Field testing to evaluate the efficiency of grouped stone piles

Abstract EN

A Pile foundation may consist of a group of stone piles installed fairly close together joined by a slab, Known as the pile cap which is in contact with soil.

The spacing among such piles is typically take to be greater than 2.5 D where D is the diameter of a single stone pile.

The present paper evaluates the efficiency of group of stone piles through a comparison of loading test results between both single and group stone piles has been made under same conditions.

The field load tests are employed here where the group of stone piles have been subjected to centrally vertical load as same as case of a single stone pile which their results are deduced from last study, all that for satisfying a good comparison.

This study established that the ultimate load which can be supported a group of n piles is not equal to n times the ultimate load of a single isolated stone pile of the same dimensions in the same soil, such that group efficiency of stone piles of case study was 1.11.