Rock socketed piles are being used increasingly to support heavily loaded, large-span structures. Rock sockets derive their resistance from side and base resistance. Determining the optimal rock socket length is a key design objective. This paper investigates axial load transfer in rock-socketed piles by analyzing a database of results from 120 load tests assembled from published papers and reports. The piles are 6- to 120-m long and have diameter between 0.5 and 3.0m. The rock-socket lengths range from 0.4 to 60 m. Variables considered were the base resistance and shaft resistance in rock, the shaft resistance in soil, the pile head load, the ratio of socket depth to diameter and rock strength. Values of rock socket length are suggested based on analysis of the database.
展开▼
