HELICAL PILE AND MICROPILE

LOAD TESTING
Joe Heinisch P.Eng.
QA/QC Manager
EBS GEOSTRUCTURAL

Trevor Quayle P.Eng., M.A.Sc.

Senior Structural Engineer
PRETIUM ANDERSON WATERLOO

A Foundation
to to
Build
OnOnwww.ebsgeo.com
A Foundation
Build
www.ebsgeo.com

HELICAL PILE PRESENTATION OUTLINE

1. Reasons for Testing

2. Information from Borehole Log

3. Installation and Testing Video

4. Tension Test Review

5. Compression Test Review

HELICAL PILE/ANCHOR
TESTING

REASONS FOR TESTING:

1.

Confirm design

2.

Determine design parameters of

piles/anchors

3.

Determine feasibility

BOREHOLE LOG
TESTING

Soil Layer(s)

Water Table Elevation

Blow Counts

Potential Termination Depth

Depth

HELICAL PILE INSTALLATION AND TESTING VIDEO

http://www.ebsgeo.com/Services/Load_Testing

HELICAL ANCHOR INSTALLATION LOG

Helical Anchor Type
Termination Depth
Final Installation Torque
Average Readings
Ultimate Theoretical Tension Capacity

SS200 TENSION TEST THEORETICAL CAPACITY

SS200 TENSION TEST RESULTS

HELICAL PILE INSTALLATION LOG

Termination Depth
Final Installation Torque

Ultimate Theoretical Compression

Capacity
Product Rating

SS200 COMPRESSION TEST THEORETICAL CAPACITY

SS200 COMPRESSION TEST RESULTS

DIGITAL LOAD TEST DATABASE DEMONSTRATION

Searches that can be focused on regions in Ontario
Searches based on characteristics such as location and
maximum load
Borehole and load test results for each individual test site
Load performance graphs for each test
www.ebsgeo.com/load_tests

MICROPILE LOAD TESTING

MICROPILE PRESENTATION OUTLINE

1. Sacrificial Pre-Production Load Test
2. Sacrificial Verification Load Test
3. Production Pile Proof Test
4. Test Result Examples

TESTING OVERVIEW
Load testing of micropiles one of the most important aspects of their
design and installation

Design verification
Performance verification
Installation quality control

TESTING TENSION OR COMPRESSION

Important to be able to verify the piles performance under both
compression and tension loads, however:

Additional reaction anchors required for testing in compression

Piles may be tested in tension
Pile performance
General conformance with ASTM D1143 (compression) or ASTM
D3689 (tension)

SACRIFICIAL PRE-PRODUCTION TEST

PURPOSE:

Characterize and confirm the grout-to-ground bond values used for

design
Tests completed and reviewed prior to production pile installation

Piles tested are sacrificial

Location of tests
Installation procedures and general material specs

Pile bond material (geotechnical)

Bond breaker

SACRIFICIAL PRE-PRODUCTION TEST

Testing geotechnical bond stress value, not general pile design
Test pile configuration should be designed based on maximum bond
stress and load to be tested
Load test should be carried out to:
Failure of test pile, or
Maximum design bond stress

Cycling of load tests

SACRIFICIAL VERIFICATION TEST

PURPOSE:

Validate the contractors installation methods

Verify compliance with the micropile load carrying capacity and
grout-to-ground bond values used in design
Test results reviewed prior to production pile installation
Piles tested are sacrificial, not production piles
Test load to ultimate geotechnical bond stress

SACRIFICIAL VERIFICATION TEST

It is important to note the following limitation:
Resistance factors for bond stress typically 0.60
(compression) or 0.40 (tension)
Resistance factor for bar typically higher (0.85)
The allowable capacity (Py/0.8Pu) of the design bar may be
exceeded

Larger bar must be used instead to allow testing to maximum

load required

proof testing

PRODUCTION PILE PROOF TESTS

PURPOSE:
To ensure consistent installation procedures (quality control)
Confirm performance of the piles under the required design service
loads

PRODUCTION PILE PROOF TESTS

Piles tested are installed production piles
Means of installation quality control
Piles selected should be distributed somewhat evenly
across both the project footprint and installation sequence,
with a greater importance on sequence

Testing typically performed only to the maximum factored

design load level (ULS)

