
variation in coefficient of earth pressure with depth

A method behaviour by examining effective stress changes

In the J. method the frictional capacity of a during installation, consolidation and loading.
pile in clay at a particular penetration is a Some research has led to the development of
function of both the mean effective vertical procedures using the critical state concept
stress u,’ and the mean undrained shear originally proposed by Schofield & Wroth
strength &, and is expressed as (1968). One such procedure is that of Esrig,
Kirby & Murphy (1979), where the general
Q, = ACam + G&% (4) equation for pile shaft capacity at any time is
A reanalysis of the available data (Kraft et
al., 1981) indicated that A is different for piles in Qs=/ t,, 2nr dz (7)
normally consolidated clays and overconsoli-
dated clays. Kraft et al. developed the following By assessing the value of the mean effective
expressions to compute values of L stress at any time the theoretical prediction of
A = 0.296 - 0.032 log, L + O-14 (5) the shaft capacity is obtained and compared
(for CJo,’ < 0.4) with the values obtained from the pile load
tests.
A = 0.488 - O-078 log, L -+ 0.14 (6)
(for CJo,’ > 0.4) where L is the pile length in feet. 1978 design ‘Oil parameters
As indicated previously the WC load test data
Effective stress analysis--critical state concept should not be interpreted in an unconservative
In the last decade significant advances have manner. Therefore, the shear strength profile
been made in the understanding of pile given in Fig. 13 is an optimistic appraisal of the
 REINTERPRETATION OF PILE LOAD TESTS 407

Pile A (shoe) compressive

Pile A (shoe) tenslIe
PileB (no shoe) compressive
Pile I3 (no shoei tensile

201
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
Ultimate pile capac~ly MN
Fig. 14. Variation in ultimate pile capacity with depth

Table 4. Computed skin friction Q, tension versus pile penetration. Also shown in
this figure are ratios of tensile to compressive
Pile i API (1979) TModified API: (Y= 0.4 capacity. It is assumed that the tensile capacity
penetration: is equivalent to the total skin friction and that
m AQ.: x AQs: AQ.: z:AQ,: the difference between compressive capacity
kN kN kN kN and tensile capacity is the end bearing. This is
almost certainly not correct, but represents the
1790 1430
only assumption possible on the data available
1790 1430 from the 1969 tests. From the table presented in
1440 1150 Fig. 14 it can be seen that the skin friction is the
3230 2580 largest component of axial capacity. This is
1920 1540 typical of long piles driven into clay.
5150 4120 (Y= 0.5. Using the soil data presented in Fig.
1620 1300 13 and the API procedure for determining
6770 5420 skin friction, equation (Z), a prediction of the
1620 1300
skin friction QS for each load test penetration
1 8390 6720
was made. This prediction is suitable for both
piles A and B since both have the same outside
1978 soils data. The undrained shear strength diameter. The results are given in Table 4 and
profile has been developed basically from the are presented in Fig. 15.
results of unconsolidated-undrained triaxial It can be seen that the API (1984) procedure
compression tests illustrated in Fig. 6 and from ((Y= 0.5) overpredicts by approximately 20%
the point resistance measured during cone the measured skin friction below about 10m
penetrometer tests, Fig. 5. On the boring log, penetration. For shallower pile penetrations the
Fig. 4, and the cone test record there is method gives predictions that are in quite good
reference to granular layers between 8m and agreement with the measured capacities.
11 m penetration. These thin layers have not a = 0.4. A better fit to the load test data was
been considered in the development of the soil obtained by modifying the API procedure so
profiles. The OCR profile has been determined that LY= 0.4. Results are given in Table 4 and
from the results of oedometer tests. The K0 are presented in Fig. 15.
profile has been assessed using three methods, Deduced values of (Y. By comparing the
namely from the results of consolidated- results from the tension load tests with equation
undrained triaxial tests defined in the form of (2)> values of IX at each penetration were
stress paths, from Meyerhofs empirical re- evaluated. These a values are given in Table 5
lationship and from an estimate of the K, value. and are illustrated in Fig. 16. At 6m pile
penetration the average (Y value computed is
0.53, but below 6m penetration the average cr
Interpretation of skin friction QS value back analysed for piles A and B ranges
The result from the pile load tests are from 0.43 to 0.36 and tends to reduce with
presented in graphical form in Fig. 14 as curves increasing pile penetration.
of ultimate pile capacity in compression and A method. A prediction of skin friction was
 408 CLARKE, RIGDEN AND SENNER

