Experimental study on axial and lateral bearing capacities of nonwelded composite piles based on pile load test results

Abstract

In the presented paper, the axial and lateral behaviors of non-welded composite piles were investigated based on pile load test results. Recently, a composite pile composed of steel pipe and PHC pile was introduced into the market in Korea. A steel pile is placed in the upper part to support lateral loads and a PHC pile is placed in the lower part to resist axial load mainly. A mechanical joint is applied at the interface of the two different materials. This could be more favoured to conventional welding method in terms of cost and time in construction. Dynamic load tests and lateral load tests are performed to evaluate the axial and lateral behaviors of composite pile, respectively. The performance of the composite piles were thought to be satisfactory compared to that of steel pipe and PHC piles with a long history of successful applications. Additionally a new design chart was suggested for the design of non-welded composite pile.