An Analysis On The Characteristics Of Piles Socketed In Mudstone Using Load Transfer Functions Measured In Field

Firstly, the load-settlement curve of plies socketed in mudstone is modeled based on the load transfer functions obtained in the filed experiments performed on the Tertiary lacustrine mudstone in Nanning basin and using the discete numerical methods. The study then starts with the calibration of single pile by analyzing the possible reasons to induce the difference between the measured and calculated Q-S curves. After that, the Q-S and Q-Z curves for piles socketed in mudstone are modeled based on the analysis of 38 piles with different socketed depth and diameter. The characteristics of load transfer for piles socketed in mudstone are explored further based on the statistics on the 38 piles. At last, based on the analysis of 4 piles from a real project, the Q-S curve is obtained and compared with the field measured Q-S curves from static load tests. The ultimate bearing capacity of piles is derived and the degree of the enhancement of the vertical bearing capacity due to the rock socket is explored. The load transfer functions on the piles socketed in mudstone used in this thesis originate from the field measurement in real projects. The method proposed in this thesis is the first one in literature and engineering practice used to analyze the characteristics of piles socketed in mudstone in the studied region. This research improves the understanding on the characteristics of piles socketed in mudstone. It indirectly proves that the optimal socketed depth is 6d and the maximum socketed depth is 10d for the piles socketed in the Tertiary lacustrine mudstone in Nanning basin.