Numerical Studies on Dynamic Load Testing of an Open-ended Pipe Pile and a Case Study

Abstract

This paper proposes a numerical approach using a matrix form with Newmark’s β method to analyse the phenomenon of the one-dimensional stress-wave propagation in an open-ended pipe pile with the aim of enhancing the reliability of the dynamic analysis. To verify the proposed method, first, the calculated results obtained from the proposed method were compared with those obtained from the rigorous continuum method FLAC^3D, the conventional Smith method, and the theoretical solution. The calculated results obtained from the proposed method were in good agreement with those obtained from the continuum method FLAC^3D. Second, static and dynamic load tests of a spun concrete pile in a construction site in Viet Nam were carried out. Wave Matching Analyses (WMAs) using the proposed method were conducted to derive a static load-displacement curve. The derived curve was comparable to that measured in static load test (SLT), indicating that the proposed method has high potential to predict the static pile response. Hence, the proposed method could be used as a practical alternative to the conventional SLT.