PRODUCTION PILE PROOF TESTS

Number of proof tests selected with reference to the project
requirements and parameters with consideration given to:

Total number of piles to be installed

Different pile types

Importance factor for structure supported

Consistency of general site properties

Performance of any pre-production tests

For a typical normal importance structure will have a frequency of

5% or 1 in 20

GENERAL PROCEDURES
Test procedure should be setup to provide the designer the data
appropriate to make design decisions
Loading procedure and schedule aspects:
Alignment Load

Load Increments
Hold Times and displacement readings
Creep Test
Acceptance criteria

PROCEDURE AND SPECIFICATIONS

Designer should produce a written testing procedure and specification for
each test type to be performed for the project.
This should typically indicate:

Number and general location of test piles

Material specifications (grout strength, bar size and type)

Test pile configuration (bond length, diameter, free length)

Loading procedure:
o
o
o
o

Number and magnitude of loading increments for each cycle

Hold times required at each load increment
Additionally, number and magnitude of unloading increments may also be specified
Displacement reading intervals

General acceptance criteria

TEST RESULT EXAMPLES

The following are a few load test examples
extracted from completed projects

Micropile Proof Test

350
300

(kN)

250

Load

~SLS Load

200
150
100
50
7.188mm

0
0.0

1.0

2.0

3.0

4.0

5.0

Deflection
(mm)

Simple proof test example

Deflection criteria passed at SLS load level

6.0

7.0

8.0

9.0

10.0

Micropile Proof Test - Creep Test

0.7

0.660mm

0.5

(mm)

Creep Displacement

0.6

0.4
0.3
0.2
0.1
0.0
0

Hold Time
(min)

Creep test results from previous proof test

Creep criteria met

Creep <1mm at 10min, extended creep test not performed

10

Micropile Proof Test

1400
1200

(kN)

Load

1000

~SLS Load

800

600
400
200
24.689mm

0
0.0

5.0

10.0

15.0

20.0

25.0

30.0

35.0

40.0

Deflection
(mm)

Simple proof test example

Very long pile: ~100ft of clay overburden

Large elastic deflection, however, general criteria was 25mm for project

45.0

Micropile Proof Test - Creep Test

4.0
2mm/log(min)

3.0

2.5
(mm)

Creep Displacement

3.5

2.0

1.702mm

1.5
1.0
1mm/log(min)

0.5
0.0
0.0

10.0

20.0

30.0

40.0

Hold Time
(min)

Creep test results from previous proof test

Creep >1mm at 10min, extended creep test performed

At 60min creep <2mm/log time cycle
Creep rate generally decreasing

50.0

60.0

(kN)

Load

Micropile Verification Test

1000
900
800
700
600
500
400
300
200
100
0

Ultimate

ULS

SLS

0.0

5.0

10.0

15.0

Deflection
(mm)

Full-scale verification test example

Load cycled to SLS, ULS and ultimate

20.0

25.0

30.0

Micropile Verification Test - Creep Test

4.0
2mm/log(min)

3.0
2.5

(mm)

Creep Displacement

3.5

2.0
1.5

1.702mm

1.0
1mm/log(min)

0.5
0.0
0.0

10.0

20.0

30.0

40.0

Hold Time
(min)

Creep test results from previous verification test at ultimate load

Creep >1mm at 10min, extended creep test performed
At 60min creep <2mm/log time cycle
Creep rate generally decreasing

50.0

60.0

Micropile Pre-Production Test

1000
900
800
600

(kN)

Load

700
500
400
300

200
100
0
0.0

2.0

4.0

6.0

8.0

10.0

12.0

14.0

16.0

18.0

20.0

Deflection
(mm)

Cycled pre-production test

Test loading cycled up to increasing values

Note, pile did not fail: maximum test load for set-up reached successfully, and
set as ultimate capacity

Micropile Pre-Production Test

700

1.0UL
0.9UL

600

0.8UL

(kN)

Load

500

0.7UL
0.6UL

400

0.5UL

300
200
100
0
0.0

10.0

20.0

30.0

40.0

Deflection
(mm)

Cycled pre-production test

Test pile did not reach maximum test load successfully

Excessive deflection started beyond 0.8UL load cycle
Ultimate capacity set at 0.75UL

50.0

QUESTIONS?

A Foundation to Build On www.ebsgeo.com