Uncertainty Analysis of Bearing Capacity of Soils Obtained from Field Plate Load Tests

Abstract eng:
Field plate load test is still regarded as the most suitable technique to obtain load-settlement response of foundations resting on soil/rock, and find its place in several codes of practice worldwide. The loadsettlement data obtained from plate load tests is routinely used in the evaluation of several design parameters of soil, such as bearing capacity, settlement of foundations, modulus of subgrade reaction, Young's modulus, etc. However, these tests often produce unrealistic results, due to various sources uncertainties in testing procedures, and may create chaos in the design decisions, if not properly accounted for. In this paper, a failed field plate load test is discussed and various uncertainties associated with the field testing are identified. The effects of these uncertainties on the load-settlement behavior are systematically analysed, through a series of laboratory plate load tests, simulating the field conditions. By comparing the results obtained from the laboratory and field load tests, it is observed that the bearing resistance of the soil is highly overestimated due to non-maintained load testing. Based on laboratory load test data, resistance factors are derived for each stage of loading, which when used with nonmaintained load test data, can partially compensative the error associated with this uncertainty on the load-settlement response.

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