DOI 10.

1007/s11204-015-9291-2
Soil Mechanics and Foundation Engineering, Vol. 51, No. 6, January, 2015 (Russian Original No. 6, November-December, 2014)

DETERMINATION OF RELIABLE STRESS AND

STRAIN DISTRIBUTIONS ALONG BORED PILES

H. Moayedi1, R. Nazir2, M. Mosallanezhad3

UDC 626.862

Kermanshah University of Technology, Kermanshah, Iran.

2
Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, Skudai, Johor, Malaysia.
3
Shiraz University, Shiraz, Iran.
1

The present research aims to measure and analyze the most reliable stress and strain distributions transferred in bored piles embedded within multilayer site conditions. Extensive
data are summarized to measure changes in the stresses and strains in a bored pile. The
effect of weak geological zones on multilayer site conditions can significantly change the
design criteria since most of the dominant factors change with depth.

Introduction and History

The design and construction of bored piles are highly empirical and are perhaps more of an art
than a science [1-3]. Bored piles are constructed by boring using a suitable type of machine and subsequently filling the holes with high-workability concrete and some reinforcement [1]. Their usual sizes
are between 750 mm and 3,000 mm in diameter, with a capacity that can reach up 45,000 kN, depending upon the pile size and the geological profile near the pile. A higher pile capacity will reduce the pile
cap size and the number of piles in a group [4]. Cast in situ bored piles are frequently used for the
foundations of buildings in Kuala Lumpur. The design of bored piles in Malaysia is usually based on the
results of the standard penetration test (SPT). As stated in [5], the procedure for bored pile design comprises three steps: 1) the calculation of the bored pile's end-bearing capacity fb; 2) the calculation of the
bored pile's shaft-bearing capacity fs (the sum of these two values is the ultimate bearing capacity of an
individual pile); and 3) the designed load of the pile must then be deduced from the ultimate capacity
by applying safety and reduction factors to allow for the interaction of the piles within the group. The
empirical approach of fs is made in relation to Ks  SPT, while fb is related to Kb  SPT. Both relationships are widely used in designs. To evaluate Ks and Kb, the value of the local soil conditions
requires both vibrating wire strain gauges (VWSGs) and mechanical tell-tale rods to be installed and
cast within the pile to allow the measurement of the axial stress-strain relations and any movement at
various levels down to the pile toes and the pile shaft.
There are various studies on the long-term measurement of strain in instrumented piles [6, 7], of
the load transfer mechanisms in rapid axial-loading [8], static, dynamic, seismic, and cyclic lateral-loading of pile groups [9-11], rigid and flexible pile behaviors in different soft soils [12-16], and skin friction resistance in piles [17-19]. Ochiai et al. [20] proposed a reliability-based design method for bored
piles based on an in situ test-based design equation by considering the spatial variation of standard penetration test results. Zhang et al. [21] used an elasto-plastic model to explain the load-settlement relationship and presented a simple approach to the analysis of the behavior of pile groups and/or single

Translated from Osnovaniya, Fundamenty i Mekhanika Gruntov, No. 6, p. 13, November-December, 2014.
0038-0741/15/5106-0285

2015 Springer Science+Business Media New York

285

TABLE 1
Pile No. Diameter, Working
Pile
Pile area, Test load,
mm
load, kN length, m
m2
kN
PTP-1
PTP-2

1,800
1,000

22,200
6,750

36.95
32.56

2.5447
0.7854

Instrument
levels (Nos.)

GSE
Conventional

7
5

b
50,000
45,000
40,000
35,000
30,000
25,000
20,000
15,000
10,000
5,000
0

Applied load, kN

Applied load, kN

44,400
13,500

Type of
instrument

200

Fig 1.

