scope:

SCOPE OF WORK

This study consists of the following four key components:

− Publication of detailed results of two proprietary high quality pile load test programs (Task 1);

− Development of a database containing high quality pile load tests (Task 2);

− Comparison of the results of pile load tests with current design criteria (Task 3);

− Adjustment of the design criteria, so as to provide a more reliable estimate of pile capacity in sand, and presentation of a new API recommended design practice (Task 4).

These tasks are described in greater detail in the following subsections.

Task 1: publish proprietary data

− Publish Fugro proprietary pile load test data from the EURIPIDES project (Zuidberg et al., 1996), fully documented with all necessary supporting information. The cost of this project amounted to approximately US $5.5 million.

− Publish Saudi Aramco proprietary pile load test data from the Ras Tanajib phase II pile load tests in Saudi Arabia (Al-Shafei et al. (1994) for phase I), fully documented with all necessary supporting information. The cost of this project amounted to approximately US $2 million.

Task 2: set-up a pile load test database

− Make an inventory of pile load test data available within Fugro, which forms the basis of the project.

− Receive and evaluate eventual additional data. The API RG7 group was requested to release any data they hold.

− Establish a database of pile load tests. Descriptions of the pile load test and soil data including a judgement of the quality of the available data.

Task 3: compare API and MTD design criteria with database test results

− Predict the pile capacity at the locations of the pile load tests with the current API and MTD (Jardine and Chow, 1996) design criteria.

− Compare the results of these two different design methods and observe trends in the differences between predictions and measurements.

Task 4: adjust present API design method

Based on the results of Task 3, propose a modification of the current design criteria, so that pile capacity predictions in sand become more reliable than at present. Compare the predictions based on these revised design criteria with the pile load test results.