This paper presents a correlation study between the axial capacity of a single pile and standard penetration test blowcount (SPT N-value). Piles have been commonly used to support structures for many centuries. However, the uncertainties and variabilities from the soil conditions still lead to conservative or unsafe designs to date. One challenging ground condition for designers is glacial deposit. These deposits are known for their unsorted grain sizes and varying geotechnical properties. The Ministry of Transportation of Ontario in Canada accumulated a database with more than 100 pile load tests in various ground conditions over the course of four decades. Most of these piles were driven H piles or pipe piles. This study selected a total of 23 piles with both compression and extraction tests. From the test results, the relationships were calculated between the skin resistance and tip resistance of driven piles and SPT N-values. The coefficients to estimate the pile capacity are presented at the end of this paper.
Subjects: Pile Capacity, SPT, Correlation, Side Resistance, Tip Resistance
Author: Jinyuan Liu Associate Professor and Markus Jesswein, Civil Engineering
Publisher: DFI, EFFC