400

600 Time, min

20,000
18,000
16,000
14,000
12,000
10,000
8,000
6,000
4,000
2,000
0
0

200

400

600

800 Time, min

Variations in the total applied static load on the pile versus time:
(a) PTP-1, (b) PTP-2, _ _) first cycle, kN, _ _) second cycle, kN.

piles embedded in layered soils by adopting two models. Such an approach enables the quick estimation
of the settlement of a pile group and/or a single pile embedded in multi-layered soils, resulting in both
time- and cost-saving. The main objective of the present research is to measure and analyze the stressand strain-transfer throughout the instrumented bored pile in the context of multilayer site conditions.
Experimental Modelling

A summary of the instrumented bored pile load test is presented in Table 1. Both of the instrumented piles were located in Jalan Ampang and Kuchai Lama, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The applied
load was calibrated using vibrating wire load cells (VWLCs). To ensure the stability of the test assembly, careful consideration was given to the provision of a suitable system. The maintain load test (MLT)
is based on the reaction pile system, following the ASTM Standard: D1143/D1143M-07. The clear distance between the edges of the reaction pile and the edge of the test pile should not be less than fivetimes the diameter of the largest pile. In the used setup, the piles were loaded using hydraulic jacks acting against the main beam. The jacks were operated by an electric pump.
Loading Procedure

Zhang et al. [22] have mentioned that in bored piles the timing for the load test is dictated by
the strength of the concrete in the pile. In addition, Weltman [23] has recommended that, at the time of
testing, the concrete should be a minimum of seven days old and have a strength of at least twice the
maximum applied stress. For the current pile test, the loading cycles started 28 days after the construction of the pile. The instrumented piles were tested by the MLT every two loading cycles. The applied
loads were measured by calibrated VWLCs. Readings were taken every 10 min for 60 min duration. The
variations in the loading sequences for two continuous cycles and for both test piles are shown in Fig 1.
Site Conditions

In this study, two series of full-scale static load tests on bored piles were performed. The first
full-scale test was conducted at Cadangan Pembangunan 2, Lorong Stonor, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia,
known as PTP-1. The test pile was a preliminary pile and was loaded to double the pile's structural
capacity. It should be mentioned that, for test pile PTP-1, the required structural capacity was 22,200 kN.
286

TABLE 2
Test pile
PTP

Soil stratum

Depth, m Average Relative den- Bulk den- Porosi- Friction

SPT-N
sity, %
sity ton/m3 ty, %
angle

Stiff sandy silt with little gravel

Very stiff sandy silt with little gravel
Hard yellowish sandy silt with little gravel
Hard yellowish sandy silt with little gravel
Fractured limestone

Sandy silt
Sandy clay
Silt
Weathered sandstone

Es,
MPa

0-8
8 - 10
10 - 17
17 - 24
24 - 37

15.50
27.5
110
122
150

49
61
72
76
-

1.7-1.8
1.8-1.9
1.8-1.9
1.8-1.9

35
32
33
29
17

29
36
37
39
-

25.4
34.3
38.8
41.4
39.3

0 - 12
12 - 17
18 - 23
25 - 31.7

30
39
122
195

60.6
68
74
-

1.65-1.8
1.85-1.97
1.75-1.8
-

38
36
39
-

33
30
32
-

21.5
17.4
36.6
39.2

b
12

3 4 5

6 7 8

9 10

10

20

30

40

4 5 6 78 9 101112

10
14
20
13
30

40
0

Fig 2.

0
Depth below platform level, m

Depth below platform level, m

2,000

4,000 6,000
8,000 10,000
Stress registered, kPa

5,000

10,000
15,000 20,000
Stress registered, kPa

Stress distribution across PTP-1 in (a) the first cycle: 1) 3,313, 2) 4,698, 3) 6,883, 4) 8,897,
5) 11,061, 6) 17,973, 7) 16,056, 8) 17,973, 9) 20,370, 10) 22,418 kN, and (b) the second cycle:
1) 5,627, 2) 11,351, 3) 16,664, 4) 22,391, 5) 24,479, 6) 27,138, 7) 29,181, 8) 31,072,
9) 33,186, 10) 35,465, 11) 37,716, 12) 40,475, 13) 42,184, 14) 44,036 kN.

