There is currently an inconsistency in the recommendations that are available in pile design codes and practices regarding the required number of proof-load tests and the level of the proof loads for piles. This paper presents a methodology for studying the effect of choosing different proof-load test programs on the reliability of piles. This is achieved by utilizing a Bayesian approach to update the capacity distributions of piles at a site given the results of the proof-load test program. A pre-posterior decision making framework is proposed to allow for selecting the optimal pile load test program that would result in the maximum expected benefit while maintaining a target level of reliability in the pile design at the site. This proposed methodology is original, practical, and is based on site-specific information that is unique to any given project. The efficiency of the proposed decision framework is demonstrated by applying it on a practical design example that involves piles that are driven in a site consisting of medium dense sand.
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