Field tests on large-scale instrumented piles driven in chalk: results and interpretation

Abstract

The design of large open steel piles driven at chalk sites suffers from considerable uncertainty, leading to major difficulties in many significant onshore and offshore projects. This paper describes recent instrumented driving, monotonic testing to failure, and restrike tests conducted on large open steel piles driven in primarily low- to medium-density chalk at a site in North-western France. The experiments are described and interpreted with reference to a high-quality site characterisation, dynamic and static methods of test analysis, and alternative predictive design approaches. Important new conclusions flow regarding driving behaviour, the set-up that took place over up to 65 days after installation and the resistances available under compression and tension loading. Surprisingly large differences are shown between tension and compression shaft capacity, which are postulated to be due to Poisson straining in the steel pile shaft and its interaction with the surrounding chalk mass. The field tests contribute to building a high-quality dataset that allows proposed axial capacity design methods to be tested and potentially refined to provide reliable and representative design tools.