Bearing capacity of driven piles in sand

The unit point and side resistances obtained from thirty-four field pile load tests were used to determine which of the pile geometry and soil parameters are most significant. Bearing capacity factors are calculated and correlated with the most significant pile-soil system parameters. Three types of load test data are used: compression test data adjusted for residual stresses, unadjusted compression test data and compression/tension test data. The best and simplest correlations are developed by plotting the bearing capacity factors versus the relative depth, i.e., the depth of penetration to diameter ratio. An error analysis of these correlations provides the basis for the conclusion that both unadjusted compression and compression/tension test correlations yield fairly accurate predictions (usually within 20%) for total bearing capacity. However, the compression/tension test correlations give the best predictions for point and side bearing capacity.