201
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 0 9 10
Skin frlctlon (tensile capacity) m

Fig. 15. Comparison of measured and computed ultimate axial pile capacity

Table 5. Deduced values of adhesion ratio (Y

I
Pile Pile A (shoe) Pile B (no shoe)
penetration:
m AQs:
kN
X AQ,:
kN
:
Computed
a
AQ,:
kN
I Z AQ,:
kN
Zomputec
cY
Average
&

1726
2090 0.58
(2438) (0.68) 1726 0.48 0.53
916
2873 0.44 2642 0.41 0.43
1815 (3079) (0.48)
4466 0.43 4457 0.43 0.43
53
5240 0.39 4510 0.33 0.36
1513
6734 0.40 6023 0.36 0.38

made using the ;1 method. The results are

presented in Fig. 15, and as can be seen this
a = 0.5 API (1984)
method consistently overpredicts the measured
values. For pile penetration up to 9m the
t method overpredicts by about 30%, and below
9 m penetration the overprediction is about
Pile A (shoe) 15%.
Critical state concept (Es@ et al., 1979).
Using critical state theory the prediction
of skin friction is as shown in Fig. 15. This
shows the predicted frictional capacity after full
set-up. The method predicts a percentage
increase in observed capacity with time of 50%
for pile A at full penetration.

201 I I , , I , , , , Time effects

0 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.8 0.9 1.0
Adhesion Iactor a
The mechanism of driving a pile through a
clay soil results in the soil adjacent to the pile
Fig. 16. Variation in mean adhesion factor with pile experiencing changes in vertical and horizontal
penetration total stresses due to severe remoulding.
 REINTERPRETATION OF PILE LOAD TESTS 409

+ Design undratned
I shear strength
I (1978)

1
200 400 600
End bearing 0, - 4: MN Undrained shear strength kN/m2

(4 (b)

Fig. 17. (a) End bearing inferred from pile load tests and from theory and (b)
comparison of design shear strength and shear strength evaluated from the end
bea&g

Accompanying these total stress changes will be shear strength were studied. Recognizing the
excess porewater pressures. With time the similarity between the West Sole soil para-
excess porewater pressures developed in this meters and those used by Randolph et al., it is
process dissipate as consolidation takes place considered that the results obtained in the
resulting in an increase in effective stresses and Randolph study can be applied to the West Sole
a corresponding increase in shear strength. This soils to obtain a general understanding of set-up
phenomenon is confirmed by the two tension effects. Using the work of Randolph et al., it is
tests performed on pile B at a penetration of predicted that a maximum increase in frictional
9 m. As can be seen from Table 3 the frictional capacity of 70% could be expected between
capacity increases from 2642 kN at 15.25 h to immediate and long-term conditions.
3079 kN at 142.1 h, i.e. an increase of 16.5%
over 127 h. This set-up effect (here defined Interpretation of end bearing QE
for cohesive soils as the increase in shaft No direct measurements of the end bearing
capacity due to dissipation of excess porewater have been made. The value of the end bearing
pressure and subsequent increase in effective is assumed to be the difference between the
stress) leads to the adhesion factor increasing ultimate compressive and tensile capacities. This
from O-41 to 0.48 over this period. The amount has been evaluated in Table 3 and is presented
of set-up reached at any stage in a soil is in Fig. 17(a). Using equation (3) and the gross
proportional to the consolidation rate for that area of the pile, the undrained shear strength
soil. For the West Sole soils this set-up is fairly required to give the inferred end bearing has
rapid and it is likely therefore that the API CY been computed and plotted in Fig. 17 along with
method overestimated shaft capacity only for a the design shear strength profile. These
short period after installation. This may not be computed shear strength values have also been
the case for other soils with different stress plotted on the interpreted shear strength from
histories and consolidation rates and the use of cone penetration test results, Fig. 18. The
the API method therefore to predict the shaft results illustrate that pile A (with a driving
capacity of overconsolidated clays may lead to shoe) has significantly less end bearing than
an overestimate of the capacity for longer peri- does pile B.
ods than those encountered at West Sole. Values of the end bearing for the two piles
Randolph, Carter & Wroth (1979) have are given in Table 6 from where it can be seen
investigated the effects of pile installation on the that pile A has between 46% and 69% of the
frictional capacity of driven piles during which end bearing of pile B. This is not unreasonable
the effects of variation in overconsolidation since the end bearing is dependent on the
ratio and ratio of shear modulus to undrained mobilization of internal skin friction. Pile A has
410 CLARKE, RIGDEN AND SENNER

