Side Load Transfer in Driven and Drilled Piles

Abstract

Driven and drilled piles transfer comparable unit loads to over consolidated clays, yet the stresses to which they subject the soil are different. Fullscale load tests of piles of both types in the overconsolidated Beaumont clay of Houston, Texas are reviewed, and the measured load transfer relationships are compared. The drilled piles transfer more load to the soil at shallow depths, while the driven piles transfer more load at depths exceeding about 20 ft (6 m). The differences are explained by considering the different stress paths followed by the soil adjacent to the piles.