Application of axial load tests in the Netherlands to offshore pile design
Kevin Duffy (TU Delft - Geo-engineering)
Kenneth Gavin (TU Delft - Geo-engineering)
D.A. de Lange (Deltares)
Mandy Korff (Deltares)
More Info
expand_more
Other than for strictly personal use, it is not permitted to download, forward or distribute the text or part of it, without the consent of the author(s) and/or copyright holder(s), unless the work is under an open content license such as Creative Commons.
Abstract
This paper describes axial load tests on three full-scale driven precast piles in the Netherlands. The piles were founded in dense to very dense river-deposited sands, a soil that is widespread across the Dutch North Sea sector. The deposit is characterised by cone penetration test (CPT) tip resistances of up to 90 MPa and offers a detailed insight into pile response in realistic offshore conditions. Each test pile was incrementally loaded to failure under compression, while fibre optic sensors measured the changing deformation of the pile. The analysis and interpretation of the load test data focussed on how the three slender piles behaved at large shaft and base resistances. Notably, the piles mobilised base and shaft resistances greater than currently prescribed limiting resistances in design standards, thereby highlighting some overconservatism present when designing piles in dense sand.