Settlement of Circular and Ring Plates in Very Dense Calcareous Sands

Abstract

Plate‐loading tests were carried out on very dense calcareous sand for the construction of the new telecommunications center complex in downtown Kuwait City. The tests were conducted at the foundation level, which was located 18 m below the original ground level. Circular plates 0.3 m, 0.61 m, and 1.28 m in diameter, and a ring plate of 1.28 m outside and 0.68 m inside diameter were employed. The tests were intended to provide reliable soil modulus values for the estimation of the settlement of a 55‐m diameter ring‐shaped raft of the 370‐m tall antenna tower. Several factors affecting settlement were examined. These include soaking or ground wetting, the size of the loaded area, and load cycling or repetition. The load‐settlement response of the ring plates and the full plates are compared.