Cone penetration test-based load-transfer formulations for driven piles in sand

Abstract

This paper presents the development of load-transfer curves that can be used to estimate the displacement under axial load of driven piles in sand. The maximum skin friction and end-bearing stress are obtained from new ISO 19901-4 cone penetration test (CPT)-based formulations, which were calibrated using a high-quality database of static pile load tests compiled for this purpose. The load–displacement responses measured in the 71 static load tests in this database are used to derive CPT-based non-linear load-transfer curves. It is shown that good estimations of pile displacements can be obtained using CPT data and the normalised formats of shaft and base load-transfer functions provided in the American Petroleum Institute and ISO 19901-4 recommendations.