PTP-1 was designed for a nominal diameter of 1,800 mm at a penetration depth of 36.95 m below
ground level. The pile was tested up to 44,400 kN in two loading cycles for an initial test programme.
The location of the second full-scale project was at Utama Lodge, Jalan Senangria, Kuala Lumpur,
Malaysia, called PTP-2. From the subsurface investigation, Table 2 shows the summary of the soil types
and the Standard Penetration Test (SPT) values, as well as the physical characteristics of the under layer
soils.
Results and Discussion

The stress distribution along both piles, PTP-1 and PTP-2, in two continuous loading and
unloading cycles are presented in Figs. 2 and 3, respectively. It can be seen that, for a specified load,
the normal applied stress on the piles' surface areas decreases with depth. The rate of reduction varies
along the pile. The reduction rate of the stresses on the bored piles is very low in soft soil layers (having low SPT N values) and very high in stiff layers (having high SPT-N values), which indicates that a
high unit skin friction is established at stiffer soil layers and/or at deeper embedment. Notably, the difference between the stresses at any two levels represents the stresses carried from the shaft as skin friction. The magnitude of the skin friction is dependent upon the soil's physical characteristics, such as relative density, unit weight, and soil type.
287

1 2

3 4 5 6 7

8 9 10

5
10
15
20
25
30
35

Fig 3.

4 5 6 78 9 101112

0
Depth below platform level, m

Depth below platform level, m

5,000
10,000
Stress registered, kPa

10
14
20
13
30

40

5,000

10,000
15,000 20,000
Stress registered, kPa

Stress distribution across PTP-2 in (a) the first cycle: 1) 738, 2) 1,316, 3) 2,013, 4) 2,759,
5) 3,320, 6) 3,986, 7) 4,741, 8) 5,596, 9) 6,051, 10) 6,735 kN, and (b) the second cycle:
1) 1,750, 2) 3,381, 3) 5,025, 4) 6,714, 5) 7,321, 6) 7,976, 7) 8,661, 8) 9,370,
9) 10,072, 10) 10,584, 11) 11,429, 12) 12,123, 13) 12,714, 14) 12,904 kN.

In PTP-2, during the first cycle of the 6,735 kN load test, almost 99.78% of the test load was
carried by skin friction (the portion of the load carried between depths of z = 0 m and z = 32.06 m in
comparison to the applied load); the remaining 0.22% of the test load was carried by end-bearing (Fig.
3.a). For the second cycle, the maximum applied load was 12,904 kN, while approximately 95.58% of
the test-load was carried by skin friction and the remaining 4.42% of the test load was carried by endbearing (Fig. 3.b). Based on the soil properties in the vicinity of PTP-1 and PTP-2, the piles might not
be able to provide significant load capacity or stiffness at depths lower than 8m below the platform
level. However, at depths below 8m, the long term settlement of incompressible underlying layers (e.g.,
the very stiff sandy silts in PTP-1 and the weathered sandstone in PTP-2) will increase the contribution
of the piles in relation to the long-term stiffness of the foundations.
Tosini et al. [24] have stated that the prediction of the settlements of deep foundations in multilayer soil profiles is not always straightforward due to the difficulties faced in defining the values of the
mechanical parameters influencing them. The result of this study indicates the importance of considering both elastic and plastic deformation behavior during the axial loading of a pile test. This might be
advanced as one of the most reliable solutions to controlling the true behavior of piles.
The average changes in strain across bored piles PTP-1 and PTP-2 during both cycles are presented in Figs. 4 and 5, respectively. The average change in strain indicates both the elastic and plastic
behaviors of the piles. This is calculated based on the average changes in deformation of two continuous points divided into the piles' lengths.
From the results presented in Figs. 4 and 5, it can be seen that the average change in PTP-1 for
soil located in the top 15 m was greater, particularly when higher stresses are applied to the pile. In addition, for PTP-2 the average change in strain for the top 8 m of the soil stratum was significantly greater.
It can be concluded that, in places where the skin friction was insignificant (also in the top 15 m for both
PTP-1 and PTP-2), the average strain changes along the bored pile were greater.
The piles shortened significantly, up to 8.68 mm and 18.89 mm, when the applied vertical
load reached a maximum of 22,390 kN and 44,000 kN, respectively. The plastic deformation behavior of the test pile for high static loads was 1.51 mm, which, in comparison with the total length of
the pile, is insignificant. However, when we compared the plastic deformation results of the first and
second cycle, there was a much higher permanent deflection in the vertical axis of the test piles
(Figs. 4 and 5).
288

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
0

Fig 4.

