Axial and Lateral Load Test Performance of Steel Fin Piles-Article

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The study evaluated two steel fin piles through field axial and lateral load tests and LPILE numerical modeling. Each pile was 3.73 m long, with a 273 mm diameter pipe and four fins extending 1.83 m from the top. The piles were installed at a site near Philadelphia in layered soils.<br /><br />Dynamic testing estimated an axial capacity of 468 kN, comprising 133 kN of shaft resistance and 335 kN of end-bearing resistance. In lateral tests, loading between the fins produced less displacement than loading in line with them: at the pile head, displacement was about 21% lower. At the design overturning moment of 40.7 kN-m, both piles remained within PennDOT’s 12.7 mm serviceability limit. Displacements exceeded that limit only at the maximum test load.<br /><br />LPILE models reproduced the observed lateral response reasonably well using a simplified representation of the fins. The calibrated model indicated that fins covering half the pile length reduced lateral displacement by approximately 50% compared with an unfinned pipe pile of the same diameter. Modeled drilled-shaft and H-pile alternatives deflected about 40% less than the fin pile.<br /><br />The results support fin piles as a potential foundation option where lateral loading governs, while suggesting that fin orientation can modestly influence performance. The authors recommend further field testing to better understand lateral and torsional behavior.

Keywords

steel fin piles

axial load tests

lateral load tests

LPILE modeling

end-bearing resistance

shaft resistance

pile displacement

serviceability limit

lateral loading

foundation performance