Rapid Load Testing on Piles

Paul Hölscher is a specialist in the application of soil dynamics to practical problems in urban engineering. He obtained his doctorate from Delft University of Technology on the dynamic behaviour of dry and saturated soil. In his 25-year career he worked at Deltares on both fundamental research as well as practical problems for geotechnical engineers. Henk Brassinga is senior consultant of the engineering division of the city of Rotterdam. He has been involved in many large projects in Rotterdam Harbour. Mike Brown is currently a lecturer at the University of Dundee. He obtained his doctorate from the University of Sheffield on the rapid pile testing for piles in clay. Peter Middendorp is director of Allnamics. He contributed to the development of pile driving analysis and the Statnamic test method. He created the basics of unloading point method and has been involved in many large rapid pile tests. Maarten Profittlich is a consultant at Fugro. He is involved in design and testing of foundation piles worldwide. Fugro owns one of the biggest Statnamic devices world wide. Frits van Tol is a professor of Foundation Engineering at Delft University of Technology and expertise manager at Deltares.

A Rapid Load Test (RLT) developed to determine the initial stiffness and bearing capacity, is an economical and practical alternative for a Static Load Test (SLT) . However, the application of RLT used to be hampered by uncertainty about the interpretation of the test results. These guidelines attempt to offer clear guidance on the available analysis techniques and their reliability.

Preface Summary 1 Introduction and scope of the guidelines 2 Test execution and test results 3 General overview of interpretation methods 4 Theoretical aspects 5 Interpretation methods 6 Safety approach 7 Special aspects 8 Symbols and definitions