4 5 6 7 8 9 10111213 14

0
Depth below platform level, m

Depth below platform level, m

5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40

100 200 300 400 500 600 700

Average change in strain (10E-6)

100 200 300 400 500 600 700

Average change in strain (10E-6)

Strain distribution across PTP-1 in (a) the first cycle: 1) 3,313, 2) 4,698, 3) 6,883, 4) 8,897,
5) 11,061, 6) 17,973, 7) 16,056, 8) 17,973, 9) 20,370, 10) 22,418 kN, and (b) the second cycle:
1) 5,627, 2) 11,351, 3) 16,664, 4) 22,391, 5) 24,479, 6) 27,138, 7) 29,181, 8) 31,072,
9) 33,186, 10) 35,465, 11) 37,716, 12) 40,475, 13) 42,184, 14) 44,036 kN.

10

20

30

40
0

Fig 5.

0
Depth below platform level, m

Depth below platform level, m

0 123 45 6 78910

100 200 300 400 500 600 700

Average change in strain (10E-6)

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10111213 14

10

20

30
40
0

100 200 300 400 500 600 700

Average change in strain (10E-6)

Strain distribution across PTP-2 in (a) the first cycle: 1) 738, 2) 1,316, 3) 2,013, 4) 2,759,
5) 3,320, 6) 3,986, 7) 4,741, 8) 5,596, 9) 6,051, 10) 6,735 kN, and (b) the second cycle:
1) 1,750, 2) 3,381, 3) 5,025, 4) 6,714, 5) 7,321, 6) 7,976, 7) 8,661, 8) 9,370,
9) 10,072, 10) 10,584, 11) 11,429, 12) 12,123, 13) 12,714, 14) 12,904 kN.

The average SPTand unit skin frictions for both PTP-1 and PTP-2 are presented in Fig. 6.
They indicate a range for the ultimate skin friction with any change in the SPT N value. It can be
seen that, in multilayer site conditions, the lower the SPT N values for a soil layer, the lower its unit
skin friction (and vice versa). The observed results came from the GSE sensors and were calculated
based on the amount of displacement recorded by the defined sensors. The greater the change in the
recorded axial force for two continuous levels, the greater the unit skin friction for that particular soil
layer (Fig. 6).
Conclusions

Two series of full-scale tests were carried out to obtain the most reliable ranges for skin friction,
the average change in strain and the stresses along the bored piles. The effect of weak geological zones
through multilayer site conditions on changes in essential design parameters (such as strain and stress
across the piles) was investigated. In multilayer soil conditions, the soil reaction system changes with
289

Depth, m

0
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
45

150

Average SPT-N
300

450

4
1
2
450

300
150
Unit skin friction, kPa

Fig. 6. The average SPT-N and unit skin friction for both PTP-1 and PTP-2: 1) average SPT-N
PTP-1; 2) unit skin friction (kPa) PTP-1; 3) average SPT-N PTP-2; 4) unit skin friction
(kPa) PTP-2.

depth. In passing through multilayer site conditions, the bored piles respond with elastic and plastic
deformation, and the stresses and strains along the piles are significantly affected by weak geological
zones. The stresses registered on the pile decreased with depth as the skin friction carried a large portion of the pile's applied load, particularly in stiff, sandy layers. The variation in average change in
strain tended to increase with depth in places where skin friction was insignificant (depths between 10
and 23 m).
Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank the Research Management Centre of Universiti Teknologi
Malaysia (UTM) and Ministry of Higher Education (MOHE) for providing financial support through
research vote: R.J130000.7822.4L130 for bringing the idea into fruition.

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