an internal core of soil of a lesser diameter than Fig. 19. Pile A, with the driving shoe acting as a
the internal diameter of the pile. Therefore a ‘cookie cutter’, i.e. the length of soil within the
low value of internal skin friction is likely. This pile was almost equal to the pile penetration.
point is discussed further under the section Pile B, without the driving shoe, acted like a
‘Mobilisation of internal skin friction’. ‘cookie cutter’ until about 7 m penetration, but
For pile B the soil inside the pile is in in the additional 11 m of pile penetration only
intimate contact with the wall. Therefore about 3.5 m of soil entered the pile. This
computations can be made to assess the internal plugging is at variance with more recent pile
skin friction. Fig. 17(b) shows that the implied driving experience at West Sole and may be
shear strength from the end bearing of pile B is influenced by the pauses in driving and the
generally greater than the design shear strength associated set-up of the soil plug inside the pile.
profile. This gives confidence to the method
used to evaluate the end bearing, equation (3),
since the design shear strength profile would Mobilization of internal skin friction
predict an end bearing that is on the To determine the degree of mobilization of
conservative side. It is considered that the internal skin friction the end bearing has to be
reason for the end bearing component being separated into (a) the end bearing on the steel
greater than predicted is due more to the use of annulus and (b) the internal skin friction.
an NC value of 9 for overconsolidated clays The end bearing on the annulus of the pile
rather than a conservative interpretation of can be interpreted from the cone penetration
shear strength. test results. This was done using the method
outlined by Nottingham (1975) on the cone
Soil plug record presented in Fig. 5. The internal skin
At each load test pile penetration the height friction can be determined from
of soil inside the pile, the plug length, was
measured. The measurements are plotted in QI=QE-Q, (8)

Table 6. Comparison of end bearing component

01
. Pile A Pile B Theory,
Pile
2- -Unconsolidale6undralned
shear strength
penetration: (shoe), (no shoe), QE=
m 3C,A,: kN
4- \.
e;?&=
E

6- 613 1325 0.46 1436

1833 2829 0.65 1909
1067 2224 0.48 1847
1379 2278 0.61 1847
1610 2321 0.69 1847

Pile A

Pile 6
no shoe

1 I

0 200 400 600 800 1000

\
Shear strength. kN/m’ 3 6 9 12 15 18 21
Length 01 core mtde pfle m
Fig. 18. Comparison of shear strength evaluated from
static in situ cone tests and end bearing Fig. 19. Soil plug measurements
 REINTERPRETATION OF PILE LOAD TESTS 411

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The Authors wish to thank the British
Petroleum Company plc and McClelland Limited
for permission to publish this paper. They grate-
fully acknowledge the contributions of their
colleagues and of others outside their organiza-
tions, in particular the Building Research
Establishment who were involved in both the
1968 pile load test programme and the 1978
research site investigation, and also Fugro Ltd
who performed the 1978 site investigation.

20
0 25 50 75 100 165
Ratlo of mfernal lo external shaft adhesion % REFERENCES
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